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Movies / In Cinemas / Where the Wild Things Are
Where the Wild Things Are

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Where the Wild Things Are (2009)

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Reviews Counted:200

Fresh:143

Rotten:57

Average Rating:7/10

Consensus: Some may find its dark tone and slender narrative off-putting, but Spike Jonze's heartfelt adaptation of the classic children's book is as beautiful as it is uncompromising.

Rated: PG [See Full Rating] for mild thematic elements, some adventure action and brief language.

Genre: Childrens

Theatrical Release:11-12-2009

Synopsis: Innovative director Spike Jonze collaborates with celebrated author Maurice Sendak to bring one of the most beloved books of all time to the big screen in “Where the Wild Things Are,” a classic... Innovative director Spike Jonze collaborates with celebrated author Maurice Sendak to bring one of the most beloved books of all time to the big screen in “Where the Wild Things Are,” a classic story about childhood and the places we go to figure out the world we live in. The film tells the story of Max, a rambunctious and sensitive boy who feels misunderstood at home and escapes to where the Wild Things are. Max lands on an island where he meets mysterious and strange creatures whose emotions are as wild and unpredictable as their actions. The Wild Things desperately long for a leader to guide them, just as Max longs for a kingdom to rule. When Max is crowned king, he promises to create a place where everyone will be happy. Max soon finds, though, that ruling his kingdom is not so easy and his relationships there prove to be more complicated than he originally thought. --© Warner Bros [More]

Starring: Paul Dano, Forest Whitaker, Mark Ruffalo, Catherine Keener

Starring: Paul Dano, Forest Whitaker, Mark Ruffalo, Catherine Keener, Catherine O'Hara, Max Records, Lauren Ambrose, James Gandolfini, Chris Cooper

Director: Spike Jonze

Director: Spike Jonze
Screenwriter: Dave Eggers, Spike Jonze
Studio: Warner Bros.

[See More Credits]

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    Maurice and Spike
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    Trailer #2
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    "All Is Love" TV Spot
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  • What's Your Story
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    Did You Know The Sun Is Going To Die
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    Dirt Clod Fight
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    I Like How You Destroy Stuff
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  • This Is Our Family
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    Kids Take Over
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    Max and Spike
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    Max and Catherine
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1 - 4 of 12

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Reviews for Where the Wild Things Are

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61 - 80 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 >> >|
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Disappointinly dull.

Full Review Source: Denton Record Chronicle (TX) | comment 20 Comments
10/17/09
Boo Allen
Boo Allen
Denton Record Chronicle (TX)

Sure, Where the Wild Things Are is darker than Dracula's sunset cup of Joe. And it may have a smaller potential audience than Lamaze'ing with the Stars. But I don't care.

Full Review Source: Richmond.com | comment Comment
10/17/09
Mike Ward
Mike Ward
Richmond.com

Let's pronounce Spike Jonze the King of All Wild Things!

Full Review Source: The Movie Kit | comment Comment
10/17/09
Kit Bowen
Kit Bowen
The Movie Kit

It has its problems to be sure, but then again so does Max... and like Max, it learns to makes peace with them before time runs out.

Full Review Source: Mania.com | comment Comment
10/16/09
Rob Vaux
Rob Vaux
Mania.com

Spike Jonze's new film adaptation of Maurice Sendak's children's classic 'Where the Wild Things' Are is more admirable than enjoyable.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
10/16/09
Dan Lybarger
Dan Lybarger
eFilmCritic.com

Jonze's 'Wild Things' is a masterpiece in direction and cinematography but needs work in the pacing department.

Full Review Source: BDK Reviews | comment Comment
10/16/09
Kevin McCarthy
Kevin McCarthy
BDK Reviews

A fine conversation piece for gifted kids%u2014assuming parents willing to talk to their kids about their feelings...also a fascinating psychological study for adults looking back on the roiling emotions of childhood.

Full Review Source: Groucho Reviews | comment 1 Comment
10/16/09
Peter Canavese
Peter Canavese
Groucho Reviews

It's a coming-of-age fairy tale, delivered with remarkable subtlety, patience, and confidence in its young audience.

Full Review Source: AMCtv.com | comment Comment
10/16/09
Eugene Novikov
Eugene Novikov
AMCtv.com

On a purely surface level, even the expanded story feels like the book.

Full Review Source: Sci Fi Wire | comment Comment
10/16/09
Fred Topel
Fred Topel
Sci Fi Wire

[Jonze has] achieved with the cinematic medium what Sendak did with words and pictures: He's grasped something true and terrifying about love at its most unconditional and voracious.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
10/16/09
Ann Hornaday
Ann Hornaday
Washington Post

Has brilliant production values and inspiring messages, but it's ultimately too uneven, contrived and unimaginative while failing to thoroughly entertain adults and children simultaneously.

Full Review Source: NYC Movie Guru | comment Comment
10/16/09
Avi Offer
Avi Offer
NYC Movie Guru

The pacing of Where the Wild Things Are is undoubtedly going to divide audiences, there's no denying that. All I can say is I am on the side of those who are glad Jonze decided to let the wild rumpus start.

Full Review Source: Watertown Daily Times | comment Comment
10/16/09
Adam Tobias
Adam Tobias
Watertown Daily Times

really isn't a kids' movie as much as it is a movie for those of us who used to be kids

Full Review Source: 7M Pictures | comment 1 Comment
10/16/09
Kevin Carr
Kevin Carr
7M Pictures

While not quite the horror show that the movie of The Cat In The Hat turned out to be, this is a far cry from feel-good family entertainment

Full Review Source: New England Movies Weekly | comment 9 Comments
10/16/09
Daniel M. Kimmel
Daniel M. Kimmel
New England Movies Weekly

As audacious experiments go, it is a flawed one, but unforgettably so.

Full Review Source: Jam! Movies | comment Comment
10/16/09
Kevin Williamson
Kevin Williamson
Jam! Movies

There isn't a whole lot of narrative, but there's a ton of emotional truth.

Full Review Source: E! Online | comment Comment
10/16/09
Luke Y. Thompson
Luke Y. Thompson
E! Online

Wild Things, you do not make my heart sing.

Full Review Source: Globe and Mail | comment 8 Comments
10/16/09
Liam Lacey
Liam Lacey
Globe and Mail

Interview: From the looks of things, you'd think Where the Wild Things Are director Spike Jonze is more than just Max Records' director. You'd think Jonze was his 12-year-old star's father, too.

Full Review Source: HollywoodChicago.com | comment Comment
10/16/09
Adam Fendelman
Adam Fendelman
HollywoodChicago.com

Sendak's book crackled with the combustible energy of adolescent anarchy and creative play -- two elements severely lacking from Spike Jonze's mopey, withdrawn feature-length adaptation.

Full Review Source: Charlotte Weekly | comment Comment
10/16/09
Sean O'Connell
Sean O'Connell
Charlotte Weekly

Intellectually interesting, visually arresting and filled with invention, there's just one crucial thing Where the Wild Things Are is missing: wildness.

Full Review Source: Detroit News | comment 4 Comments
10/16/09
Tom Long
Tom Long
Detroit News
 
 
61 - 80 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 >> >|
all

Latest News for Where the Wild Things Are

November 29, 2009: Win Tickets To Where the Wild Things Are
Here's your chance to win one of 40 double passes to Spike Jonze's long awaited adaptation of 'Where the Wild Things Are'. More...

November 22, 2009: Win A Signed Where the Wild Things Are Poster
It's one of 2009's most anticipated films -- director Spike Jonze's adaptation of Maurice Sendak's kids' classic, Where the Wild Things Are -- and it's almost, at long last,... More...

October 18, 2009: Box Office Guru Wrapup: Audiences Eat Up Wild Things
Three new releases hit the multiplexes while one indie sensation expands nationally hoping to strike gold and shake up the establishment. Leading the charge is the family film... More...

October 15, 2009: Critics Consensus: Where the Wild Things Are Is A Wild Rumpus
This week, we've got a wild rumpus (Where the Wild Things Are, starring Max Records and Catherine Keener), a legal skirmish (Law Abiding Citizen, starring Jamie Foxx and Gerard... More...

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