In my opinion the movie was awesome! My 7 yr old daughter found it amazing as well. I don't believe that Max was portrayed as a spoiled brat. I saw Max to be heartbroken & friendless. I understood the frustration he felt inside about his family & his need to vent. The Wild Things were amazing! Each one being an example of Max's emotions. For a book that I believe was written with only 38 words Jonze did an amazing job. Yes, it's a bit on the dark side but let's understand & let our children understand that life is not always fun & easy. Even as adults we would love to scream & act wild at times but because we are adults we are unable to express ourselves in such ways. I am in love with the movie as much as I am in love with book.