Mozart and the Whale (2005)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

Petter Næss

Writer (WGA):

Ronald Bass (written by)

Release Date:

2 February 2006 (Thailand)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

They don't fit in. Except together.

Plot:

A love story between two savants with Asperger's syndrome, a kind of autism, whose conditions sabotage their budding relationship.

Plot Keywords:

Autism | Aspergers | Asperger's Syndrome | Taxi Driver | Sensory Overload

Cast

Josh Hartnett	...	Donald Morton
Radha Mitchell	...	Isabelle Sorenson
Gary Cole	...	Wallace
Sheila Kelley	...	Janice
Erica Leerhsen	...	Bronwin
John Carroll Lynch	...	Gregory
Nate Mooney	...	Roger
Rusty Schwimmer	...	Gracie
Robert Wisdom	...	Blume
Allen Evangelista	...	Skeets
Kelly B. Eviston	...	Dr. Trask (as Kelly Eviston)
Jhon Goodwin	...	Rodney
Christa Campbell	...	Therapist
Jeffrey Brandle	...	Ten-year-old Kid
Hollis Higgins	...	Homeless Man

Also Known As:

Crazy in Love (USA) (working title)
Mozart & the Whale (USA) (alternative spelling)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for sexual content, language and some thematic material.

Runtime:

Netherlands:92 min | Argentina:94 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Brazil:14 | Portugal:M/12 | Finland:K-11 | Australia:M | Argentina:13 | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Gonzaga University - 502 E. Boone Avenue, Spokane, Washington, USA

Company:

Big City Pictures

Trivia:

The film is based on the story of Jerry and Mary Newport. They were profiled in 1995 in an LA Times article.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: In the first group scene, Donald talks about numbers as he stares at the microwave oven countdown. When the camera cuts away from the digital readout, the one/second beep of the microwave can still be heard but when the camera returns to the readout, fewer seconds elapse than beeps heard.

Quotes:

Isabelle Sorenson: All this time, and you didn't call.
Donald Morton: I was gonna call.
Isabelle Sorenson: You were?
Donald Morton: Well just to tell you that I wasn't gonna call so that you wouldn't be aggravated, sitting around waiting and wondering when I was
Isabelle Sorenson: gonna call?
Donald Morton: Yeah. But in the end I figured that forcing myself into your life was probably not right. I would always do that. So the only nice thing I had left to give was just not to call.
Isabelle Sorenson: I hated you for not calling. Because you were always gonna be there, and when you weren't, it was as if you didn't love me anymore.
[...]

Movie Connections:

References The Wise Little Hen (1934)

Soundtrack:

Overrated

Very good job on capturing spirit of inspiring real aspies....

My opinion is obviously prejudiced as I am "the whale" in the title of this movie. My wife is "Mozart." I appreciate the time the cast and other principals spent with real aspergers and autism adults. It paid off. Both Josh Hartnett and Radha Mitchell did a terrific job of capturing the spirit of myself and my wife when we met.

Rahda looks much more like Mary did when we met. I was never as tall as Josh but was much slimmer at his age. There are all kinds of whales and while Josh is a nice, sleek Blue Whale by comparison, I have become an Orca in my middle age.

I have high hopes that an eventual theater release will enable this film to do a great service to my community and to anyone who feels different and wants a soulmate!

In order to not unduly influence the tally, I gave it a seven which is the current average rating although I think it merits a higher number.

"The Whale" fka Jerry Newport