Jane Wants a Boyfriend

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.

This wonderful little movie tells a marvelous story of a young girl 'Jane' suffering with Asperger syndrome and how her sister, who is often overly protective of Jane, yet a source of comfort for Jane. Jane meets an unattached man who is mostly directionless and he finds an intellectual and emotional connection in Jane.

Janes sister 'Bianca' works as a bartender, is practicing for a part in "A Midsummers Nights Dream" in local theatre, and tries her best to be patient and helpful with her sister Jane. Jane both appreciates and resents this! Janes wants a private life but her condition overshadows this desire.

What follows this scenario is a story of love, frustration, anger, and contentment. This is not a profound story and I think Director: William Sullivan and Writer: Jarret Kerr kept it like this because I believe the audience needed to find a connection with Jane - the person - and not Jane - the person with Asperger syndrome. This is also a lesson Bianca learns the hard way by setting her sister up on a date that doesn't go well.

This is a sure fire first class movie for people seeking, not drama, but a simple look at life as it can be.

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.

"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!

This is like the US version of 'Gabrielle'. About a young woman with Asperger syndrome, trying to date, despite mixed support from her family. This is a cool film. One of the best of its kind. Because this is not the first to explore on such theme. Yeah, they all kind of look the same, but in a different scenario with different syndromes that I even did not know its existence. An unusual romance-drama that focused on as what the director says, 'everyone is worthy of love'.

The Jane who has just turned 25, still living with her parents and overprotected by her sister. A big fan of classic romance films and now she decided to take control of her own life. Her interest in having a boyfriend is a good sign for her family, particularly her parents who are moving away. But her sister comes as a big obstacle, especially when she finally found someone interested in her. Which leads to fight back, and how her efforts pays off that comes in the remaining parts.

❝I've been so focused on the person you were that I wasn't seeing the person you've become.❞

An indie film, a crowd funded film. A wonderful screenplay and the direction. There were no blank spaces, they all filled with the fine events. Even I liked the pace and the length of the film. But I liked the casting very much. That's the best happened to it. The title role, Jane was awesomely played the actress. Like the saying 'every dog has its day', this was her spotlight and she shined like a rainbow on the summer. Her sister role as well by Eliza Dushku was great, so the remaining cast.

You know most of the story, but how it progresses on its own style was the key to its success. This is not just about Asperger syndrome, but like any family who have had a hard time letting it go after coming to realise their position. It was not exactly a romance film you would expect. Because romance was the least focused part, except the initiation for the rest film, which was built on that platform. With the influence of romance, the story takes off from there till the last.

One of the year's best and a must see independent film. The target audience is the families, but very much suitable for all ages. There's no way it could have been better. Only if some other filmmakers, film productions attempted it, they would have altered to their style of filmmaking. Otherwise the core of the theme remains the same. With the least known actors and the crew, this is not some film, but a fine film, an appreciable effort. This is an under-noticed film, as well as underrated. It needs your uplift, so don't turn it down.

8/10