I am not a movie critic. Nor do I normally review movies here, except for the time when I warned parents that there might be a bit too many sexual references in Marley and Me for the PG rating that it received.
But, since Where the Wild Things Are, has had a bit of controversy. And, we saw it this last weekend, I thought I would offer up my take on this movie.
First of all, I had read some reviews and had quite a few reservations about taking Jack Jack. But, Dash wanted to see it and Jack Jack claimed that he would not be scared and wanted to see it as well. We gave in, and we all survived, but, it was definitely NOT for young children. And there were a LOT of young children in the theater. And there were a number of families who left part way through the movie (including the family with the little girl who couldn’t have been more than two who fell into the isle, hard, as she swung from the bars).
The Mr. hated the movie.
I tolerated the movie.
I would be interested in hearing how Violet would like the movie, I know she wants to see it, but she was in another state doing other fun things instead.
Jack Jack even claimed that he liked the movie, although he spent much of it on my lap, watching with only one eye open. When we got home, however, he pulled out his Where the Wild Things Are book and stuffed Max and read and played all afternoon. And I watched his play, because I was a little concerned about some of the violent behaviors in the film, such as when Max had a tantrum and bit his mother. But, Jack Jack recreated none of that, in fact, his play centered on running and jumping and having fun. But, then again, we talked on the way home about how Max behaved when he got in trouble and how he could have made better choices and how biting and throwing things at people hurts them and we don’t want to hurt people. I still wished we had taken him to see Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, instead.
Dash really liked the movie. And this surprised me. There is a lot of abstractness about Max’s journey to Where the Wild Things Are. Max is, obviously (to adults), working through his issues with his parents’ divorce and this mother’s new boyfriend. And divorce is not an issue that Dash has had to deal with in anyway. So, I wondered what about the movie appealed to him. But, in talking to him, I believe that Dash related to the fact that Max, as a nine-year-old boy, has very little control over what goes on in his day to day life. He can’t control what his parents do or do not do. He can’t control how his siblings treat him. And sometimes, he has a hard time controlling his emotions and his behavior.
But, Max, got to go on a journey where he got to be the King. And even though, in the end, he was just pretending to be the King, he got to tell people what to do and they did it. The Wild Things didn’t always like what they were told to do, but they did it anyways, just like how 10 year old boys don’t always like what they are told to do, but they have to do it anyway. And Max found out that sometimes, being in charge doesn’t really create the happiness we are looking for.
I felt that the movie, although slightly disturbing to parents, did a great job in portraying boys and the therapeutic effects of play and the importance of imaginative free play. Boys often get put down for the violence in their play. And this movie had some instances, like the “dirt clod war” that most parents would have put a stop to right away. But, for boys, their play works out some very real life situations. And dealing with what is right and wrong and who really IS the “good guys” and the “bad guys” is hard in a world where the lines are not as clear cut as a game of “cops and robbers.”
So, would I recommend this movie? Maybe. But, I would recommend that you not take young kids to the movie. I would also recommend that no matter what age kids you decide to take, that you be willing to discuss, and talk about the movie and help children take the abstraction and make it concrete in whatever way works for their lives.