Adam (C+ or 2.5/4 stars)
'Adam', written & directed by Max Mayer, tells the story of Adam Raki (Hugh Dancy), a lonely young man with Asperger's Syndrome. Not only is he dealing with Asperger's, but as the film opens, we find out that he's just lost his father. As people do (who have the syndrome), Adam deals with the death by sticking to his unflappable daily routine: wake up, eat, drudge to work, come home, have some mac & cheese for supper, & go to bed ... evvvvery day, without fail, without one change or interruption. His sheltered existence & daily regimen is interrupted, however, when a smart, pretty children's book writer, Beth Buchwald (Rose Byrne) moves into an apartment upstairs. Flustered internally, Adam maintains his steely external calm about this new change.
But after a short while, he realizes that he can no longer ignore his natural urges for Beth. And over on her end, Beth finds Adam equally intriguing. They form an odd sort of friendship. But after a while, their romantic feelings soon can't be stifled. And Beth learns just how difficult it is to be involved with someone with Asperger's. Romance can be perplexing for normal folks, no less when one or more parties has a debilitating problem. Emotionally, physically, & socially - can Beth stick it out with Adam? Can 2 people from different planes of reality find a common ground in their romantic connection? Does Adam truly love Beth? Or has he just become too dependent on her to help him thrive in a cruel world? Is his needing her around enough for her? Or, because of his syndrome, & because of past relationship problems ... does she need something more?
'Adam' is a decent film; difficult to dislike & difficult to love. The most I can say about it is that it offers decent performance & is fairly informative (without much melodrama) about the struggles of dealing with Asperger's Syndrome. Hugh Dancy, who I always find myself enjoying (no matter the quality of movie), is very good in the title role. He does not overact; as Asperger's is a syndrome which exhibits little flair. Dancy's Adam is not a caricature, but a developed character. He nails the vocal inflections, he nails the mannerisms. And the actor is so likeable anyway that it makes you pull for Adam; even with his inherently annoying condition. I also liked Rose Byrne's Beth. I understand both her love for Adam, as well as all of her hesitancies (who could blame her?). And her chemistry with Dancy is quite good; especially since we don't see a romance like this in film every day.
The film explores what it's like to struggle with Asperger's (how to function, make jokes, pick up on body language, hold a job, etc.), as well as exploring the pressures of having a relationship with someone whose mind operate on different playing field. I like that. It's something new that I hadn't thought about. Each person with the syndrome finds it as difficult to understand us normal folk as it is for us to understand them. All that said, 'Adam' is just too slight in scope & ambition to be considered great, or even pretty good. It felt like a well shot (New York City is filmed in a golden glaze) television movie; kinda twee. The first 10-15 min. are glacially paced. And the ending, while both realistic & hopeful ... provides little lasting impact. OK movie, delicate, competent. The End.
But after a short while, he realizes that he can no longer ignore his natural urges for Beth. And over on her end, Beth finds Adam equally intriguing. They form an odd sort of friendship. But after a while, their romantic feelings soon can't be stifled. And Beth learns just how difficult it is to be involved with someone with Asperger's. Romance can be perplexing for normal folks, no less when one or more parties has a debilitating problem. Emotionally, physically, & socially - can Beth stick it out with Adam? Can 2 people from different planes of reality find a common ground in their romantic connection? Does Adam truly love Beth? Or has he just become too dependent on her to help him thrive in a cruel world? Is his needing her around enough for her? Or, because of his syndrome, & because of past relationship problems ... does she need something more?
'Adam' is a decent film; difficult to dislike & difficult to love. The most I can say about it is that it offers decent performance & is fairly informative (without much melodrama) about the struggles of dealing with Asperger's Syndrome. Hugh Dancy, who I always find myself enjoying (no matter the quality of movie), is very good in the title role. He does not overact; as Asperger's is a syndrome which exhibits little flair. Dancy's Adam is not a caricature, but a developed character. He nails the vocal inflections, he nails the mannerisms. And the actor is so likeable anyway that it makes you pull for Adam; even with his inherently annoying condition. I also liked Rose Byrne's Beth. I understand both her love for Adam, as well as all of her hesitancies (who could blame her?). And her chemistry with Dancy is quite good; especially since we don't see a romance like this in film every day.
The film explores what it's like to struggle with Asperger's (how to function, make jokes, pick up on body language, hold a job, etc.), as well as exploring the pressures of having a relationship with someone whose mind operate on different playing field. I like that. It's something new that I hadn't thought about. Each person with the syndrome finds it as difficult to understand us normal folk as it is for us to understand them. All that said, 'Adam' is just too slight in scope & ambition to be considered great, or even pretty good. It felt like a well shot (New York City is filmed in a golden glaze) television movie; kinda twee. The first 10-15 min. are glacially paced. And the ending, while both realistic & hopeful ... provides little lasting impact. OK movie, delicate, competent. The End.