Where the Wild Things Are

Ah, first: Where the Wild Things Are. What a good movie. It was... full. It was great. I cried. Which we've already established happens basically whenever I watch a movie, but.

Okay, so at first I was a little nervous. Of course, you know, "Oh God, Hollywood is attempting to hang my childhood again. Damn you, Hollywood." (The Fantastic Mr Fox movie looks awful. Absolutely terrible. And creepy. Like The Mouse and the Motorcycle movie from the eighties/early nineties.) But okay, I decided I would see it after I hear Maurice Sendak, the author, enjoyed it. If he enjoyed it I figured it had to be a good movie--he's a very dour old man who in his old age has grown to rather dislike children. (My middle school art teacher met him and shared this with a bit of surprise. I was a little saddened to hear this too. Fun fact... Did you know he lives in CT?) And it was a good call. I mean, it's different from the book. Of course it is. The book has, as everyone is so apt to remind us, "less than ten sentences". I always saw it as Max wanted to live in a place where it was wild, and it overwhelmed him and he went back home. Actually, I never really thought he missed his mom at all. Though I could be skewing facts a little, because at the moment I'm in a 'where the hell is this book' phase.
But, in the movie, Max is a sad kid, dissatisfied with his life: his sister never plays with him any more, she never comes to his aide or even really pays attention to him. His mother is divorced and devotes a lot of time to work--and her wet noodle of a boyfriend. (Seriously, he's the wussiest guy ever. If I was the mom I would have screamed at him. "YOU ARE NOT HELPING THE SITUATION!") After throwing a tantrum out of frustration because he wants someone to care for him, to see him and whatnot, he runs into the woods which lead him to the ocean he sails across to find the island.
The movie really isn't meant for kids. Not many kids will understand it too well, I think. The movie is Max having revelations about himself and life. Carol and the goat-thing represent two of the main feelings in his life: distraught with the need to act out violently, and the feeling that no one is listening. KW is an obvious representation of his sister, and I'm not completely sure, but Judith may be his mother and Judith's wild thing (he makes her heart sing) is either his father or the boyfriend. You never meet his father, so it's hard to tell. With these in mind, as Max is growing and is suddenly happy in the end when he goes home... (no spoiler alerts. You have no excuses to not know the end already) Well, it might be hard for a kid to tell exactly why. As you can see though, it's a little hard to tell in the book too, or maybe I was a particularly stupid kid. And how!
I guess the movie is kind of... a retrospective on childhood. The roots of it, I mean. Not the whole sailing away to a distant land and finding an island of wild things thing. Of course, who hasn't done that, really? Douglas and I are tight like you wouldn't believe. I mean, the director has said it's a movie "about growing up" at least ninety-thousand times. At least. But... well. Like I've said, I don't really know what I'm doing with these reviews, but it's a great movie. I was touched.

PS. I just looked it up, and Sendak was born in 1928. I guess we can forgive him if he's become a mean old man. At that age I'd probably hate everyone too.

PPS. Pride and Prejudice as soon as possible. And Tuck Everlasting. And maybe An Abundance of Katherines.