Mary and Max

Drew's Thoughts:
Mary and Max is based on a true story, and I think making an animated film based on a true story is a really interesting (and possibly original?) concept. I'm guessing there was a large degree of poetic license taken in telling this "true story" but the emotions and characters still feel very real.
The thing I commend about this film, and it's Oscar-winning writer/director Adam Elliot, is it doesn't pander to kids. It's not even a movie kids should really be watching. It's not that the film takes pleasure in making animated characters curse and act "adult" or something like that (the content is probably about a PG-13) but it tells a story that will resonate with, most likely, only teenagers and adults.
The premise is very simple; by chance, a young Australian girl, Mary, and an obese New Yorker in his 40s, Max, become pen pals. They share their collective love of chocolate and Noblets cartoons and confide in each other about their equally lonely, friendless existences.
The story ends up focusing more on Max which is a wise move because I felt his character had a little more depth (and he's much older meaning he has a lot more experiences to share) and also he is voiced fabulously by Philip Seymour Hoffman. The story moves in unexpected ways (maybe due to it being based on truth?) which is a credit to the film. The premise seems like it could wear thin but Mary and Max develop such a real relationship and their characters are developed so well, that the film gets by just fine on it's writing and more importantly on how genuine it is.
It seems like maybe through animation a filmmaker can avoid the audience's preconceived notions of the kind of people the characters are. I know I might be grossed out if I saw a 350 pound man stuffing his face with chocolate hotdogs, but when I see an animated version? Not so much. Instead though, you feel really sympathetic for both Mary and Max, and they each go to some surprisingly dark places in the film. Ultimately, the film is pretty touching which is always rare with animated films (not necessarily because they're animated though).
I've heard rumors of a Best Animated Film category at the Dolphins this year and I'd say at this point Mary and Max is definitely the one to beat. I wouldn't be surprised if it reached outside the animated category for noms though. It's a competitive category but Mary and Max could possibly get an Original Screenplay nom and maybe Score as well but that's another tough category. One category I feel Mary and Max should not be forgotten in, and maybe should even win, is Best Sound. The sound design in the film is phenomenal and really contributes to its "realness." When Max is sitting in his apartment typing you hear noise from the streets leaking in, for instance; the film takes great pains to create a true world, a strange world but a true one and sound is a big part of it. And of course this being animated there's no on location sound recording, it's all created specifically by the sound designer for the film.

Colleen's Thoughts:
At the very beginning of the Mary and Max screening I would say the word which best described how I felt about the movie was worried. The narrator says “poo” within the first few minutes and I was very concerned that this might be a movie which, to my horror, relished in its own quirkiness. I was wrong.
Somewhere during this film I became extremely emotionally attached to the characters. Since Drew and I discuss films together after seeing them he said a lot that we both talked about and thus some of my opinions were already voiced by Drew. For example, I think it was an amazing idea to make this true(ish) story in animation. I am startled by real life Max-like people on the bus or walking to school practically everyday. Quite frankly, if in the movie I saw a human Max collecting toe nails in a jar and eating chocolate hot dogs I would cringe!
Instead, Max is a lovable character (shout out to Phil) and the depth of his and Mary’s “outsiders” friendship is really touching. Also, I am a fan of anyone who has a life goal of having an endless supply of chocolate. Although, Max is out there, the script and the voicing make the characters incredibly relatable. I wish Mary’s climactic dramatic scene would have been executed better (the song during it is AWFUL). I think what the film does best is it develops a relationship between these two people that is truly humane and genuine. When there is a snag in their relationship you feel for them. I think the ending of this movie is incredibly satisfying and tears were running down my cheeks. Mary and Max is different, engaging and truly heartwarming.