MovieChat Forums > Adam (2009) Discussion > Any aspies actually like this movie?

Any aspies actually like this movie?

posted 14 years ago by happycouples
53 replies | jump to latest

I thought the portrayal of aspergers was poorly done and kind of offensive. I have some symptoms close to aspergers and kind of winced throughout this movie. I don't think it was the acting, but how the movie was produced.

The level of aspergers appears to be inconsistent; it seems that they overtly tried to hit major cliches about aspergers in different scenes. There is one scene of severe and unempathetical rage for the whole movie. Why not when he got fired? During the scene with the lawyer for his fathers' estate? His aspie obsessions are inconsistent and varied: space, raccoons, voice-recognition software?! I didn't even get the fight between him and his partner's father which makes no sense if he cannot fully empathize with people.

I think the worst is that the movie suggests aspergers could be "corrected."

For example, throughout the movie he was portrayed as being inconsiderate/unaware and in the last scene, one year later, he can detect non-verbal communication and help someone carry the packages. In the beginning of the movie, he has long monologues and at the end of the movie, could stop himself more quickly and efficiently.

[–] teefus87 13 years ago

I enjoyed it thought it was better than Mozart and the whale.

Mr. Shue, let me be your Britney

[–] amy0292 13 years ago

teefus87, I so agree with you. As a person with Asperger's I really enjoyed Adam, much more than Mozart and the Whale.

[–] davbot 13 years ago

I have been diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome and heard about this movie from friends. NO, I did not like the movie much, mostly for the same reason "happycouples" did. Hugh Dancy did overplay the part and it was quite inconsistent. Why did he even fly into a rage at all? I saw that his main obsession was space. But what was with the raccoons?

The only part of the movie that I liked was the non-typical ending. I was waiting for Beth to join him in CA.

Another opinion of an Aspie.

[–] BJBlair2006 13 years ago

Well, I'm an aspie, and I LOVED this movie.

[–] Sk8str 13 years ago

You people disgust me.

Using the word "Aspie" makes it sound like it's fun and cute which it is not.

Because it was SOOOO much fun when I was ostricized in junior high. It was so cute when I would have two hour tantrums or the fact that I STILL have tantrums sometimes even though I am 21.

"So, you wrote a bad play and were molested, welcome to the theatre."

[–] FunkyDan 13 years ago

You people disgust me.

Using the word "Aspie" makes it sound like it's fun and cute which it is not.

F@cking this. I have Asperger's too and the first time I heard the term "Aspie"(on Wikipedia, in a neutral context, no less), I thought it was a derogatory term because of the way it sounds. Not only does it imply that the disorder is "fun and cute", as this poster said, but it's also a label which suggests that Asperger's is the only thing to a person with the condition(I've heard other labels, such as "Asper", and "Aspergian", which fix the former issue, but not the latter). That the majority of the autistic community is not only okay with it, but actively embraces it, never fails to baffle and aggravate me.

Also, Asperger's CAN be treated and corrected to a good extent. My parents had me take a lot of etiquette and communication classes in elementary school, and now the only visible traits I have are that I'm shy, fidgety, and sometimes take instructions literally. I've also heard stories of people with Asperger's making friends who taught them a lot of social rules and norms which helped them greatly. Hell, I've even heard stories of a variety of ASDs being treated with marijuana.

[–] azazoth246 13 years ago

I have to agree with Sk8str and FunkyDan. I hate the term "Aspie" a lot, and I cringed when Adam used that term. I guess one reason is because it kind of white-washes everything and makes it seem all happy, while in reality it's left me pretty bitter. I get even more bitter when other people with Asperger's say it, it sounds like they think they're part of some cultural elite but instead it's like going into a crowd with a sign saying "Social retard and proud of it!" Believe me, you don't want to announce the fact you have it to people. If they aren't laughing about how it sounds like "Ass-burgers" (I know that it was named after it's discoverer, but that still has to be one of the most unfortunate naming coincidences in history) then they'll be laughing at you for calling yourself an "Aspie" and you'll just alienate yourself further. You don't see people with Down's syndrome calling each other "Downies."

As for the film itself, it was pretty accurate for the most part. I could identify with things such as his social anxieties and struggling to relate with others, and its ending was honest because Asperger's can be too hard for some relationships to weather, I should know. But it's quite a stretch to say that most of us would think cleaning your crush's windows in a space suit at night, or some equivalent, is a good idea. Most of us would stick with flowers. And that tantrum scene was exaggerated. If I were in that situation I just would've let it go and maybe brought it up later in passing. Way to represent, Adam.

[–] Zabonam 13 years ago

I have aspergers and I really enjoyed the movie. I wasn't too happy that they had to have Adam be the extreme case though.

Many of us who do have the condition live very normal lives. Some cases are so mild that unless you knew what to look for you'd never know.
A lot of the time you can train yourself to pretend to be 'normal' too. There are many situations in my life where I want to not do something, or I don't understand things, but I do what I am expected to do in the eyes of others.

[–] Manfromthehorizon 13 years ago

I'm an Aspie and when I saw this film I kept saying Oh my God that guy is ME!. Hugh Dancy nailed it.

[–] Elfinart 13 years ago

I thought the same thing, MFTHorizon. Compared to the other movies out there featuring Aspergian characters (Mozart and the Whale, If You Could Say It in Words), Adam comes closest to who I am... but you would need to shave about about 15% of his behavior down, as they have his traits a bit exaggerated. Also, Adam is incredibly naive, which I am defintely not. Outside of those two points, he's me!

[–] amazon423 13 years ago

I don't have Aspergers but enjoyed the movie after a friend who was recently diagnosed with Aspergers at the age of 57 (explaing all his social problems in his life) when he attended a meeting of experts working on the new DSM and trying to figure out where to assign Aspergers' (with autism or separately).This friend sent me his copy of Adam. Afterwards I called him and quizzed him while we discussed the movie. He said he like this movie very much and it pointed out many of the problems he has had socially, mentally, and emotionally. Although we went to the same high school our senior year it has only been the last year we connected over classmates.com. Now I will know a bit better how to communicate with him in person when we have our high school reunion this year. I still have some questions though and he has recommended some books. He has been able to support himself and two marriages in his life and graduate with a BA from university.

[–] 13 years ago

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[–] dodrade 13 years ago

Forgive me if the point has already been made, but having seen the film some time ago and thought about it I am offended by the ending, which essentially says Adam had to be "normalised" before he could have and be deserving of a successful relationship, rather than be loved and accepted for who he is.

[–] AlexTheGreyWolf 13 years ago

I have Asperger's and I like the term "aspie".

I liked the movie but hated the ending, I'd much rather they tell us whether he stays in California or whether he gets back with Amy.

[–] vanderveldenton 12 years ago

I am Dutch, and was diagnosed with Asperger's about 6 years ago when I was 52.
We don't know the therm "aspie" here.
I thought this film shows that we are still all different, Some things in Adam's character I recognised, others not at all (like that I would know perfectly well how to express love to a woman). I also get into a rage sometimes, but not over such a stupid thing as Adam did.
I am particularly sensitive to sounds and I don't think Adam was.
I too find it impossible to look into the eyes of a person I talk to and am messy and have troubles in groups and crowds.

[–] Tinny-Tinette 11 years ago

I'm an aspie and I thought this movie was fine. While the character of Adam was somewhat exaggerated, he still came across as an true aspie.

[–] HarryRidgway 11 years ago

Like a lot of people have already said, I do not refer to myself or other people with Aspergers as 'aspies.' But that's not important.

I found this film to be a lecture on the topic of Aspergers syndrome with a very good cast and nice direction. But it being a lecture brought the whole film down.

I didn't like the script too much and I could not work out what genre it was going for. I don't think I laughed or even giggled once. But then again, I didn't feel invested in the two leads relationship. So it wasn't a good romance either.

But I guess I didn't find it funny because people find Aspergers funny (just look at Sheldon Cooper on the Big Bang Theory) but since I have it and it interferes with my life I don't really find it funny at all.

Overall, I didn't like the film as much as others, but it was an OK effort at showing how one certain relationship would work with one of the partners having Aspergers. Even if it felt like a information video on Aspergers syndrome.

6.5/10

----------------------------
Last seen films:

Adam. 6.5/10
The Road. 10/10
Dredd. 8.5/10

[–] thefilmguy7 11 years ago

Well the reasoning why they didn't have Adam breakdown with rage more than once in the film is that they wanted to build up to that moment and to give more meaning to it. If he was flipping out through out the film then it would have become repetitive and it would have shrunk the significance of the scene where he calls Byrne's character a liar.

[–] charlotte-ophelie97 10 years ago

Look, I think that Asperger's syndrome can have very varied symptoms. Maybe you don't experience the same things as he did, and not everyone is the same. I know people with asperger's who are allot more reserved and self-centered than him, who talk much less, if at all, who can't even be touched. I personally hate being touched, and I was surprised that he didn't really mind it. But like I said, everyone's different!

[–] napalminthemorning47 9 years ago

I have Asperger's (and I'm Bipolar) and I had very mixed feelings watching the film. Well, maybe not so much mixed feelings exactly but there were parts of it that I felt were totally off the mark in it's portrayal Asperger's or rather it was a portrayal I couldn't relate to or connect with. However, there were other parts that made feel uncomfortable. Like there were scenes where Adam, though he wasn't aware of it, was acting like an ass hole in a way that made me think of myself. I was like "Damm, there are probably a lot of times that I can really be a dick to people and not know or not care." It was confusing and like I said uncomfortable. Plus the subplot drama with the dad reminded me too much of Cameron Crowe's film 1989 Say Anything which is one of my favorite movies. Another thing that bothered me was that Rose Byrne can tell right off the bat that this guy clearly has some serious issues and poor people skills and that he probably would be bad boyfriend material but wants to hook with him anyway. Why? Just because she thinks he's cute? Maybe it's not uncommon for people to do something like that but it was just seemed illogical or misguided to me and I didn't see much chemistry between them anyway. Granted it has been a long time since I've seen the film and maybe I was overly critical because of unreasonable personal reasons. However, I know for sure that once I finished the film I felt quite sad and pissed off. I have no interest really in doing so but maybe I could give it another shot but as far as my first viewing is concerned I just didn't like it.

Now there are a few films about characters with Asperger's that I liked. For example, I enjoyed Mozart and the Whale (2005) or at least liked or related to it's portrayal of it's ADS characters. I was particularly shocked how good a job Josh Hartnett did. Then there's Mary and Max (2009). Mary and Max is an excellent, ugly, beautiful, sad, and darkly humorous film and Asperger's or not I highly recommend it.

Sir! I have a plan! [standing up from his wheelchair] Mein Fuhrer! I can walk!