If you've heard anything about Operator thus far, you've probably heard that it's awfully similar to Spike Jonze's Her, the wild, moving romantic sci-fi drama starring Joaquin Phoenix as a man who falls for the voice of his operating system. There's a good reason for this, as Operator is essentially about one man (Silicon Valley's Martin Starr) becoming obsessed with the voice of his girlfriend (Mae Whitman) when she comes into his workplace to provide the voice for a sort of Siri-type system. With the exception of the fact that he knows and is close to the person who provided the voice, Starr's character is almost identical to Phoenix's wanderer.

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Image via The Orchard

What the new trailer for the movie, which you can take a look at below, leaves out is how she begins using Starr's character's doings in her weekly improv comedy shows. The dichotomy at the center of Operator seems to be between using your partner for one's private, intimate fantasies and using them as part of a public expression of frustration and dissatisfaction. There's a possibility for something very interesting in all of this, but it will depend quite a lot on how director Logan Kibens frames all of this action. This kind of story can tip over from insight into condescending nonsense awfully quick, and Her was a perilous balancing act already, before adding in more human elements to the equation. With supporting performances from Nat Faxon and Parks & Recreation breakout Retta, however, the cast makes this one worth holding out hope for.

Operator will be released in limited theaters on November 8th.

Here's the trailer for Operator:

Here's the official synopsis for Operator:

An anxious programmer enlists the help of his empathetic wife when given the task to create the perfect call center program. However, their relationship spirals out of control when he begins replacing her with an ideal computerized replica.

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Image via The Orchard
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Image via The Orchard