Mary, an awkward eight year old in Australia, befriends Max an idiosyncratic, anxiety ridden New Yorker in a delightful film. Tracing their friendship over twenty years as pen pals, Mary and Max explores the pain, difficulties, and enduring happiness created by the challenges of friendship. Claymation is a great medium for conveying this quirky and charming film voiced by great talents.
Mary & Max – A Claymation Movie On Friendship
Mary, neglected by her father and alcoholic mother, is friendless with a love of cartoons and chocolate. Beset with questions and curious about the United States, she rips a page from the phone book as her mother shoplifts at the local post office. Receiving a letter, Max, living in virtual isolation is intrigued, and decides to respond. Their love for chocolate and the Nobblets cartoon binds them quickly with Max sharing both the recipe for chocolate hot dogs and the story of his life.
As their pen pal relationship continues, Max provides Mary with advice while her questions on love send Max into a paralyzing anxiety attack. Max finds himself in an asylum and is eventually diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome. Clueless to Max’s travails, Mary returns to loneliness. Eventually Max finds the strength to continue their challenging friendship.
As Mary becomes older she becomes determined to help Max by finding a cure for Aspergers. Max is angered and breaks their friendship leaving Mary abandoned and depressed. Enveloped in a downward spiral of divorce and alcohol, Max comes to the realization that Mary isn’t perfect, and forgiveness is one of the foundations of friendship. Mary and Max realize how deep their bond runs and the value of true and lasting friendship.
A Movie About Pen Pals
Max’s letters define the often nonsensical and absurdist humor of Mary and Max. Mary and Max possesses a subtle humor that some viewers will find hilarious while having a melancholy undertone throughout. The claymation is done with dark, earthy hues which define its tone despite its many light moments. The movie illustrates Mary and Max’s letters which are sweet and reminiscent of the excitement of communication before the advent of email.
Philip Seymour Hoffman and The Voice Acting Of Mary and Max
Mary and Max has a great vocal cast headlined by Philip Seymour Hoffman and Toni Collette with support from Eric Bana and Barry Humphries. Although the claymation is both lively and charming, the voice work breathes a distinctive life into the film. Hoffman plays the aging, overweight New Yorker Max with aplomb and humor, and Bethany Whitmore adds zest into young Mary. The vocal talents of the whole cast complement the film perfectly, and Mary and Max is a film worth watching.
Mary and Max (2009) was written and directed by Adam Elliot and produced by Melodrama Pictures.
Brian Jungwiwattanaporn - Living an eclectic life, Brian has found online writing a great way to share and explore his interests. Having recently complete a ...
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