Rijndri Load of rubbish!!
Myron Clemons A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.
Sarita Rafferty There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.
Brooklynn There's a more than satisfactory amount of boom-boom in the movie's trim running time.
RavenGlamDVDCollector The trailer of this one was mostly off-putting. It showed possibilities, but Patricia Arquette in that awful wig? I watched it again and again, and focused on the positive, but the uncertainty made me wait (+ the option I found was hellishly expensive) but the research on IMDb showed a considerable interest in this movie, including the kid on the board post whose Mommy forbid seeing it.A more affordable British option became available, but I still kept holding back, especially after GOODBYE, LOVER, an earlier DVD purchase, drew a less-than-thrilled-with-Patricia response. Yet, it is a RavenGlam idiom here in ElectricLadyLand, "she's an Arquette", yes, glamor runs in that bloodline. So, I finally took the chance. When it came to watching, I was just prepared, do not expect too much, you are bound to be disappointed.I was very quickly nicely surprised. This was very well done. The al fresco nudist scene with Patricia singing that bit about all the hair and the cuddly old bear while the forest denizens watch on, that is just movie magic, ittedly very, very off-beat, I am a total purist at heart and wouldn't want the cast of 90210 or MELROSE PLACE to sprout hair, hair everywhere, but this sequence was so innocent and charming...Okay, there are bits in the movie that needed a rethink. And Nathan was so dull, why he had Gabrielle interested in him as well, I fail to understand. She wasn't a gold-digger, he surely wasn't even rich, what did he have to offer? His nice personality??? Miranda Otto is another very big plus point of this movie. She played her sexy faux French chick to perfection. Okay, I fail to understand why she and Puff unites at the end, she is supposed to be a bad girl. If it's for sex, it's not for some devious reason. Anyway, love Miranda's bedroom lair and her nice long legs. Gee, for those of you who misunderstood, Gabrielle knew exactly how hot she was, and just pretended to feel ordinary to draw a deluge of compliments from Nathan.Loved her whirlwind clean-up act. Sounds only, but imagine it as a cartoon.Movie starts off great, fails to maintain that level. It is grossly uneven. But I am very glad I bought it. With all its faults, it is well worth watching. I'd just not have brought death into a comedic plot. Takes the fun out of it.Oh, and I'm pretty sure it is not raven nature to fly into trees. Those two mice were too darling for this world, they could never be allowed out on their own.
kosmasp I really loved it, when I watched it for the first time. But when I had to re-watch a couple of years later (it was some sort of Sneak at a local cinema), I just couldn't laugh as much. But the truth lies somewhere in the middle. The movie is actually good, it just has a few flaws, that you might see when you watch it for the first time. And therefor maybe you should only watch it once and stay onto the good feelings you had for this movie.It is greatly acted and the jokes hit the mark. Cleverly written and nicely directed (by Mr. Gondry who I adore very much), this has a very unique story to it. If you know Gondry, you know more or less what to expect (more or less everything alas not as greatly balanced as his more recent work).
L. Denis Brown Most films, other than remakes, originate when a film studio commissions a writer to prepare an outline script and suggest a treatment for adapting some best selling book to movie form. Indie Directors may work quite closely with a script-writer of their choice right from the start and this gives the procedure a better chance of ultimate success; but too often the storyline for a book that one may read over a period of days or weeks is almost incompatible with the requirements of a two hour movie. Charlie Kaufman was a script writer who learned this the hard way, and who has since become respected by cinema-goers throughout the world for the very challenging original scripts that he has created. "Human Nature" was the second of these; but to better appreciate its unusual structure and meaning, it is helpful to first take a birds eye look at what his works are typically about. He learned his trade working for television, often episodes of established serials, and then amazed the cinema world by writing a new and very different script which became the enormously successful film "Being John Malkovich". This was so bizarre that it is almost impossible to describe before it has been viewed, but essentially it features the concept of a number of different individuals sharing the same personality simultaneously. I am amazed (although very grateful) that it was able to attract investors and actually reach the screen. Its success showed there is an unsatisfied demand for films which make us think deeply about our own nature, and it helped Kaufman to write and co-produce "Human Nature" (2001). This perhaps remains his most ambitious film, and is the first I am commenting on for IMDb, but a overview of all his works remains helpful when considering any Kaufman film. 1992 brought a semi-autobiographical film in which he clearly outlined his approach to preparing a film-script. Columbia had film rights to Susan Orlean's book "The Orchid Thief" and had commissioned him to prepare a film-script. After months of work he was convinced this lengthy and rambling book could not be effectively condensed into the span of a movie. With considerable trepidation he submitted a fictional script based on his struggle to create a work of art, but contrasting this with that of an imaginary twin brother who became rich by shamelessly churning out scripts for stereotyped action thrillers. To his relief this script was accepted and became the film "Adaption" in which Kaufman explores the conflict so many experience between artistic, commercial or scientific integrity and financial gain. By this stage he had gained a cult reputation for scripts which examined what it was in human nature that could sometimes raise humanity above, and sometimes force it below, the level of other animals. His later films, including "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" (which examines the implications of an ability to selectively erase specific memories) or "Synecdoche, New York" (with many targets including formal religion and the need to exploit every chance for personal fulfilment during life) have only added to this. Cinema-goers may love his films or hate them, but few will remain indifferent.To those who have not seen any of his films the only sensible recommendation is -Try one. This lengthy introduction should give some idea what to expect. The most conventional is probably "Adaption" but I would suggest "Human Nature" because, whilst not the most profound, it is among the most comprehensive in its chosen targets and yet it does not seem overloaded or obtuse, also it includes a great deal of deliberate comedy which maintains both interest and enjoyment. The story involves a young woman, unhappy with her hirsute appearance, who abandons society and reverts to nature; but also writes a very successful book about her experiences which finances her to return to have her problem corrected.. She then becomes mutually attracted to a nerdish repressed scientist struggling to teach mice good manners. On a field trip they encounter a youth brought up in the forest as an ape by a father who threw up a good job in order to revert to nature. They take him back to the laboratory too see how easy it will be to teach him normal human manners. Much of the film is devoted to the strong pulls he experiences both towards his new cultured life and back to his previous uncontrolled environment. These of course become particularly severe when he becomes involved with young women. Such sequences bring out a favourite Kaufman theme - the necessity for personal fulfilment if one is to avoid mental breakdown.This summary does little to explain the charm of the film, but to say much more would spoil it. It discusses a wider range of issues than most of his works, has an easy to follow story and is full of very amusing sequences; so I would have expected it to be the most popular. Instead it's IMDb rating (currently 6.9) is lowest. I cannot help wondering why; but Patricia Arquette as Lila (the hirsute young lady hero) displayed her unusual although not unattractive fur covering during several of the earlier sequences in the forest, explaining why it is R rated only in US theatres, so we can suspect the widespread North American distrust of any displays of nudity in films. Maybe there are other reasons that I did not notice, but I would be interested to know if it was also less successful in Europe where nudity is less of a concern.One big question remains: How many other script-writers have also created outstanding stand-alone scripts they have never been able to bring into production?
namashi_1 Michel Gondry's 2001 flick 'Human Nature' is a fascinating idea made into a fascinating, superb film. Imagine a women who has hair all over her body... a somewhat Tarzan is trained to be a human being and a dead doctor is talking from hell/heaven. What a unique and commendable idea, Written by Charlie Kaufman and wonderfully directed by Michel Gondry, 'Human Nature' is different stuff, but pretty good stuff. Thumbs Up!Performances: Tim Robbins can never be doubted. He's fantastic as always. Miranda Otto carries off her french accent wonderfully and delivers a stupendous performance. Rhys Ifans is a complete natural, not once he goes overboard. Patricia Arquette is superb.on the whole 'Human Nature' is morbid, but, neat work. Watch this one!
