Where the Wild Things Are

Director: Spike Jonze
2009
RT Score: 73%
My rating: 10/10

For a 10 outof 10 rating I have surprisingly little to say about this wonderful film. I really like the Sandlot, but I will tell you without any sense of overstating this that there is no film that does a better job of encompassing what it means to be a 10 year old boy than this film. This is not opinion, this is a statement of fact.
Spike Jonze of course has a flair for creating emotional reactions from an audience in the most unusual of settings. Here is no different. We see Max as a boy yearning to feel included but unable to handle it when he is not. We see his relationship with his mom as being one of love and frustration that goes both ways. And honestly, at ten years old that's exactly how your relationship with a parent should be as you strive to be more than a boy while still being trapped in a boys body.
Now, for those familiar with the story, and if your not that you should probably take 45 seconds and read it for your own benefit, you know that Max runs out and joins the wild things as their new king. This is where the magic of the film is truly found as each of the monsters provides their own unique perspective and emotional needs that mirror those of any 10 year old. Max finds friendship in the group and in particular with Carol and KW. However, Carol and KW have their own issues and both handle them in very child like ways.
As the whole thing plays out you get lost in the wild rumpus, building a mammoth fort and dirt fights (which is one of my fondest memories of childhood) and yet Jonze is also able to bring the audience back to the emotional struggles these characters are having and he connects with the audience every time.
By the end Max knows his rightful place is home with his mother and that return draws tears from me every time as I deal with my own emotions related to being a parent and having once been a 10 year old boy. I know my wife struggles with understanding why I love this movie and I simply say that's because she never was a 10 year old boy. However, if you were once a 10 year old boy and a piece of that boy still exists inside you, than this is a must see, own and repeat watch.