Mozart and the Whale

Crazy in Love_720p(480P)

source: Crazy in Love

First, I have to say that my wife and I have raised an autistic boy. He is now an adult and doing well. So, we have known autistic and Aspergers individuals for years. The movie purports to be a story about the romance of an autistic woman and a young man with Aspergers. (based on real events.) Modine does a decent job of "performing" like a person with Aspergers. But, the lead actress is a major joke. She is quirky, like Diane Keaton is quirky in "Annie Hall." This is NO autistic individual. She has this dumb laugh that is annoying-- but, oh, is that acting??? It was torture to see autism trivialized by her lame attempt to portray a heart breaking condition. The script is unrealistic. The situations and the things she says are ridiculous. Autistic individuals find it very hard to express emotion. She says things that sound like a Lifetime Channel production...Someone said Spielberg was going to make this? He would have started with a major re-write AND an actress with major skills willing to do some research.... Big disappointment.

Based on a true story, this small-scale 2005 drama is well-intentioned in illuminating the plight of those with a form of autism, Asperger's syndrome, a neurological disorder that causes those who have it to be limited in their abilities to fit in with the larger culture. Their condition is generally marked by narrow but intense interests in few subjects at the exclusion of others, displays of socially inappropriate behavior, and peculiarities in speech and thought patterns. Portraying this type of mental illness on screen is particularly challenging since it requires some distancing from the actors trying hard to stay true to the often alienating medical condition. Written by Ron Bass, who wrote the similarly themed "Rain Man" back in 1988, and directed by Norwegian filmmaker Petter Næss, this simple film focuses on the burgeoning love story between Donald and Isabelle, two young, attractive people afflicted with Asperger's syndrome. Donald runs a self-help group afflicted with autism, and Isabelle joins the group upon the insistence of her therapist. The bulk of the film deals with their often frustrating attempts to communicate and work toward a more permanent relationship, while at the same time, supporting the needs of the group to curb their affectations and live satisfying lives. If this sounds like the classic trappings of a Lifetime TV-movie, it pretty much reflects that oeuvre with its video camera quality and barebones production values. In fact, except for the clever Halloween set-up which explains the film's title, the plot turns have a fairly predictable flavor, and Næss displays little flair in making the emotional impact more resonant. Fortunately, the leads do well by their difficult roles, especially when each displays their savant wizardry, Donald's mathematical skills and Isabelle's concurrent artistic and musical gifts. At first, Radha Mitchell seems to be playing a variation of the darker half of "Melinda and Melinda" as Isabelle, but she ultimately manages to convey the troubling soul beneath the façade of her flashy bohemian. As the helplessly reticent Donald, Josh Hartnett is surprisingly affecting most of the time, though there are moments when he gets burdened by his character's mannered passivity. Several familiar faces show up in the supporting cast, including Sheila Kelley and a belligerent John Carroll Lynch as two of the group members and Gary Cole as Donald's patient boss. All do good work, but the movie has such a shapeless, haphazard feel that the inevitable ending feels rushed and truncated. The only significant extra of the 2006 DVD is Bass' thoughtful if overly effusive commentary track.

I just saw the movie, and there were some key points that I thought important & shouldn't have landed on the cutting room floor. There was one mention that he was a cab driver...I kept wondering how he was making his money to pay rent, buy food, etc. Then all of a sudden he had lost his job...how'd that happen? The movie should have included these points because they were important to the flow of the movie. Just some things that made me go hmmmm. I think it's a good movie, but it will probably end up on Lifetime or direct to video. It's a shame, because it's a relevant film, but not a major motion picture that sells tickets, in my opinion. I appreciated seeing the city of Spokane highlighted in a movie, though. Good plot, good story. Maybe they need to go back & re-edit this film a bit.

I consider myself a movie enthusiast and not a film snob by any means, but this movie was absolutely intolerable. I lasted through the first 10pages. Sad. I was truly disenchanted that the script lacked the actual language, the cast lacked character development and understanding... once again, josh hartnett read his lines as if he read them from a cue card!!!! I have to admit, the cinematography was well composed and lit, from what i saw and the technical aspect was quite interesting... but overall I believe the director, producers and cast missed the point completely. This was a great concept, but an atrocity to the autistic community. Next time, please do not use the movie Rain Man as your point of reference. Spend time with folks and get to know them during the development/rehearsal process... they may just surprise you.

"Mozart and the Whale" is really a very unconventional love story. Telling the romance of Donald Morton (Josh Hartnett) and Isabelle Sorenson (Radha Mitchell), both of them suffering of Asperger's syndrome, a kind of autism, the situations are very weird for those like me that are not familiarized with and do not know the symptoms of this disease. The lead couple is very charming, and what I liked in this movie is that the story is totally different from the usual romantic comedies, recalling "Crazy People" with a romance. The Brazilian title of this movie is hilarious, playing with the words. There are four favorable reviews of this movie (in a total of six) written by users with only one review issued in IMDb, apparently to make a fake promotion of this film. My vote is six. Title (Brazil): "Loucos de Amor" ("Crazy of Love")

I have just watched this movie and loved it. It is the sort of movie that if you get involved from a technical point you will be disappointed and miss the point, I believe this movie needs to be watched at least twice so that you can savour every emotional moment and enjoy this immensely satisfying story. I enjoyed the performance of both the lead actors, and felt there was a chemistry between Josh Hartnett and Radha Mitchell that made the story even better and think that the support cast gave a fine performance in so far as depicting people with handicaps. This movie has a good musical score which adds to its attraction for me and is visually stimulating

It's unusual for a film to portray something like Asperger's with any accuracy, being so often more interested in spectacle over substance. This film manages to portray quite a range of Asperger's and other high-functioning autistics rather well. I think the proof of it's extraordinary portrayals lies not with me seeing so much of how my life as an Aspie (a person with Asperger's) but in sitting down with my husband to watch it and having him so often say "Oh, you do that!" and ask "Is that really how it is?" and get a yes from me. Josh Hartnett's overall performance lacked a bit in some areas, but he had the eye-averting and not-sure-what-to-say looks down near perfectly. Radha Mitchell manages to nigh-flawlessly convey the sheer frustration I feel daily. Sheila Kelley's performance, though a small part of the picture, went far in making the support group scenes believable, and John Carroll Lynch's lost-but-denying-it performance made a fabulous foil for Hartnett. As for plot: I'm a bit of a sucker for a romance anyway, so I can't help but have enjoyed this. Seeing these two characters try so hard to work around their autism to connect at some level was occasionally hard to watch. Every mistake they made set me at the edge of my seat, and when Isabelle's psychiatrist asks Donald to never contact her again, I shouted "No!" at the screen. And when they finally let the audience know that, after all that supreme effort, they do manage to make that connection, the relief and joy was undeniable. Why this movie is having a hard time getting released, I do not know.

If you like Rainman or Benny and Joon you will enjoy this film. It is sentimental, moving and has all the usual gushy stuff a love story should have. Nevertheless I enjoyed it. I thought the adaptation of Autism especially Asperger's syndrome was very well done. If you don't expect too much and just sit back and look forward to some light entertainment then you will not be disappointed. As someone who works with adults with autism I am disappointed this has not been released everywhere as it depicts autism in a very different light. I would recommend that everyone at least gives it a go. Probably best described as a "chick flick" and the fact that Josh Hartnell plays the lead probably helps.