Adam
Adam
PG-13 | 29 July 2009 (USA)
Adam Trailers

Adam, a lonely man with Asperger's Syndrome, develops a relationship with his upstairs neighbor, Beth.

Reviews
Nonureva Really Surprised!
Lumsdal Good , But It Is Overrated By Some
Maidexpl Entertaining from beginning to end, it maintains the spirit of the franchise while establishing it's own seal with a fun cast
Walter Sloane Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.
nigra319 Having seen "Adam" just last night, I can say that it is one of the most touching romantic comedies.I really like Adam.It was very nice to see his battle in all of these people who he couldn't understand their words or behaviors because of Asperger's Syndrome. Also his relationship with Beth.I was really irritated because of Beth didn't go with Adam and leaved him alone.I wanted to scold her. (Come on he is in love with her!)Just i expected to their come together and end movie with happy ending.Anyway it finished with happy ending in different way.
MartinHafer A long time ago, I was a social worker and then a family therapist. Later, I taught psychology. During the course of this, I worked with a few folks with Autism spectrum disorders--including Asperger's Syndrome. Now I am NOT an expert but know enough by teaching about it, knowing folks with it (including a few of my students) and reading up on it to know whether or not a film that deals with this topic gets it right or wrong. It was because of this background I was excited to watch "Adam"--to see if I finally found a film that got it right. This is because although a lot of folks on the internet talk about this disorder (and many claim to have it--though in most cases this seems to be done to excuse boorish behavior) but few folks REALLY understand what it is. I sure wish I'd had this film available to me when I was teaching--it sure would have provided a nice example for my students.I won't spend a lot of time discussing what Asperger's is--though it would make sense to briefly explain it. People with Asperger's are generally quite normal. However, they are socially inept--having great difficulty picking up on normal social cues, understanding polite conversation and relating to people in a healthy manner. It's as if they are socially retarded--generally unable to understand nuances, metaphors or things such as sarcasm or inferences. But, on the other hand, intellectually (aside from the social aspects) they are very normal and even sometimes brilliant. They are also incredibly literal in their thinking and speech. For someone to build a relationship with an individual like this is possible...though it certainly poses challenges.Adam (Hugh Dancy) is a nice young man who lives alone and works with computers and loves astronomy. He happens to strike up a conversation with his neighbor, Beth (Rose Byrne) and slowly they become friends. But, early on, it's obvious to Beth that there is something wrong with Adam. When he tells her he was diagnosed with Asperger's, she learns more about him--such as how to interact with him as well as his social shortcomings. And, despite this problem, she learns to love him and vice-versa. The movie then unfolds--and addresses the unspoken salient point--is loving a person enough when you're in a relationship? The writer/director of this film is Max Mayer. It's obvious that Max either knows someone with the diagnosis or he really, really did his homework. The film very accurately portrays someone with these life challenges--and Hugh Dancy was amazing in the film--simply amazing. I also really, really appreciated how the movie did NOT simply give way to sentiment or stuff itself with clichés, film formula or false nobility. Realism and integrity of the characters is what made this film really work for me.If you do see this exceptional film (and I strongly recommend you do), a couple things I noticed that you may also like are Dancy's amazing performance which includes no trace of his British accent (as well as Byrne's Aussie accent) as well as the cute scene with Beth reading to her young students. The way the little kids talked about "The Emperor's New Clothes"--and how some just didn't get it at all--was very realistic. Apparently, Mayer also really understands kids and child development! What a great film--and one of the few movies where I have NOTHING negative to say about it!I loved how Dancy said in the making of for this film "He's not just a syndrome...he's a guy....". THAT is what makes this film so special.
Chris L Adam is a movie that has some good points. The acting is pretty good, especially Hugh Dancy's that made a good job at portraying Adam trough a whole range of emotions. The direction is also pretty good, simple yet effective, with no editing mistakes.But the real flaw of this film is its scenario. It lacks substance and density, a strong captivating plot. Ultimately the movie feels kind of superficial, under-developed and a bit too conventional, still it manages to unfold smoothly.The ending was a non happy one which is always interesting, but it left me a bit unsatisfied though I wouldn't be able to explain why.An average movie overall.
rooprect As far as formulaic romcoms go, this one bears little resemblance to the rest. True, like other Hollywood romcoms it features strikingly gorgeous actors who might make you yell at the screen "oh boo hoo! How could anyone who looks like you have any problems in life?!?" But aside from that minor flaw, it's a very human story with a powerful, realistic message about love & living outside the social norm.I'm not an expert on Aspberger's syndrome--my only knowledge coming from movies like "Temple Grandin", "Phoebe in Wonderland" and now "Adam"--so I won't try to tell you if Hugh Dancy's portrayal was accurate. But I can say that he was genuine, convincing and endearing (or at least as endearing as you can be while playing the role of someone who doesn't really display emotions).What I really liked about this film was the subtle allusions to the children's book "The Little Prince" (original French "Le Petit Prince", if you remember being forced to read that in 10th grade foreign language). In that regard, it weaves 3 themes of childhood, astronomy and love together and provides a very satisfying story.This film has been described with a lot of clichés that may lead you to expect certain things, but don't be fooled. The story is as unpredictable as the audience's reaction. (Aside: don't you hate it when critics use the words "feel-good" & "heartwarming", or alternately "bittersweet" & "heartbreaking"? DON'T TELL ME HOW I'M SUPPOSED TO FEEL, DAMMIT!!) All I'll say is, if you like your movies slightly off the beaten path, then this is a good one for you to check out. Other great anti-romcoms include "Forget Paris" with Billy Crystal & Debra Winger, "Pumpkin" with Christina Ricci, and the much-maligned gem "All About Steve" with Sandra Bullock.