Duke Johnson and Charlie Kaufman’s Anomalisa was my favorite movie of TIFF, and, barring a miracle, will likely be my favorite movie of the year. Despite being universally loved (32 positive reviews out of 32, with most giving it an A or A+), it presents a bit of a marketing conundrum for Paramount. The concept is both simple and easily spoiled, it has an odd stop-motion aesthetic that doesn’t make a ton of sense unless you’ve seen it, and lacks any big movie stars. If some of the Anomalisa quotes from critics seem a bit obtuse and cliché, it’s because we’re all trying very hard not to ruin this for you. It’s really good, we swear! Don’t make us say more!
This trailer does a pretty amazing job selling it without giving up, or even hinting at, really, any of the film’s secrets. Instead of selling what the movie is, they seem to be selling how much everyone likes it, which was probably the way to go.
That said, Anomalisa is a lot funnier and more biting in its insights than you’d know from this trailer, which makes it look much more traditional indie wondercore than it really is. Hey, whatever puts asses in the seats. Anomalisa had to resort to Kickstarter to find funding, despite coming from a guy who’s given us some of the best movies of the last 20 years. It becoming a breakout hit would go a long way towards letting us have nice things.
Anomalisa opens December 4th. You should see it, if only so that Charlie Kaufman can afford a new toadstool couch for the cuckoo clock he lives in.