When I was a kid, one of my favorite books was Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. So, it was without question that I was thrilled to hear that Spike Jonze was making a film version of it. I talked it up to my kids, we read the book a few times this week and today, we went to the opening matinee showing of it. In one word, I was disappointed. Maybe I should try two words: highly disappointed. My disappointment stemmed mostly from the fact I wanted so much for this to be a fun, family experience that we could enjoy with our two boys (ages 3 and 6) and it wasn’t! Parents be warned: this is NOT a movie for kids, especially young ones. The themes tackled in the movie are very heavy and include serious issues ranging from dysfunctional families, death, sadness, and anger. It was NOT a happy movie at all.

Max, the hero of the book, is portrayed in the film version as a kid with serious anger management issues. He lives with his detached single mother and teenage sister in a home that is quickly identified as “broken”. The first 25 minutes of the movie focus on Max’s problems at home and culminates in an intense argument with his mother over dinner. Language alert: During the argument, Max’s mother screams at him to “Get down off the damn counter”. In a fit of anger, Max screams “I hate you” and runs away from his home. There are no nice fading walls and growing trees in Max’s bedroom to transition to “where the wild things are” as there is in the book. Max leaves his home in anger, finds a boat and sails away from home. So, that’s the first 25 minutes. Heavy topics, anger, running away. Pretty much not something I was anticipating having to explain to my two little guys.

Once Max gets to “where the wild things are”, things don’t get much better. His initial discovery of the wild things is kind of scary. Once the ice is broken, the wild things start talking with Max. They immediately look to Max to help them overcome their loneliness and sadness, to which Max responds with a story of his own which includes things like a sadness shield. It’s very clear from the start that all of the wild things are relatively unhappy and all have serious issues of their own. At one point, the wild thing named Judith says “Even happiness doesn’t really make you happy”. Hmmm, that’s encouraging. The somber mood of the film is finally broken after about 30 minutes when Max is crowned king and the “wild rumpus” begins.

The rumpus lightens the mood a bit albeit with some pretty bad behavior…but they are “wild things” so I get that. However, the movie quickly returns to more serious topics when Max talks with KW about his “problems and issues” at home. By the way, if you need a potty break for little ones, this is good time to take one. There is about a 5-minute section of the film when Max is walking in the sand dunes with Carol that kids of just about any age could stand to miss. The conversation is slow and covers Carol’s thoughts on the “end of things” like the end of the Sun.

There is a lot of very hostile language used in the film as well. When planning to build a “fort” Max promises that the fort will automatically “cut the brains out” of anyone that the wild things don’t want to enter. Not such a nice graphic image for kids. During the dirt clod fight scene, Max explains that the object of the game is to “kill the bad guys”. Again, not something I want to have to start explaining to little ones. The dirt clod fight scene does manage to add some much needed levity to the film, but still relies heavily on violence to break the dark mood of the film.

Unfortunately, the film returns to heavier themes pretty quickly. We work through Max’s questions like “How do I make everyone OK?” as well as a tense relationship between KW and Carol which is clearly a reflection of Max’s troubled relationship with his own mother. As the film reaches its climax, the wild things realize that Max isn’t going to help them solve their problems. Carol’s disappointment and anger with Max finally surfaces in a very frightening scene where he rips his best friend Douglas’ arm off and then begins to chase Max, trying to eat him. Finally, KW hides Max from Carol’s rampage. Carol confronts KW and admits he’s angry because he “Just wanted us all to be together”. After Carol leaves in disappointment, Max explains to KW that Carol acts angry because he’s scared and KW comments that “It’s hard being a family”. At this point in the movie, my kids looked sad and uninterested and I knew they weren’t getting this movie.

The movie doesn’t ever really resolve any of the issues that it raises. It just sort of ends, leaving you and your kids feeling like nothing has really changed in Max’s life. It’s actually a pretty sad movie, and confusing for kids. The audience reaction at the end of the movie was not very enthusiastic. A little girl (she looked to be about 7 years old) sitting in the row behind us said to her mom “That was a very sad movie”. Another mom in front of us looked exasperated and just shook her head. Then I looked over at the Painted Hen. She had that look of “I can’t believe we just brought our kids to this movie”. And I was left feeling the same way. Something that I loved and cherished from my childhood had been turned into such a dark, gloomy film. Although this is being heavily marketed as a kid/family movie, I would seriously caution parents of children under 10 (and probably under 13) to avoid this movie or at least be prepared to deal with the issues it raises. The serious adult themes are confusing and inappropriate for little ones. As an adult I found the movie to be quite depressing and a big departure from a beloved children’s classic. Two words: highly disappointed to say the least.

To view five sneak peek videos from the film, head over here.