One part of Charlie Kaufman’s Anomalisa is really great, and the other part is really predictable. The greatness has everything to do with its look (animated puppets and their world), and the not-so-greatness with its story. The good news is that the latter does not get in the way of the former.
There are scenes in this film whose strangeness will make you feel very uncomfortable or will mesmerize you. The puppets are at once very realistic and not at all. They have short legs, but they also have carefully detailed genitals. The puppets have sex, drink, and blink. But you can also see the joints on their faces…
