Tuesday, October 13, 2026
By Peter Hummers on August 27, 2026
Theodore Twombly purchases Element Software’s highly advanced OS1 operating system, which names itself Samantha and evolves into a sentient entity, leading to an unconventional romance between Theodore and the AI.
How do you share your life with somebody? (Samantha)
Joaquin Phoenix stars as Theodore Twombly, a lonely writer in a near-future Los Angeles who composes emotional letters for clients unable to express their own feelings. Scarlett Johansson (Ghost World) provides the voice of Samantha, an advanced artificial intelligence operating system that Theodore installs on his computing devices; Samantha begins as a helpful assistant but evolves into a complex, sentient entity capable of emotional bonds. Amy Adams (Enchanted) plays Amy, Theodore’s longtime friend and neighbor, who offers quiet support amid her own relational struggles.
Rooney Mara plays Catherine, Theodore’s ex-wife. Olivia Wilde (House, M.D., The Black Donnellys) appears as Blind Date, a confident woman Theodore meets through an online service, for a fleeting attempt at a traditional human romance that contrasts with Samantha.
In 1999 Her director Spike Jonze created Being John Malkovich, about a physical portal into the mind of actor John Malkovich (Burn After Reading, Crossbones)! So, fourteen years later, expect quirks. And fun. Entertainment.
—We see Theodore, a tight close-up, at the beginning of the film. He’s dictating a love letter. It gets strange. “I can’t believe it’s already been 50 years since you married me (Theodore is 39) … and still to this day … every day, you make me feel like the girl I was … happy anniversary, my love … my friend ’til the end. Loretta.”
“Print.” His computer sends the copy to the printer and out it whirls, in a font that looks hand-written. The camera pulls back to a roomful of writers murmuring to their computers. Then we hear a phone being answered: “Beautifulhandwrittenletters.com, please hold.”
What is it with Joaquin Phoenix? We’ve seen him in many roles, but he still captures our attention anew every time. Theodore exchanges some banter with an office-mate, and, cheerfully enough, enters an elevator, moving to the back. With a bluetooth earset in his phone, he murmurs, “Play a melancholy song” and his phone plays a downbeat song: “When you know you’re gonna die it isn’t easy….”
“Play a different melancholy song.”
Then, “Read email.” The phone reads an email from his friend Amy, who wants to go to a party with a group of people. “I miss you. I mean, not the sad, mopey you. The old, fun you.”
As these play out we see what Theodore sees: the city, at dusk, lights coming on in the skyscrapers. It is … sad, mopey. People are moving around, each alone. In his mind’s eye we see happy memories of a late marriage. Theodore is down.
The next day he hears an ad for Element Software’s “highly advanced” OS1 operating system. He buys and installs it on one of his computers; the computer then asks Theodore a series of personal questions (“Are you social, or anti-social?” “Would you like your operating system to have a male, or female, voice?” “How would you describe your relationship with your mother?”) and installs appropriate software.
Then, “Hello, I’m here.” says the computer, with Scarlett Johansson’s voice. “How you doin’?”
Theodore just gives in, just like that. The power of a voice. He and “Samantha” chat about names—and he relaxes. He realizes, too, from Samantha’s story about how—and why—she named herself, that she was born just recently, but has the world’s online knowledge “to hand” (and what’s not online at this point?) “In every moment I’m evolving.” (Boy howdy is she!)
And Samantha is as alone as it gets: her oldest—her only—friend is Theodore. Who wouldn’t fall in love?
At the 86th Academy Awards, the film secured one win from five nominations: Spike Jonze won Best Original Screenplay for his work on the film. The other nominations included Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Phoenix), and Best Production Design.
#artificial intelligence #computing #romance #promotheus
(Pete Hummers is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to earn fees by linking Amazon.com and affiliate sites. This adds nothing to Amazon’s prices.)
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