What did you guys think of Mozart and the Whale? + ...

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+ is this the right forum for video/computer game related stuff? It is "entertainment", and I'm not sure where else it would fit. EDIT: I guess people are sticking that in the "Games, Sports..." forum?

Anyway I'm sure this has been talked about before, but I just saw Mozart and the Whale today. I'm not sure what I think about it. Partly it seemed pretty good, but partly it seemed like the writer was trying to awkwardly cram in all this info that affects some people. Then too, it has me once again wondering whether or not I have Asperger's since I'm (usually, or at least 99.9% of the time in public) no where as "bad" as the two characters portrayed in that...but then again it's just a movie. At least it seemed to be trying to not be insulting if you know what I mean.

Anyway, just wondering what others thought.

HA...funny you mention that, I just watched it today and had the same thoughts you do. I thought Josh Hartnett did a surprisingly great job (esp with the eye contact and facial expressions) but a lot of it had me wondering...man...if this is Asperger's, this is far worse than what I have. (Is there such thing as High Functioning Asperger's?) It's funny, because when I'm on WP and reading about others' experiences I feel like they're all writing about my life and it's the first time I'm actually able to empathise/sympathise with other people...but after watching the movie I feel like I'm not stacking up somehow.

Side note...I did figured out what "flapping hands" means after watching Hartnett's character...before I had always ticked no thinking it was literally flapping your hands, I didn't realize what it was and now I understand that I do do that on occasion (not in public though). I really related more to his character than to Mitchell's, although I think functioning-wise I'm a bit closer to her.

I had the same thought. While the characters clearly have Asperger's, they're much more severe than I am in some ways. The movie made it clear that I DO have Asperger's, but it made me think maybe I'm a pretty mild case. I don't know about that though- I think in the movie they were trying to raise awareness and use it as a comic and dramatic element, so they had to make it really obvious.

That movie made me cry and cry and cry... not really because it was sad, but because I identified with the characters in ways I have never identified with anyone before- real or fictional. It was like this enormous weight that had always been there was lifted off my shoulders. There are other people out there like me.

The female character was a bit over-the-top. She seemed to have more than just AS.

The male character was also over-done, but no so much. There is a scene I remember where he goes to make up with his girlfriend at her workplace (hair salon) and he walks right into the middle of the room and just stands there. That scene was awkward!

If it wasn't for the AS plot device I would not have watched this movie.

Guys! That was exactly what I was thinking while watching this movie. I was thinking "I am not THAT bad", but the truth is I AM that bad. I just didn't suspect it.

The girl playing mozart really was not the best actress i've ever seen though. She seemed a bit hyper to me.

I don't remember her name, but the big woman with long red hair really acted aspie. I could tell by how she was constantly joking, but her tone of voice and facial expressions killed her jokes and just made her look stupid. I've seen myself do that from watching home footage of myself.
I am referring to the girl that said "i'm not going and that's for sure". the one that always had a smile on her face.

Well. I hope this makes sense.

I thought Josh Hartnett was great, surprisingly so. I can relate to bits of that film a lot, where he goes to the carpark and memorises number plates to calm down, her reaction to the metal clanging in the fair. Some bits I can relate to as they go through my head, but I do not say them out loud, such as when he was in the mall with her and was doing numbers, If I go on a date (yes it happens occationally) I will be nervous and count everything + go throught lists of phone numbers, and car number plates- I am just better at not saying those things out loud.

I watched Mozart and the Whale a few months back with my half and half NT/Aspie husband, and my NT 16 year old daughter. At the risk of having tomatoes thrown at me on WrongPlanet, I actually thought the movie was pretty good.

First of all -- it's a movie, nothing more, nothing less.

Second of all -- they have to make a complex subject make some sense AND be entertaining, all in about 90 minutes or so.

I thought the girl's character was hilarious. We laughed like CRAZY whenever she said "HAH!" Not laughing at her at all, just enjoying her eccentricity. I thought she was great.

And Josh Hartnett, I thought he did a GREAT job. I haven't thought he was a terrific actor in the past, but he really seemed to get the gist of this syndrome. Bits and pieces of these characters looked like our two sons (who did not see the movie -- one is out of town, and one is too young), and although most of the characterization was pretty out there, there were some definite "hits" in terms of catching the meat of the problem, and actually getting into the beauty of it as well.

Kris

Don't get me wrong; I really liked it too. You're right: They had to cram the gist of AS into a short period of time, and they managed to do that relatively well and still keep an interesting and engaging plot going. It really was a pretty good movie.

I think the issue stems from the fact that it was the first time for many of us to see aspie behaviour in someone other than ourselves, the actors were not real aspies, and the movie was made for people who don't know what AS is. It's hard not to be very critical, and to wonder how much we and other aspies do or do not behave that way.

There are some other people with asperger's who don't give the same applaud to the movie as you all do. The movie was mediocre for me, but here is someone with an opinion that diverges from the general one in this topic.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_ZGzrD3VsU

Is the consensus then that the characters in the movie had very exaggerated symptoms of Asperger's? Because that movie made me think I might not be a particularly severe case. If they're exaggerated, then I'm a rather typical aspie.

I have been tryong to find this movie.
Where can I find it?

Here's a question-what are some other possible portrayals? In the thread on here about possible AS characters, some names that kept being repeated were House and Chloe (Chloe from 24. I don't like the show anymore, but I always LOVED Chloe and really identify with her).

Some other names thrown out that seemed interesting-the lead from Bones, Detective Goren from Law and Order: Criminal Intent (the fun, super smart guy), and "Willow's" character from American Pie.