The Tic Code

Which would you rather: Titanic or The Tic Code? They were both on at the same time, and I chose the latter, a made for premium cable movie, which means it will be available for rental sooner or later. If you like good acting and good jazz, this one's for you. The kid is amazing in his portrayal of a kid (go figure) with Tourette's. It's your typical 'freaks are people too' movie, but that doesn't mean it's not good. It's very well done. It intrigues me that maybe Thelonious Monk had Tourette's too. He's probably my favorite pianist. OK, take out the probably. But I saw that this is listed under the "children's" genre. Not that I'm saying it isn't good for kids, but it's also good for adults. By the way, watch all the way to the end of the credits. It's worth it.

This movie meant a great deal to me. I have Tourrette Syndrome -- no two cases are alike and the way it impacts each life is different -- but the two Tourretters in the story humanized the funny movements and grimaces that have been with me all my life. I didn't get a correct diagnosis until I was 30 and then chose to not take medication so I can keep my personality.

It would be great if the filmmakers come across this. I'd like them to know how much this meant to me (and I'm sure lots of other people with Tourrettes and their families).

Plus, it was nice that Gregory Hines got this multifaceted role to play -- I will miss him, he was a performer with class. And BTW isn't it nice that there are still a few movies about human beings without things blowing up or bimbos taking off their clothes?

I was late to this movie and only caught the last half, so I stayed at the theater and watched it again.

On the surface, it is a well-acted, poignant story of a single mom, her son with TS, and her romance with a man with TS. Both guys are brilliant jazz musicians. Much of the film is about the pains of coping with TS (with occasional bright spots), and the tics and emotions are very realistic. However, anybody could easily substitute TS with an affliction that constantly causes ridicule, isolation, anger, and bitterness, and embarrassment; an affliction that prevents a person from living a so-called "normal" life.

As a 24-year-old Touretter, the movie just struck me right to the heart, because I was watching myself on film. (The part when the kid faces his father hit me the most.) I could see myself in all three characters: a mother who is frustrated and helpless at helping her son cope with TS (my fears of having kids w/TS), a talented young boy and his self-hatred and despair from having this uncontrollable condition, and the older man and his refusal to confront decades of being thought of as a "weirdo."

I admit that I was crying for most of both showings. TS is by no means the worst medical problem in the world, but its internal conflicts can be very destructive, and they are usually invisible to the outside world, which is quite an ironic juxtaposition to its obvious visible traits (the tics, and the excess and often humorous/gifted energy). This movie does a good job of showing what Touretter's face every single day.

On the 45-mile drive home afterwards, I was just numb. Maybe I was all cried out. Or maybe it was a brief catharsis. Or, maybe, I just wanted some... peace, before the next storm of tics.

-d.

You've got to admire a director who can take real life and keep it real on the big screen, and at the same time produce a wonderful, funny and touching film.

With The Tic Code, Gary Winick has done just that. This will be the most realistic movie about Tourette's Syndrome you will ever see. It totally hit home as I was constantly reminded of my childhood. Other kids laughing and making fun, and me feeling alienated because of my supposed abnormality. This movie does a great job in displaying people's ignorance about the subject. Those who have simply seen the episode of L.A. Law which featured a witness with severe Tourette's, don't know the story. If you see this movie, you'll be all the wiser, and you'll be treated to a great film at the same time.

This movie gets 4 stars.

The Tic Code is a touching drama about a boy who suffers from Tourette's syndrome, his mother who tries to support her son and a jazz musician who also is afflicted with TS. The film is heart-rending to watch, especially the scenes where the boy tries to understand why his father has abandoned him. In the centre of the film is an absolutely brilliant performance by Chris Marquette as the boy. An astonishing performance.

Tourette's syndrome has also been the focus of Jonathan Lethem's great novel Motherless Brooklyn, which is a novel I recommend, even though it is nothing like this film.

(6/10)