O Código do Amor

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.

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)

I saw this movie last night, missed the beginning, but came into it about 1/2 hour into it. I absolutely loved it. I thought Gregory Hines and Polly Draper had such on screen charisma. The story was really touching too. It made me want to read more about the effects of Tourette's Syndrome. I can't wait to see it again. I also loved the music from it and will look for a soundtrack.

Polly Draper deserves accolades for this incredible movie! She manages to give viewers a look at what life is like for those of us with TS (Tourettes' Syndrome) without getting maudlin. I discovered as an adult that I had TS when I took my sons to the neurologist because of their tics. It was almost a relief to know that there was a medical reason for the odd movements and noises I made growing up. Watching what this family goes through because of TS brought me to tears many times during the movie. I saw Miles go through the same physical and emotional traumas that I've seen my own sons go through daily in public. Well meaning but uninformed people have made some very hurtful comments about my childrens' tics. Fortunately for my sons TS is better understood than when I was a child. This movie gives a true portrayel of the ramifications TS has on a family. The increased stress, the friction between the parents, parents and school personnel, not to mention the heartbreak of having a loved one picked on or made fun of because they are different. She touched on a lot of the problems TS can cause but managed to show that TS can also have good consequences. Increased creativity, more energy, compassion for others who are different - these are the highlights. I recommend this movie to anyone with a family member with TS. Not only does it shed some light on the Syndrome, but it is full of great jazz music. Last but not least, Gregory Hines and Christopher George Marquette gave stunning physical performances.