Mozart and the Whale (2005)

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

US TV Schedule:

Thur. Nov. 26

3:00 PM

SHOW

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 project was originally planned for Steven Spielberg, but due to his workload it eventually landed in the hands of critically acclaimed Norwegian director Petter Næss. This became his first US production.

Goofs:

Factual errors: After Isabelle's suicide attempt, she'd be held involuntarily in a psychiatric ward for at least 72 hours, not sent home.

Quotes:

Isabelle Sorenson: You can't disappoint me, Because whatever you are is exactly what I want.

Movie Connections:

References "Animaniacs" (1993)

Soundtrack:

Changed Me

Disappointed nearly to the point of anger

Being a person diagnosed with Asperger's Sydrome, the father of a child with moderate Autism, and the brother of a sister with severe Autism, I am very disappointed with this movie. The part of Donald Morton was't too bad, as his overall presentation, facial expressions, eye contact, high anxiety, etc, seemed close to realistic. Isabelle was just not real to me. The look in her eyes was that of a neuro-typical person with a wide range of emotions revealed in them. She had some scenes wherein she behaved similar to someone with Asperger's or Autism, but without her overall behavior being accurate it was a let down. She is a good actress, but she needed to do more homework for this role.

The support group scenes were some of the most disappointing of the movie. There are many highly functional individuals who attend AS support groups in the real world, however, even the most functional do not exhibit the type of empathy that this group did. Trust me, real Aspies would have had little to no interest in the love life of these two group members. It is not believable to me that Donald could have formed this group. Perhaps the real Jerry Newport could have. Donald does not demonstrate enough leadership or functional independence, and his anxiety is debilitating. There are Aspies who have leadership qualities, but they are usually very rigid and opinionated thinkers, who also have a type of personality that other people with Asperger's Syndrome, who are less out spoken, gather around. That level of rigid/concrete thinking is just not depicted in this movie, nor is the reality of the tempers that often go along with it.

I wish there was more focus on the useful and functional aspects of Asperger's Syndrome. Why didn't they show us more of what Donald did in his work? How were his mathematical abilities benefiting him in the real world? Isabelle was gifted in music and art. Reveal more of her passion for this. Let people see more of an inside view of Autism rather just playing around with the quirkiness in ways that were sometimes irreverent.

I now fear that thousands, or perhaps millions more people know even less about Autism and Asperger's Syndrome than they did before! Yes, I have read the glowing reviews, and I am extremely disappointed in them. I have lived around Autism from every possible perspective that you can imagine. Trust me, what you will see in this movie is Hollywood and not the real world.