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Mary and Max (2009)

Not Rated  |   |  Animation, Comedy, Drama  |  9 April 2009 (Australia)
8.2
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Ratings: 8.2/10 from 106,008 users  
Reviews: 160 user | 166 critic

A tale of friendship between two unlikely pen pals: Mary, a lonely, eight-year-old girl living in the suburbs of Melbourne, and Max, a forty-four-year old, severely obese man living in New York.

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Cast

Complete credited cast:
...
...
...
Narrator (voice)
...
Damien (voice)
...
Young Mary (voice)
Renée Geyer ...
Vera (voice)
Ian 'Molly' Meldrum ...
Homeless Man (voice)
Julie Forsyth ...
Additional Voices (voice)
John Flaus ...
Additional Voices (voice)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
...
Additional Voices (voice)
Shaun Patten ...
Additional Voices (voice)
Carolyn Shakespeare-Allen ...
Additional Voices (voice)
...
Additional Voices (voice)
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Storyline

In the mid-1970's, a homely, friendless Australian girl of 8 picks a name out of a Manhattan phone book and writes to him; she includes a chocolate bar. She's Mary Dinkle, the only child of an alcoholic mother and a distracted father. He's Max Horowitz, an overweight man with Asperger's, living alone in New York. He writes back, with chocolate. Thus begins a 20-year correspondence, interrupted by a stay in an asylum and a few misunderstandings. Mary falls in love with a neighbor, saves money to have a birthmark removed and deals with loss. Max has a friendship with a neighbor, tries to control his weight, and finally gets the dream job. Will the two ever meet face to face? Written by <jhailey@hotmail.com>

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

Two unlikely people. Two different worlds come together in a story about a most unusual friendship. See more »


Certificate:

Not Rated | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Country:

Language:

|

Release Date:

9 April 2009 (Australia)  »

Also Known As:

Mary & Max  »

Filming Locations:


Box Office

Budget:

AUD 8,240,000 (estimated)
 »

Company Credits

Production Co:

 »
Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
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Did You Know?

Trivia

This is the very first animated film to open for the Sundance Film Festival. See more »

Goofs

When Max is seen in court the judge is seen to be wearing a old powdered wig, back dropped by an American flag. This wig however identifies a magistrate operating in a court in a country that is part of the British Commonwealth (such as Australia, Canada, Britain, etc) and is not worn by American judges. See more »

Quotes

[first lines]
Narrator: Mary Dinkle's eyes were the color of muddy puddles. Her birthmark, the color of poo.
See more »

Crazy Credits

The end credits show animated portraits of the characters, with the actors names beneath them. See more »

Connections

References The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956) See more »

Soundtracks

Zorba's Dance
Composed by Mikis Theodorakis
© 1965 EMI Miller Catlog Inc. All rights admin. & licensd by EMI Catalogue Patrnership Australia Pty Ltd.
Performed by The London Pops Orchestra
Conducted by Nelson Corbin
Courtesy of Hindsight Records
See more »

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User Reviews

 
lovely oddball and admirably complex
22 March 2010 | by (Poland) – See all my reviews

Coming from Australia, Mary and Max is one of these few films you'll remember all your life. This amazing claymation touches upon an unlikely friendship between two pen pals: a young girl living in Australia and an aging Jew from New York. It's unbelievable what a precisely structured narrative this is. Director-writer Adam Elliot blends odd scatological, yet clever humour with poignant dramatizations to a splendid effect creating one of the best tragicomedies of the past few years. The fact that it's in the form of claymation only helps to enhance uniqueness of the whole experience. The movie was 5 years in the making and this is visible in its every frame. Elliot masterly captures the motion in an endlessly creative manner. Most importantly though, his lovably oddball characters are well developed and admirably complex with all their awkward traits and quirks. Due to its serious themes and dark tone, Mary and Max is an adult movie aiming much higher than its big studio counterparts. It happens to be more contemplative, and intelligent mimicking the real life with all its ups and downs. Calling Elliot's movie an extraordinary piece of art is certainly not an overstatement.


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