Do the Wild Things actually make kids' hearts sing?
Friday, October 16, 2009 | 12:25 pm
"Where the Wild Things Are" opens today, and I've already read at least two warm reviews for it: one by Manohla Dargis for the New York Times and another by Christy Lemire of the Associated Press.
But in a piece for the New York Times, Bruce Handy wonders whether the beloved book really appeals to adults rather than children, noting that he himself didn't enjoy it much as a kid: "What an empowering, psychologically astute parable about a child learning that his anger, while sometimes overwhelming and scary, can be safely expressed and eventually conquered, I thought, when I had occasion to reread the book in my 30s. But as a child myself, without benefit of personal insights subsequently gleaned from more than a decade of talk therapy, I had been left cold by 'Where the Wild Things Are.' "
Dwight Garner raises a similar point on the NYT's ArtsBeat blog, but what really makes that post worth reading is the terrific conversation in the comments about what books people loved as children and what their own children clamor for.
Personally, I remember the pictures from Wild Things more than the story, which may be why I can't get enough of this trailer for the movie:
But in a piece for the New York Times, Bruce Handy wonders whether the beloved book really appeals to adults rather than children, noting that he himself didn't enjoy it much as a kid: "What an empowering, psychologically astute parable about a child learning that his anger, while sometimes overwhelming and scary, can be safely expressed and eventually conquered, I thought, when I had occasion to reread the book in my 30s. But as a child myself, without benefit of personal insights subsequently gleaned from more than a decade of talk therapy, I had been left cold by 'Where the Wild Things Are.' "
Dwight Garner raises a similar point on the NYT's ArtsBeat blog, but what really makes that post worth reading is the terrific conversation in the comments about what books people loved as children and what their own children clamor for.
Personally, I remember the pictures from Wild Things more than the story, which may be why I can't get enough of this trailer for the movie:
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