Mary and Max

Harvie Krumpeta's anecdotic and pitch-black morbid core stretched to a feature format and slightly diluted with infantility. Unfortunately, Elliot was unable to avoid the signs of self-purpose and cheapness, although even this time the atmosphere and the characters easily get under one’s skin. Mary and Max is one of the strangest cartoons you will ever see. The artistic aspects only strengthen the deformity and psychosis of the main characters, and it is therefore all the more beautiful to watch how the film produces pure and positive emotions. It’s just too bad about the occasional repetition and excessive eloquence. (08/14/2009)

I believe that if an un-loquacious version of this existed, it would work equally as well as the “silencing" of Blade Runner. However, this way it is an outstanding movie that is utterly wrecked by overuse of the narrator. Even though quite soon there is no longer any reason for his existence, he drivels gloomily on and on. This absolutely ruins the atmosphere which is given a chance to pervade only in a few rare moments when at last there’s silence. And at those moments I would willingly award both Mary and Max five stars. But then the narrator opens the flood gates again and lets flow his prattle about nothing and the atmosphere is gone. Oh dear. (11/07/2009)

In the minds of the overwhelming majority of viewers, the notion still persists that animated films are primarily for children and at most can have a cross-over appeal as a family entertainment for children's company. Adam Elliot's work defies this established classification, and his film Mary and Max is anything but a film intended for child audiences. It is a psychological drama that portrays the formation of friendship between two completely different individuals, who are only connected by their outsider status. A little girl from Australia, suffering from unwanted child syndrome, growing up in a family that can hardly be considered functional, and a solitary obese Jew suffering from a mental illness, both long for friendship and find it through letters addressed to a distant continent. The film sensitively and non-aggressively describes the emergence of an emotional bond and the ups and downs of their relationship. It is a very exclusive intimate film, intended more for contemplation than entertainment. At the same time, it is one of the peaks of contemporary animated film and evidence that animated cinema has fully emancipated itself on par with live-action films. In terms of emotions, Elliot excels at working with the natures of his characters and exposes them to a multitude of problems they must face. The number of mishaps concentrated in their lives would be enough for the entire staff of a sought-after psychiatrist or psychologist within a few days. Yet, Mary and Max manage to approach life with humor and contemplate, for example, whether a taxi driver who reverses owes money to the customer or vice versa. The visual aspect didn't completely capture my heart, but in terms of script and direction quality, the film deserves the best possible rating. Overall impression: 85%. (05/02/2010)

There is no denying that this distinctive movie has an idea that immediately propels it among the top animated works to date. To see the filth and stench of modern society depicted in such a subtle way in a film (and the filmmakers went back 30 years for good measure) is not something a more mature viewer is used to, even in the presence of David Lynch or Lance Von Trier, let alone in a story that is primarily intended for a younger audience. And here is the only problem. Although this is an endlessly thought-provoking, truthful and original film that combines a sometimes depressing atmosphere with humorous detachment in perhaps the best possible way, its emotional impact is so contrived and violent at times that I too often just shook my head in disbelief at all the bugs, dead birds and fish, the endless funerals and the enormous weirdness of the two main characters. But the filmmakers communicate very clearly what they want to say, which is why my sympathies remain on the side of the film. (02/02/2014)

In Mary and Max, the opposing barricades are almost distastefully literally manned on one side by the things I love about movies (and everything else) and on the other with everything I hate from the depths of my soul. Well, ladies and gentlemen, on the right side of the ring comes a flying circus of farting, expletives, boogers, and giant bird shit on people’s heads, abundantly assisted by an inability to work within the feature-length format, crowned by the utter adoration of defeatism and hideous and viewer-insulting emotional blackmail! A potent combination, but what do we have on the other side? Ahhhh, is that Mr. Phillip Seymour Hoffman? And next to him, beautiful pitch-black humor drawing from the social isolation of the characters and a little girl who, in order to shed a tear, has to recall a cat being run over by a lawnmower (a chokeworthy scene)? So in short: for every fart, there’s is a good joke = tied *** + Hoffman = ****, but it will be a while before I talk myself into another Elliot. (04/16/2012)

I'll admit straight away that I didn't watch the movie in the best mood. It greatly influenced how I perceived the film. Nevertheless, I still can't believe the ratings the film has on both of the film databases I follow - the Czech one and the international one. It is a depressing animated film. An interesting combination in itself. There is almost nothing to criticize about the animation. It's truly excellent, including the artistic concept. The characters are not attractive, they are outsiders, so one wouldn't expect it from them. Mary is a young girl who has no friends and longs for them. Her parents don't have time for her or don't pay attention to her as they should, her neighbors are a stuttering Greek and a guy who never leaves his house because he is afraid of open spaces. Relationships develop between them, but definitely not at the level desired for a young girl. And so she starts corresponding with Max. Mary is Australian, Max is from New York. She is a girl, he is a forty-four-year-old introverted guy who either eats a lot, sits, or suffers from his seizures when he is unable to move. He's seeking treatment, but it doesn't help much because the world around him is simply bad. How is it possible that people can't follow the rules? A simple question for which he can never find an answer. The film is not only funny, even though some ideas are incredibly good, but it's truly very depressing. When someone is in a bad mood, like I was while watching it, it is definitely not possible to achieve the effect the creators intended. It's a shame, I might have to give the movie another chance someday. I wouldn't be surprised if my rating also increased, but for now, I'll stick with 60%. More: http://www.filmovy-denik.cz/2012/12/wtc-yes-man-mary-max-zambezia-cerna.html (03/02/2013)