Mary and Max
Mary and Max | |
---|---|
Distributed by | Icon Entertainment International |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 90 minutes |
Country | Australia |
Languages | English Yiddish |
Budget | A$8.2 million[1] |
Box office | US$1.7 million[2] |
Mary and Max is a 2009 Australian
The film follows the lives and friendship of two unlikely pen-pals; Mary, a lonely Australian girl, and Max, an overweight American man with
The film premiered on the opening night of the
Plot
In 1976, eight-year-old Mary Daisy Dinkle lives a lonely life in
Max is a
Max finally writes back to Mary, explaining he has been diagnosed with Asperger syndrome. The two continue their correspondence for the next several years. When Noel retires, he takes up metal detecting and is swept away by a large tidal bore while on a beach. The now-adult Mary goes to the University of Melbourne. She has her birthmark removed and develops a crush on her neighbour, Damien Popodopoulos. Vera accidentally kills herself after she drinks embalming fluid instead of cooking sherry. Mary and Damien later marry.
Mary studies
After nearly choking a homeless man in anger, Max realizes everyone is imperfect like himself. He sends Mary his Noblet figurine collection as a gesture of forgiveness. Mary fails to find the box on her doorstep for several days. Unaware she is pregnant, Mary decides to commit suicide. Having finally conquered his agoraphobia, Len alerts her of Max's package. A letter from Max tells her of his realisation that they are not perfect. He also states how much their friendship means to him and hopes their paths will cross one day.
Mary travels to New York with her infant child to visit Max. Mary discovers Max dead on his couch, gazing upward and smiling. Mary finds all the letters she sent Max over the years taped to the ceiling. Seeing how much Max valued their friendship, Mary cries tears of joy as she sits beside him on the couch.
Cast
- Barry Humphries as the Narrator[3]
- Toni Collette as Mary Daisy Dinkle[3]
- Bethany Whitmore as Young Mary
- Philip Seymour Hoffman as Max Jerry Horowitz[3]
- Eric Bana as Damien Popodopoulos[3]
- Renée Geyer as Vera Lorraine Dinkle
- Ian "Molly" Meldrumas Homeless Man
- Michael Ienna as Lincoln (uncredited)
- Julie Forsyth, John Flaus, Christopher Massey, Shaun Patten, Leanne Smith and Carolyn Shakespeare-Allen as additional voices
Production
Development
According to the opening credits, the film is based on a true story. In an interview given in April 2009, writer-director Elliot clarified that the character of Max was inspired by "a pen-friend in New York who I've been writing to for over twenty years."
Themes
The film deals with themes including
Music
The music in the film features
This film also includes the Pink Martini version of Doris Day's most well-known song, "Que Sera Sera", which is played over Mary's attempted suicide scene.
CD Mary And Max: Music From The Motion Picture was released May 1, 2009.[8]
Reception
Critical response
Mary and Max received acclaim from critics.[9][10][11] Rotten Tomatoes gives the film an approval rating of 95% based on 65 reviews, with an average rating of 8.10/10. The consensus reads, "Mary and Max is a lovingly crafted, startlingly inventive piece of animation whose technical craft is equaled by its emotional resonance."[12] Matt Ravier, writing for In Film Australia,[5] said the "story is paper-thin and some stretches of it are simply too long, yet whenever the narrative thread threatens to tear, the sheer authenticity and bold honesty of the characters save the day". The Los Angeles Times called it a "remarkable and poignant" film depicting a "film noir world of blacks, whites and grays for Max and a sepia suburbia for Mary".[13] After the film was released on DVD in the United States, Slant said "Adam Elliot's dry wit is pervasive throughout Mary and Max and it's nice to see that this unique sense of humor extends to the extras. The writer-director gives a funny and informative audio commentary and a set of hilarious making-of episodes reflects the sardonic tone of the production. The big prize here, however, is the addition of Elliot's Oscar-winning short Harvie Krumpet. This Geoffrey Rush-narrated tale of the titular Tourette syndrome sufferer is a wonderful introduction both to Elliot's sensibilities and to Mary and Max's specific tone."[14]
Box office
Mary and Max grossed $1,444,617 at the Australian box office.[15] The film received no general theatrical release in the United States, though it was showcased at several American film festivals,[16] and was briefly shown at one of the Laemmle Theatres in the Los Angeles area.[13] The film's U.S. distributor (IFC Films) made the film available on DVD and through video on demand.[14] The film was released in France by Gaumont[17] and in Germany by MFA[18] to significant critical and box office success.
Awards
Award | Category | Recipient | Result |
---|---|---|---|
Asia Pacific Screen Award | Best Animated Feature Film[19] | Melanie Coombs | Won |
Australian Directors Guild | Best Direction in a Feature Film | Adam Elliot | Won |
AACTA Awards (2009 AFI Awards) |
AFI Members' Choice Award | Melanie Coombs | Nominated |
Best Film | Nominated | ||
Best Original Screenplay | Adam Elliot | Nominated | |
Best Production Design | Nominated | ||
Berlin International Film Festival | Glass Bear | Honorable mention | |
BAFICI Award | Best Film | Nominated | |
FCCA Award
|
Best Director | Nominated | |
International Cinephile Society Award | Best Animated Film | Nominated | |
Imagine Film Festival | Silver Scream Award | Adam Elliot | Won |
Ottawa International Animation Festival | Grand Prize[20] | Won |
Home media
Mary and Max was released on DVD on 26 January 2010 by
Related exhibition
An exhibit of artefacts and clips from the film was presented in France and Australia. In France the exhibition was hosted by Gaumont as part of the release.
See also
- Harvie Krumpet, another claymation film directed by Adam Elliot
References
- ^ Dent, Nick. "Mary and Max". Time Out Sidney. Retrieved 30 August 2010.
- ^ "Mary and Max". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
- ^ a b c d Thomas, Archie (1 October 2008). "Philip Seymour Hoffman joins 'Mary'". Variety. Retrieved 10 May 2010.
- ^ Pond, Steve (9 December 2009). "The Weird Brilliance of 'Mary and Max'". The Wrap. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
- ^ a b Ravier, Matt (12 February 2009). "Review: Mary and Max (2009)". In Film Australia. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 24 September 2010.
- ^ Schembri, Jim (13 April 2009). "Mary and Max (review)". The Age. Retrieved 10 May 2010.
- ^ "Dale Cornelius". nativetongue.com.au. Archived from the original on 7 September 2012. Retrieved 10 May 2010.
- ^ "Mary And Max- Soundtrack details - SoundtrackCollector.com". www.soundtrackcollector.com. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
- ^ Pomeranz, Margaret (8 April 2009). "Mary and Max". At the Movies. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 22 November 2010. Retrieved 10 May 2010.
- ^ "International Competition / Jury Statements". Stuttgart, Germany: International Trickfilm Festival. Archived from the original on 8 May 2010. Retrieved 10 May 2010.
- ^ Dunks, Glenn (7 April 2009). "Review: Mary & Max". Stale Popcorn. Retrieved 10 May 2010.
- ^ "Mary and Max (2009)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
- ^ a b Thomas, Kevin (25 September 2009). "A love letter to pen pals' power". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 28 June 2010. Retrieved 24 September 2010.
- ^ a b "Mary and Max". Slant Magazine. 19 July 2010. Retrieved 24 September 2010.
- ^ "Australian Films at the Australian Box Office", Film (PDF), Victoria, archived from the original (PDF) on 18 February 2011, retrieved 22 November 2010.
- Internet Movie Database.
- ^ a b Mary & Max, FR: Gaumont, archived from the original on 22 August 2010, retrieved 6 October 2010.
- ^ Mary and Max, DE: MFA, archived from the original on 14 September 2010, retrieved 6 October 2010.
- ^ "Winners", The awards, Asia Pacific Screen Awards, 2009, archived from the original on 22 October 2010.
- ^ "2009 Award Winners". Ottawa International Animation Festival. Retrieved 10 May 2010.
- Australian Centre for the Moving Image. Retrieved 10 May 2010.
- ^ Nets Victoria, AU, archived from the original on 6 July 2011.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fa/Wikiquote-logo.svg/34px-Wikiquote-logo.svg.png)
- Mary and Max at IMDb
- Mary and Max at Rotten Tomatoes
- Villavicencio, Juan Carlos (2010), Mary & Max ante el espejo (blog) (essay) (in Spanish), Descontexto.
- Pulver, Andrew (21 October 2010), "Mary and Max – review", The Guardian.