Mary and Max

Locations
Call Number: DVD Animation Mary
On Shelf At: Downtown Library

Location & Checkout Length	Call Number	Checkout Length	Item Status
Downtown 1st Floor 1-week checkout	DVD Animation Mary	1-week checkout	On Shelf
Downtown 1st Floor 1-week checkout	DVD Animation Mary	1-week checkout	On Hold Shelf
Westgate Adult A/V 1-week checkout	DVD Animation Mary	1-week checkout	Due 04-14-2024

Special features: US trailer ; International trailer ; Commentary ; Behind the scenes ; Making of ; Alternate scenes ; Casting call ; Short film: Harvie Krumpet.
Voices: Eric Bana, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Toni Collette, Barry Humphries.
Mary is a lonely eight-year-old in the suburbs of Melbourne. Struggling with questions that no one can answer, she writes to Max, an obese 44-year-old Jewish man with Asperger's Syndrome living in New York City, which starts a friendship that spans 20 years and two continents.
DVD, widescreen.

REVIEWS & SUMMARIES

Library Journal Review

COMMUNITY REVIEWS

winner! submitted by manz on September 8, 2010, 1:15pm I really enjoyed this film. It's a quirky story of a quirky long distance friendship of an unlikely duo. I was laughing out loud at all of the funny insights that Max had. If you're up for something different, try it!

Loved this! submitted by katieh on July 16, 2011, 8:54am Mary and Max is one of the best movies I've ever seen, ever. It is visually stunning, even when it is gray and drab, and the acting is great. Be prepared to have your heartstrings tugged while watching this...it is totally worth it!

A serious comedy submitted by guerin on November 2, 2014, 9:29am I bawled at the end of this lovely gem of a movie, and I'm generally quite jaded. Delightful characters, a very dark comedic sensibility, but remarkably honest and revealing in dealing with serious issues such as Asbergers Syndrome, suicide, and alienation. The voice acting is superb. Not for young children. It's a movie I'll never forget.

Highly recommended submitted by mrajraspn08 on November 19, 2017, 12:23pm I wasn't planning on watching this since I wasn't really into the animation style, and was only convinced after a podcast I listen to reviewed it. I'm glad I did. I have autism, so I'm always interested in its portrayal, and this one certainly did it well. Right from the beginning, I emphasized with Max, though his autism is definitely more extreme than mine. Certain aspects that others might not consider were actually shown, and I applauded every time this occurred, from the flat tone the voice actor used to his book of feelings to the way a simple letter could trigger a complete meltdown. While exaggerated, it is all very much based in truth.
I feel the drab coloring was a little bit of a turnoff, so I'll add that the director explained this--living in Australia, he stated that "everything was brown" which is why Mary's story is told in sepia, and with Max's autism, he sees everything in black and white, so that's why his story is told with these colors. With that in mind, it's actually interesting to see the color scheme.
I loved seeing the contrasting story lines of Max and Mary, from as simple as the ways they write their letters to the way their stories progress. I loved seeing how much their friendship meant to each other, and how such little things meant so much to each other--for example, mailing a bar of chocolate or suggesting a way to stop some teasing. It was incredibly moving. I did feel a little miffed at the climax of Mary's story--I thought it was much more interesting seeing the contrasts of mundane and odd. I also felt like it get very dark very quickly, but that is the storyteller's choice, and that's fine. Just keep in mind that it's very much not for children after a certain point.
And the end. I recently read a book with a similar ending, and it infuriated me because it felt emotionally manipulative. This one just felt bittersweet and perfect. You start to cry with sadness, and just when you get worked up, they spin it so your heart melts and it's absolutely worth it. Because of the darkness it hits, I hesitate to give it five stars, but it's definitely a well-earned four to four-and-a-half. I recommend this and am going to be looking for more from this director.

Very long submitted by mandevil on March 10, 2022, 12:45am Cute but way too long. Would have made a great short