Adam

The adjectives used to market "Adam" include: romantic, funny, delightful, poignant, uplifting, humorous. I have to disagree with most of those, especially: funny, humorous and delightful. A comedy it is not.

But that's not to say that it isn't good. It's actually quite good. "Adam" is a tumultuous romantic relationship story centered on a young man with Asberger's syndrome. The main characters are Adam (Hugh Dancy), his love interest Beth (Rose Byrne), her father (Peter Gallagher), her mother (Amy Irving) and Adam's guardian (Frankie Faison). Each of these characters have their own story line which perfectly complements the main story. All of the characters have been vividly painted with complexity, emotion, and authenticity.

This is one of the most complete films in terms of quality of writing, direction, and overall superb technical film-making.

Of the adjectives to describe "Adam" I would use: genuine, sentimental, and heartbreaking. It is one of the best written films of its kind, but loses stars because of mis-marketing. It's not even close to a romantic comedy, perhaps it's a romantic drama if it can even be categorized.

Greetings again from the darkness. The first feature film from writer/director Max Mayer is terrific! It is what makes indie films such a treasure ... a small, little personal story that packs a wallop.

Many will remember Hugh Dancy from King Arthur and Jane Austen Book Club. In both, he was eye candy for the girls. Here he stretches his acting chops as Adam, who lives with Asperger's Syndrome. At first, he just strikes us as a guy with no real social skills. It's not until he meets his new neighbor (Rose Byrne) that we begin to understand why he's just not quite right.

Watching their relationship grown in a believable way is a tribute to both actors and a very solid script. A few sub-plots are juggled: death of a parent, living alone, loss of a job, etc, but the key to the film is the relationship and how it keys in our need to connect.

This is the type of film I wish more people would get a chance to see. It has so much more to offer than the over-hyped Hollywood junk that gets forced down our throats at the local megaplex. Adam won't crack the $200 million gross, but Adam will have an impact on you and create some interesting after-film discussion. Isn't that the real fun of movies anyway?

Having a son-in-law that has Aspergers symptoms, I found the movie to be quite realistic in a non-Hollywood way. It didn't stoop to many of the clichés that several movies trying to tackle this subject fell into.

The lead actor did a great job portraying the attitude and personality of someone with Aspergers. His portrayal was quite well done, and accurate to real life situations He obviously did his homework when researching the character and the side effects of Aspergers syndrome.

Unfortunately, I found the lead female character (and the script components related to this character) to be less than believable. My personal opinion is that people with Aspergers syndrome tend to have a lack of empathy for other people (as portrayed in this movie), so it requires someone with extra empathy and forgiveness to be able to understand and relate to them (unless of course the partner has Aspergers themselves, which helps them understand and relate to the other person).

She didn't portray herself as an overly empathetic person, especially when dealing with her father's problems. Most children would be empathetic to their own parents first and foremost. She seemed to be forgiving of the lead characters flaws, but didn't really show a lot of emotion during the tense situations and unusual circumstances that cropped up.

Other than that, I thought it was a very good movie touching on this subject. If it weren't for the weak script and the issues with the lead female characterization, I would have given it a 10.

So, I watched this movie with my autistic ex, before I knew I was autistic myself. My review is biased because I was trying the whole time to understand the motivations of the female character, Beth, and I found her to be completely incomprehensible. Fast forward a few years, and I realise it's because she's the Neurotypical in the relationship, so of course her motivations and actions are incomprehensible to me.

Adam's role was played fantastically, there were several points that moved me to tears. Particularly the scene where he hears Beth at the door, asking him to come out, but even though he wants to, he can't. It was a perfect prtrayal of social anxiety.

The only reason I don't rate it much higher is because it was also cringey in parts to watch and I found it uncomfortable. I don't like the feeling of watching people do socially awkward things and feel painful empathy on their behalf; it's like watching all of my social faux pas played out on screen. It's not a bad movie, I think objectively it was done very well, I just didn't personally like everything about it.

It is a decent portrayal of male autism. For an excellent portrayal of female autism watch Please Stand By, and for a perfect visual expression of pattern matching watch Temple Grandin, particularly the scenes with the wallpaper and the spoons.

There were, however, a few things about this movie that I feel were irresponsible on the part of the film makers.

The movie implies that it is too difficult for autistic people to have relationships. Yes, it's difficult in different ways than it would be for neurotypicals, but I don't like the way they choose to show that. I also just really didn't like how Beth insinuated herself in Adam's life for no apparent reason (that I could understand). I feel that for an autistic audience her motivations could have been explained somehow, because she was a bit baffling. I also worry that if this is the only movie anyone sees about autism, it gives a bit of an off perspective. The dialogue in the scenes with the racoons made me uncomfortable. We're not all that weird.

I do like that it showed an autistic who was able to work with correct accommodations in place, and when those were taken away he struggled. I liked that they showed how he was able to come up with creative solutions to problems, even though those were not the same ones an NT would have. I like that they showed him info-dumping at a party (when you talk at length about your special subject of interest because it's something you feel comfortable with because small-talk is too complicated to navigate) and his avoidance of eye contact.

I feel like I'm being mean to rate it so low, you know what I'll put it up to an 8. It is a really good film, like I said, I just don't like it. I hated Beth so I had no female protagonist to relate to and from memory (I saw it in about 2015 and don't intend to watch it again) I don't think it passes the Bechdel Test. Nah, you know what I'm leaving it at a 7.

That's my personal, subjective vote. I liked it better than Mary and Max, anyway.

Fresh and tangy, "Adam" is not your typical summer romance. The comedy emerges naturally from the situations that surround two appealing characters who develop a sweet, slightly complicated relationship. The acting is strong, especially Hugh Dancy's characterization of the title character. Rose Byrn as Beth is as easy to watch as she is easy to like.

I liked writer and director Max Mayer's ideas. Other people might have used a broader brush, but Mayer's narrative develops a simple momentum and a believable conclusion. Mayer avoids deliberate gags or gag-reflex resolution, and creates a film that is tender and very pretty. Adding to "Adam"'s appeal was the astronomy motif with its layers of stars, planets and pulsars. I thought the metaphor linking the the universe's creation to the distance that separates objects in space was particularly resonant, and I encourage people to pay attention to shooting stars.