# Where The Wild Things Are is really bad. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 18, 2013, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-wild-things-are-is-really-bad/647647 "2013-01-18T20:17:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Troppus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a587f6/32.png) [@Troppus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troppus)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2013, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-wild-things-are-is-really-bad/647647/21 "2013-01-19T01:51:02Z")
> [@maggenpye](#): > > Eventually the Kid started asking how things were explained in the book and I took her to the bookshop to flick through it. We both thought that the movie was true to the book and that they did a great job expanding on such minimal material. I’m so glad to hear this. I have the same plan for my little one, but didn’t want to feel like I was forcing her to like the story just because I do. I’m hoping she’ll grok it on her own level, and we’ll get to talk about it. Seems like a story to revisit every few years or so throughout childhood. You know, Sendak never had kids. I wonder if that is why he has such a good grasp on the craziness that is childhood; because he never developed that detachment that a lot of parenting requires. I want to hang onto that. I want to remember what it’s like to be a kid, and use that to help relate to my child. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2013, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-wild-things-are-is-really-bad/647647/22 "2013-01-19T02:07:32Z")
It was a pretty tedious movie. Remember, the book can be read aloud in less than five minutes. Everything else is padding. And the padding wasn’t particularly good – just cotton and fluff. ---
**Author:** ![BeeDubU2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BeeDubU2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeeDubU2)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2013, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-wild-things-are-is-really-bad/647647/23 "2013-01-19T02:55:36Z")
I found myself completely engrossed in this, and its currently one of the movies I’ll stop and watch anytime it comes in. Our family was in the middle if an uproar at the time, and I completely understood the kids need to explode and run away, and the mom’s failed attempts to curb her wild child and the panic of a missing kid. It genuinely touched me emotionally, but YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2013, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-wild-things-are-is-really-bad/647647/24 "2013-01-19T03:10:36Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > Well, it didn’t have much to go on. You guys know the original book is like 10 lines of text? As I say, it’s a perfect book: those 10 lines or whatever are a poem of sorts. But saying it’s 10 lines of text does a tremendous disservice to the art, and to the layout (including, for example, the use of white space). ---
**Author:** ![gladtobeblazed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85f322/32.png) [@gladtobeblazed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gladtobeblazed)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2013, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-wild-things-are-is-really-bad/647647/25 "2013-01-19T03:12:42Z")
Never read the book. Hated the movie. Loved the soundtrack. ---
**Author:** ![maggenpye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecc23a/32.png) [@maggenpye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maggenpye)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2013, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-wild-things-are-is-really-bad/647647/26 "2013-01-19T03:32:20Z")
> [@Troppus](#): > > I want to hang onto that. I want to remember what it’s like to be a kid, and use that to help relate to my child. Theat’s pretty much what I did. It helped me to remember when I had to say “This is the boring adult stuff and I dislike it too, but we have to do it anyway”. She’s analytical by nature and we’ve always \*talked \*about esoteric stuff, mainly because I remember having great talks with my dad when I was little. I think the movie would appeal more to kids who are that kind of thoughful to begin with. My neighbour’s kids, great little lads, couldn’t have sat through the first ten minutes. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2013, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-wild-things-are-is-really-bad/647647/27 "2013-01-19T04:15:45Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > As I say, it’s a perfect book: those 10 lines or whatever are a poem of sorts. But saying it’s 10 lines of text does a tremendous disservice to the art, and to the layout (including, for example, the use of white space). I wasn’t knocking it. Just that to make it a full length movie, you have to infer a lot. The basic plot is IIRC, boy acts bratty, goes to monsterland, charms monsters and becomes king, decides he’d rather be at home and monsters are unhappy, goes home. A lot of the other stuff is in pictures, not text, and so if someone wanted a movie AND wanted to to be faithful, it would be more difficult to do. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2013, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-wild-things-are-is-really-bad/647647/28 "2013-01-19T05:37:51Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > I wasn’t knocking it. Just that to make it a full length movie, you have to infer a lot. Makes sense. For me, I’m not sure I think it’s possible to make a full-length movie out of the book while remaining faithful to it. If I really wanted to try, I think a movie of about 7 or 8 minutes long might do it justice. ---
**Author:** ![Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hazle_Weatherfield)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2013, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-wild-things-are-is-really-bad/647647/29 "2013-01-19T06:11:07Z")
> [@grude](#): > > Late to the party and I’m not entirely sure a good live action feature length movie could have been made from the book. > > My problem? The interaction between Max and the Things, the Things sound like twentysomething slackers full of self pity and whining. I dunno it just had a totally wrong mood, I was reminded of a million sitcoms where a group of friends sits around whining. I never imagined the Things sounding like Tony Soprano and Phoebe from Friends 😛 > > I just found myself hoping it would be over already, and then it just became background noise. Dave Eggers novelized the screenplay and it was a steaming pile. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2013, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-wild-things-are-is-really-bad/647647/30 "2013-01-19T18:54:04Z")
One assignment my students would have in my speech class was to read a short story to the class - they could read any short story (under about 5 minutes). I had never heard of Where The Wild Things Are - but this seemed to be many students’ favorite and I have probably heard it read 20 times or more over the years. I have to be honest - never quite figured out the love for this little book. It wasn’t horrible, but it wasn’t particularly memorable either - I guess you had to be there as a kid to enjoy it. So, when the film came out on cable I watched it. The film was even less entertaining than the book. I actually sat through the whole film - figuring it might get better? It didn’t. And that film got pretty damned good reviews if I recall correctly. Oh well - different strokes… ---
**Author:** ![typoink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@typoink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typoink)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2013, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-wild-things-are-is-really-bad/647647/31 "2013-01-19T23:51:41Z")
I rather liked the movie. The nonsensical, grumbly, talking-over-your-head dialogue of the Things reminded me so, so much of what it was like to hear adults talking when I was small. You understand the words, you can hear the emotions, but you can’t quite understand why things are funny or exciting or sad or maddening. Watching it was like revisiting the weird terror and joy of being six. ---
**Author:** ![Cumberdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8c91f0/32.png) [@Cumberdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cumberdale)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2013, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-wild-things-are-is-really-bad/647647/32 "2013-01-20T00:05:56Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > Me too, but for me the fact that the main character, the kid, was written as a totally unsympathetic willfully violent and disagreeable asshole topped even the “sad and dull” thing. I wanted to smack that kid, not watch him inhabit a fantasy for 2 hours. Spike Jonze totally blew it with the script and the direction. I did like the way the Wild Things looked, tho. Completely agree. It’s one of the few films that I couldn’t finish and most likely won’t watch again. I turned it off shortly after the Wild Things were introduced. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-the-wild-things-are-is-really-bad/647647.md?page=1)