In the same wavelength as, for example, an eidetic memory?
She was just so 'freakishly intelligent', lol. I'm just wondering.
Sandra Bullock looked like she was high on Red Bull 90% of the time.
I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was twelve. Jesus, does anyone?
Not really addressed in the movie. But, probably some form of Asperger's Syndrome, kind of what Dustin Hoffman had in rainman, but not to that extent.
shareI thought of that as well but that means Mary shouldn't be able to interact socially in the normal way...right? Although she was over chatty to the point of annoying. But I know a lot of people who can be like that.
I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was twelve. Jesus, does anyone?
being 'overly chatty' can sometimes also be a sign of aspergers, because people with aspergers often dont know how to react in social situations and can react by being very withdrawn or by overly talkative and also talking 'at' people rather than 'to' them which is what mary does.
shareI am sure she was a high functioning idiot savant.
If this character represents being 'freakishly intelligent'... I prefer to be dumb, thank you very much. Would an intelligent woman behave as she does?
Sandra Bullock's character, or the way she portrayed the character, seemed mentally ill, and therefore, not sexy or desirable in the least.
I turned the movie off shortly after the scene where she attacks Steve in the SUV parked in front of her parent's house. No matter how "pretty" she may supposedly be, any woman who behaves like that sends up red flags and should be avoided, because she is troubled, and will be trouble.
She then screws up her job by publishing a bizarre cross word puzzle. At that point, the character is no longer funny, but rather pitiful and kind of scary.
Maybe if this had been played differently, possibly by a funnier, younger actress (my wife suggested Drew Barrymore), and not in such a mentally deranged manner, the story may have been tolerable.
How do you know about the puzzle she made about him if you turned the movie off after the SUV? Liar, liar, pants on fire!
Judging ppl for being ill is same as judging them for skin color or sexual preferences. It's not like she is pedophile or murderer, she's just a girl with head full of facts.
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http://twitpic.com/1blq0q
I get the spirit of your comment, but judging someone for being insane is in NO WAY similar to skin color, and sexuality is also entirely different.
Skin color - doesn't affect anyone, isn't a bad thing. Plainly visible to everyone.
Sexuality - Affects whoever you're trying to have sex with. Yet can be kept covert for any amount of time, and may never be revealed to most people. Is harshly judged by everyone and considered by most to be pure evil if not falling within a very finite category.
Mental disorder - Affects absolutely everyone within the vicinity of that person. Can be dangerous. Might be controllable with medication. Is not a good thing.
I think she's just supposed to have an unusually high IQ. People who are too far past "genius" level tend to obsess over one thing at a time, like another person, and can come off a bit hyperactive and unfocused, since their minds are running a mile a minute. That would explain why she talks nonstop and often runs her subjects together or mumbles to herself. It could also explain why she behaves unusually with other people.
"I like my coffee black, just like my metal"
I think she had just retained sooo many odd facts from creating all of those crosswords that she wanted to share them with everyone, even if they didnt want to hear them. I found her hard to watch because of how weird she was and how much she talked. It was terrible. Especially having to look at her horrible hair the entire time. That was just too much. She probably had like aspergers or something like that since she cant socialize with people in a normal fashion.
share
I have had Aspberger's patients, and I can firmly say that no, she does not have Aspberger's Syndrome. Patients with this syndrome have much more noticable and pronounced symptoms, and her personality traits are not indicative of Aspberger's Syndrome.
"I like my coffee black, just like my metal"
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I think she's just socially awkward. And in reference to a previous comment, I don't think she was SUPPOSED to be portrayed as sexy or desirable. She was intended to come off as crazy. Just because a woman is the lead doesn't mean she has to be sexy.
shareI could not disagree with you more strenuously. First of all not all persons with Asperger's behave exactly the same and not all have the same pronounced symptoms. As I am sure you know, Asperger's is on the autism spectrum and like other forms of autism, it's on a sliding scale. Some persons affected will have more pronounced symptoms than others and even then they won't always have all of the classic behaviors. My son has Asperger's and I found many of her traits to be incredibly similar to his. Within moments of seeing the way she behaved I wondered if she didn't have Asperger's as well as other things going on....a comorbidity. I don't believe myself to be an expert on the subject, but I also wonder if her issues were more pronounced as an adult because her parents (who looked to have some money and she seemed to be an only child) had indulged her or maybe overlooked her quirks and idiosyncracies and so never really got her some appropriate help. Clearly she didn't learn any social skills on her own.
sharei think i have aspergers how do i find out if i have it?
shareThere are some self-diagnosis tests online but you're better to get a referral to a mental health practitioner from your doctor to get diagnosed properly.
shareMy recommendation would be to start making a list of things you notice about yourself that are indicative of a spectrum disorder, perhaps get your SO or parent/s to do the same. After a few weeks, take these lists to your GP and speak to them about it. They will probably refer you on to a psychologist or diagnostic centre.
I have high-functioning Autism, and this was the process my parents and I followed. If you're in Australia, contact an organisation called Aspect. Feel free to inbox me if you need support or someone to talk to :)
Also, I do think that Mary had some form of spectrum disorder. Being on the spectrum myself, I'm usually pretty good at picking other people who have spectrum disorders. Her social awkwardness, highly focused interest on minimal topics - in her case, Steve and crosswords - difficulty making & keeping friendships, strictly keeping routines e.g. the red boots, the flapping hands thing...all these are symptoms of a spectrum disorder.
I disagree with "jojo" Aspergers (AS) can have a wide umbrella.
Many of these people can go under the radar for years.
I work with childern & adults with the condition.
(I also have a 24 yr old son with Aspergers)
She has many of the points, problems & gifts of such folks.
(I Hope your not a "Shrink")
PS: I agree with "circe".
Okay-here it goes:
-Erotomania-when a person is infactuated with someone who is clearly not interested, yet they continue to chase them. A less slapstick example would be the French film "He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not" which shows Erotomania from BOTH POV's (do not use "Obsessed" as a good example). In Mary's case she was truly harmless, however some Erotomania cases can result in murders or kidnappings (like that Astronaut chick who drove from Houston to Orlando to "scare" the chick she felt was the "other woman"
-Aspergers-I believe Mary fits some of the qualifications-just not all of them. She has no concept of social interactions-she says what she means which brings me to...
-Literal Personality-Mary takes what is said to her literally, tell her you're feeling blue and she will comment if you're wearing red. Steve said he wanted her on the road, she believed it
-Hyperactive Disorder-Do I need to explain this one? Someone commented on how it seemed like she was on Red Bull the whole movie
-OCD-Mary places comfort in items (the umbrella) and habits (wearing her boots all the time, her daily routine)she fixates on a person or thing, obsessing over them or it. Hence a bad thing to have combined with Erotomania, although excellent thing to have for her job as a cruciverbalist
-Photographic Memory-she remembers things perfectly
She also has a sort of mental edit issue, she can't control half of what she says, she just blurts it out (I do that-I found a lot of scary similarities between myself and Mary-it was scary-though the character was way smarter than I ever could be)
Mary was so busy with so bright & busy with work, she hadn't left herself any time to relax or form any relationship. When she was set up, by her parents with Steve, who turned out to be a normal, reasonable looking guy, she went for it. I wish i had that sort of confidence.
shareThe problem with this film is that it wanted Mary to have some sort of mental condition (obssession, inability to function conventionally in social situations etc.) when it suited it, but it also wanted her to be simply a wacky kook when it suited it - there were times when she recognised that she was behaving unacceptably, and times when she didn't.
For my money, you can't have that particular cake and eat it.
The main character on Bones is written the same way.
Both of them are morons when it comes to the real world outside of what they have memorized. Quoting other peoples information may make you look smart but it's generally an emotional wall used to hide the fact you have very few original thoughts of your own.