Kaufman has created a very smart movie, and I ended up liking it for what it was. It is not a heartwarming romp. It is a dense, sneaky movie about narcissism, cruelty, and Lisa's own shy resilience.

Anomalisa is fascinating, and I cannot say I was ever bored by anything that Kaufman and Johnson were choosing to show me.

By the time Michael and Lisa are up in that hotel room, trying so heroically to say the right thing, the picture has transcended its gimmicks.

Charlie Kaufman finds new ways to stretch the imagination with stop-motion character study 'Anomalisa.'