Spike Jonze is a director whose work defies conventional categorization. Renowned for his inventive storytelling and distinct visual style, Jonze has carved a niche for himself in both the film and music video industries. No other director can transition from skateboarder to helming music videos for Fatboy Slim and Beastie Boys. From the whimsical to the profound, his films explore the intricacies of human relationships, identity, and the surreal boundaries of reality and imagination.

As we embark on a journey through his filmography in today’s installment of Director’s Canvas, we encounter a diverse array of narratives that challenge and captivate audiences. With only four feature films to his name, I’ve been anticipating his next project for the last ten years, proving you can’t rush greatness. These films all have qualities that make each one stand out in contemporary cinema. And this will only include his narrative features. None of his documentaries, including 2020’s Beastie Boys Story, will be included, although they are worth watching.

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4) Where the Wild Things Are

Release Date: October 16, 2009

Budget: $100 million

Domestic Box Office: $77.2 million/ Worldwide: $100.1 million

RT Score: 73%

The anticipation of bringing Maurice Sendak’s most beloved children’s book to the big screen was almost imaginable. It has been in development for years, but Jonze’s choice to direct it was fascinating since he’s mainly known for adult-oriented films. The trailers alone made me believe this was going to be special. With Where the Wild Things Are, his unexpected foray into family entertainment still lingers on mixed results even when I saw it in the theater at 13. Max (Max Records) is a young kid with an active imagination. Fed up with not getting much attention at home, he runs away. Fleeing in a sailboat that reaches a mysterious island home to giant monsters. There, Max convinces the wild things that he’s a king.

There’s no question Jonze’s creativity is one to admire. On the surface, you can see Where the Wild Things Are as one of the darkest children’s movies based on the look of the wild things and how its underlying theme of loneliness steaming from Max’s mind is evident about growing up. Because of that, it can have trouble settling on a tone, from playfully fun to too dramatic for its young audience to understand. What makes it great are the Wild Things and how they come to life with a mix of CGI practical effects courtesy of Jim Henson’s Workshop and excellent vocal performances from the late James Gandolfini and Lauren Ambrose as Carol and KW, respectively. It wasn’t as emotionally driven as I wanted, but it’s easy to see how people will find Where the Wild Things Are beautifully crafted.

3) Adaptation

Release Date: December 6, 2002

Budget: $19 million

Domestic Box Office: $22.5 million/ Worldwide: $32.8 million

RT Score: 90%

There’s been a handful of movies about screenwriters, such as Barton Fink and Sunset Boulevard. But nothing belongs in the category of surreal of total stress other than 2002’s Adaptation. Jonze’s second feature follows Charlie Kaufman (Nicolas Cage), a bald, self-loathing writer struggling to turn Susan Orlen’s nonfiction novel “The Orchid Thief” into a movie. All the while, his twin brother Donald (also played by Cage) moves into his home and decides to take up screenwriting with no qualms in his way.

It’s funny to know most of the story is true. Though the character of Donald is a complete fiction, as well as other things, the real-life Kaufman had writer’s block to adapt Orlen’s novel about John Laroche’s (Chris Cooper) obsession with finding a rare ghost orchid. Adaptation finds common ground with how authors might be too pressured to produce anything worthwhile and the pressure to be the best at their craft. Nicolas Cage is untouchable, delivering two outstanding performances as the anxiety-ridden Charlie and the free-spirited, naïve Donald, with the perfect distinctive between them. And with the screenplay, how it becomes too meta with itself is so unique to a funny effect since we see the turn with Susan and John played out; it’s almost a profound way of change for our characters to grow. The third act gets crazy, but if you think back, it’s almost as though Donald wrote it and what Charlie tried to avoid. Adaptation is wholly original to where it’ll mess with your head, proving another winning collaboration for Jonze and Kaufman’s creative minds. Cage and Streep earned Academy Award nominations, while Cooper took home Best Supporting Actor.

2) Being John Malkovich

Release Date: October 29, 1999

Budget: $13 million

Domestic Box Office: $22.9 million/ Worldwide: $23.1 million

RT Score: 94%

First impressions with directional debuts are everything. It’ll leave audiences wanting more for what’s coming in their career. With Being John Malkovich, it’s nothing more than an unusual ride stranger than the title itself that sets the bar high for his cinematic endeavors. Struggling puppeteer Craig Schwartz (John Cusack) finds himself a job as a file clerk on Mertin-Flemmer’s 7 ½ floor. If he thought the low ceilings were weird, he discovers a door behind a filing cabinet that’s a portal inside actor John Malkovich’s head, where after 15 minutes, somebody is left on the side of the New Jersey Turnpike.

The combined minds of Jonze and Charlie Kaufman bring together one of the most original films of the 20th century, and it’s hard not to get an ounce of inspiration while watching Being John Malkovich. Have you ever wanted to be somebody else? Do you hate being stuck in your own body? It’s a surreal premise that is fully committed when they actually get the real, well-renowned actor to play himself, losing his mind. All comes together with three people wanting more out of life when inside, whether it is to further Craig’s puppet career or Lottie (Cameron Diaz) realizing she wants to be a man. You can almost view it as body horror, except it’s for comedic effect. Cusack, Catherine Keener, and especially Diaz bring some of their best performances, with Malkovich being a good sport. Confusing? Possibly. Philosophical? I believe so. Being John Malkovich was the breakthrough film from Jonze we didn’t know we needed, but it’s a comical masterpiece to never forget.

1) Her

Release Date: December 18, 2013

Budget: $23 million

Domestic Box Office: $25.6 million/ Worldwide: $48.5 million

RT Score: 95%

One of the few movies I regret not watching in theaters is Her. If you’re looking for a romance that delves deeply into how we manage our relationships with technology, this one will take your breath away. Set in the not-too-distinct future of L.A., Theodore Twombly (Joaquin Phoenix) is a lonely man nearing separation from his wife. But his life seems to be looking brighter when he purchases an operating system designed to meet every need. There, he interacts with the A.I. Samantha (voiced by Scarlett Johansson), starting an unlikely relationship that’s not too far from where we’re already heading.

Her sees Jonze at his least strange, mostly. When the story builds upon this connection, we witness a man and an operating system; that alone could’ve been creepy. But, you feel this sense of wonder in finding what Theodore and Samantha have unexpectedly realistic when falling in love to an inevitable pause. For a unique and original love story, Jonze essentially made his own Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind when it comes to heartbreaks of love and finding the hope one needs to move forward. It explains much about what it means to feel real emotions from something that’s not human and whether it is possible to understand these feelings in our modern age. Not everybody has gone through the ups and downs of a blossoming romance, yet this allows a hopeful insight so beautifully told that the reliability factor is ever so clear. This is one of my favorite Phoenix performances, taking Theodore out of his comfort zone to become a whole new person again, and though it’s just Johansson’s voice, she makes Samantha real when she does not have a body. 

The ending might be anticlimactic for some, but it doesn’t take away from the relationship feeling earned, making us laugh and maybe tear up where it eventually heads. From someone continuing to experience loneliness, watching this gets comforting every time. Jonze’s Her explores modern relationships via a sophisticated and touching sci-fi story, showcasing his best work. Nominated for Five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Jonze won Best Original Screenplay, which we don’t talk about often how great of a win that was a decade later.