In 1976 Melbourne, a lonely 8-year-old girl strikes up a correspondence with an unlikely pen pal: a severely obese 44-year-old New Yorker with Asperger's syndrome.In 1976 Melbourne, a lonely 8-year-old girl strikes up a correspondence with an unlikely pen pal: a severely obese 44-year-old New Yorker with Asperger's syndrome.In 1976 Melbourne, a lonely 8-year-old girl strikes up a correspondence with an unlikely pen pal: a severely obese 44-year-old New Yorker with Asperger's syndrome.
- Awards
- 6 wins & 9 nominations
Eric Bana
- Damien Popodopolous
- (voice)
Barry Humphries
- Narrator
- (voice)
Christopher Massey
- 911 Operator
- (voice)
- (as Chris Massey)
- …
Daisy Kocher
- Alleyway Bully Two
- (voice)
- …
Dan Doherty
- BMX Bandit
- (voice)
Julie Forsyth
- Bus Stop Mother
- (voice)
- …
Mandy Mao
- Cher the Chihuahua
- (voice)
- …
Adam Elliot
- Dr. Bernard Hazelhof
- (voice)
- …
Mr. Peck
- Ethel the Rooster
- (voice)
Michael James Allen
- Ferrari Driver
- (voice)
- (as Michael Allen)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaIt took 2400 teaspoons of lubricant to create the ocean when Max imagines himself on a desert island.
- GoofsPart of the movie is set in Australia and part of the movie is set in New York, however, the cars always drive on the left side of the road, even the scene in New York.
- Quotes
Max Jerry Horovitz: The reason I forgive you is because you are not perfect. You are imperfect. And so am I. All humans are imperfect.
- Crazy creditsBefore the end credits the next quote appears: "God gave us our relatives; thank God we can choose our friends" by Ethel Watts Mumford.
- ConnectionsFeatured in De wereld draait door: Episode #5.148 (2010)
- SoundtracksPerpetuum Mobile
Composed by Simon Jeffes
Published by Editions Penguin Café Ltd
Performed by the Penguin Cafe Orchestra (as Penguin Café Orchestra)
Licensed by Fable Music Pty Ltd on behalf of Zopf Ltd
Featured review
Witty, well observed and wondrous
I went into this film at the Berlinale with mixed feelings. I knew that Adam Elliot's shorts were great but frankly the last few years haven't been great for Australian films and a number of short filmmakers have made disappointing first features.
But right from the opening frame, this film shattered any of my doubts. It's so refreshing to see a film told with such a strong unique vision and pulled off so effortlessly. This is made even more remarkable not only as it's made using stop motion animation but also because of the characters and subject matter it tackles.
Mary is an 8 year old outcast living in the suburbs of Melbourne. On a whim, she chooses a name at random in a phone book and sends off a letter asking about life on the other side of the world. The letter is received by Max, an overweight depressive in his 40's living in New York, suffering from Aspergers Syndrome. A friendship is born as the pair exchange letters over the next 20 years. offering each other support, advice and the chance to see life through another set of eyes.
While the world is painted in gloomy hues of brown and grey and the characters lead bleak lives, the genius of the script is that the characters never wallow or feel sorry for themselves. The tone is kept humorous and balanced allowing us to be moved by the characters as they stumble through life but also laugh at their foibles and observations of the world they struggle to fit into. Not since Muriel's Wedding has Australia produced so fine a comedy with such rich detail and I probably got even more laughs out of this.
My only criticism of the film would be some of its music particularly its use in one key scene of the Humming Chorus (already used so memorably in the finale of Heavenly Creatures). It meant that in a critical moment I was thinking of Kate Winslet up to no good instead of connecting with Mary & Max. But this is more a personal concern and if that's the weakest thing about the film, it's doing pretty well. I hope this film is seen by the wide audience it so richly deserves.
But right from the opening frame, this film shattered any of my doubts. It's so refreshing to see a film told with such a strong unique vision and pulled off so effortlessly. This is made even more remarkable not only as it's made using stop motion animation but also because of the characters and subject matter it tackles.
Mary is an 8 year old outcast living in the suburbs of Melbourne. On a whim, she chooses a name at random in a phone book and sends off a letter asking about life on the other side of the world. The letter is received by Max, an overweight depressive in his 40's living in New York, suffering from Aspergers Syndrome. A friendship is born as the pair exchange letters over the next 20 years. offering each other support, advice and the chance to see life through another set of eyes.
While the world is painted in gloomy hues of brown and grey and the characters lead bleak lives, the genius of the script is that the characters never wallow or feel sorry for themselves. The tone is kept humorous and balanced allowing us to be moved by the characters as they stumble through life but also laugh at their foibles and observations of the world they struggle to fit into. Not since Muriel's Wedding has Australia produced so fine a comedy with such rich detail and I probably got even more laughs out of this.
My only criticism of the film would be some of its music particularly its use in one key scene of the Humming Chorus (already used so memorably in the finale of Heavenly Creatures). It meant that in a critical moment I was thinking of Kate Winslet up to no good instead of connecting with Mary & Max. But this is more a personal concern and if that's the weakest thing about the film, it's doing pretty well. I hope this film is seen by the wide audience it so richly deserves.
helpful•11926
- asphodelfilms
- Feb 15, 2009
Details
Box office
- Budget
- A$8,240,000 (estimated)
- Gross worldwide
- $1,740,625
- Runtime1 hour 32 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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