Graham’s review published on Letterboxd:
"You are my best friend. You are my only friend."
- Max Jerry Horovitz
This is a ridgy-didge rip-snorter of an Aussie classic. For me this is right up there with the best animated movies I've ever seen.
Where to start...?
Fantastic animation, tick. Brilliant voice acting, tick (Philip Seymour-Hoffman, Toni Collette & Eric Bana for starters). Great story, tick.
Tick, tick, tick.
I live in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne where this is based, so when they reference Boronia and Mount Waverley, show images of burnt snags on the barbie and hills-hoists in the garden (google it peeps), it just adds an extra dimension. The level of detail and the carefully scripted dialogue between Mary & Max brings the whole thing to life and you kinda forget you are watching clay models after a while. It's just gorgeous.
The whole thing is based on 2 lonely people writing to each other. They discover each others characteristics and insecurities along the way, and its chock-full of brilliant quotes.
"Recipes are like mathematical equations. Dr. Bernard Hazelhof told me you should never weigh more than your refrigerator, and to never eat anything bigger than your head. I once ate a watermelon bigger than my head, but not all at once."
- Max Jerry Horovitz
The underlying themes of loneliness, depression and hopefulness seep through the movie. It's very dark in places, but the cute comedy elements balance it nicely. At some stage you'll be laughing, or crying for sure. It got me both ways.
Just stunning.
