Jane Wants a Boyfriend

'JANE WANTS A BOYFRIEND': Four and a Half Stars (Out of Five)

A romantic comedy, about a young woman with Asperger's syndrome; that's trying to find her first boyfriend (with the help of her overprotective older sister). The film was directed by William Sullivan, and it was written by Jarret Kerr; the two also teamed up (performing the same duties) for the 2012 feature 'PERCIVAL'S BIG NIGHT', and the 2012 short film 'COMEDIENNE'. This movie stars Louisa Krause, Eliza Dushku, Gabriel Ebert and Amir Arison. I really enjoyed it.

Jane (Krause) is a young woman, with Asperger's syndrome, who lives with her parents (in Queens, New York); she's also never had a boyfriend. Bianca (Dushku) is her overprotective older sister; who's now moving to Brooklyn with her fiancé, Rob (Arison). Jane's parents are moving away, and they want Jane to move in with Bianca. Bianca and Rob aren't sure if they're ready for that kind of responsibility though, and to top it off Jane decides she wants her first boyfriend. Bianca's friend, Jack (Ebert), is quite interested in Jane, but Bianca is afraid he won't treat her right; due to his past womanizing ways.

The movie's subject interests me, because I have multiple friends that have told me they think I have Asperger's. I'm quite certain I don't (especially after watching this movie), but I could still really relate to the lead character. I do have some similar social issues (and anxiety problems), and people around me often don't respect my individuality. I also have romantic troubles; but still my issues are quite different than Jane's (and similar at the same time). I still love the movie though, because I think it is inspiring (and very emotional); because of these themes. I think it's beautifully acted, written and directed. It's quite a moving film, especially for anyone who feels different!

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I really enjoyed this film. I feel that it was both well written and well acted. The writing and the acting share a common quality. The quality is lack of pretension. The writing deals with a real and increasingly common problem in an unpretentious way, and the acting does the same. Because of this, the film is engaging, endearing, and --most importantly-- moving. I learned from this film. I grew from this film, and, at the risk of being pretentious myself, I would say that I am a better person because of this film. It is indeed easy to lose touch with the normal emotional needs and abilities of people who are emotionally challenged. What hits me so hard is that this one problem can serve as powerful paradigm for all of the foolish insensitivity we may have to others because of our callous and simple-minded generalization and categorization of our fellow humans.

Whatever you do stick with this film past the first 15 minutes or so, you will be rewarded it is a delight. We have a son With Aspergers and this film captures both the worst and the best aspects of living with the syndrome for both the individual and their family and the lack of neurotypical understanding. Please ignore the characters of the parents whilst the film may be based around true events they didn't work for me. However Louisa Krause does a really good job with the character of Jane and Eliza Dushku, the love, anguish and helplessness of the older sister Bianca. I found the film pulls you in as it moves along and it surprised, delighted and moved me.

"Yet another inaccurate and stupidly exaggerated feelgood movie about a person who is a bit into the spectrum" or so I thought to myself when I first heard about this movie. But in all honesty, Jane Wants a Boyfriend is something of a fresh breeze compared to all the other movies that have been made about people on the spectrum (Rainman not included - it's in a category by itself).

The movie isn't flawless. Many parts of the movie and the main character felt phony, emotionally implausible and just not right. Especially the first 15 minutes or so of the movie. Maybe they took these shots first and it took a while for Krause to sink into her role? I don't know, but overall I think she did a pretty good job with Jane. Like the other movies on this topic though it is (sadly) rather patronizing and paternalistic - although not to the same extent as all the other movies such as the "There is no feelings in space" - which I really disliked because of extreme inaccuracies.

But, Jane Wants a Boyfriend also does a lot of things right. Being a man diagnosed with Asperger's disorder myself makes it easier for me to identify with the characters in these kind of movies. I've seen and I've met a few people with autism and I think it's hard for "neurotypicals" to understand that this is disorder and not a personality! Some very accurate stuff in this movie includes: - Jane's facial expressions, body language, problems with tone of voice and lack of eye contact, etc. -Her preoccupation and high skills within a narrow range of interests. -Sensory over stimulation. -Social problems: Jane doesn't like crowds, parties, she has problems initiating social contact, problems with social chit chat and doesn't appear to have that many deep connections (relationships) other than to her immediate family.

To sum things up: If you are after a romantic feelgood movie that touches on the subject of the social issues involved for someone on the autistic spectrum, then I would recommend this movie actually. It's decent! Actually it's a bit more than decent: it's good - but it could've been better! But if you are after a 100% accurate depiction of a true aspie character and their experiences with dating - keep looking!

Jane Wants A Boyfriend, catalogued as a comedy/drama/romance, is a touching movie, even for those who never encountered an autist in real life. I wouldn't describe it as a comedy though, well at least I didn't laugh once, but it certainly got some emotions going, more teardrops than laughter though. The acting was good, from all of them. It isn't a big budget movie, and it doesn't need to be, as the story is simple but effective, everybody has the right to love or to be loved, no matter how different you are. Normally not the kind of movie I would go for but I'm glad I watched it.