Adam (I) (2009)

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

Director:

Max Mayer

Writer:

Max Mayer

Stars:

Hugh Dancy, Rose Byrne, Peter Gallagher

2 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Hugh Dancy	...	Adam Raki
Rose Byrne	...	Beth Buchwald
Peter Gallagher	...	Marty Buchwald
Amy Irving	...	Rebecca Buchwald
Frankie Faison	...	Harlan
Mark Linn-Baker	...	Sam Klieber
Haviland Morris	...	Lyra
Adam LeFevre	...	Mr. Wardlow
Mike Hodge	...	Judge
Peter O'Hara	...	Williams
John Rothman	...	Beranbaum
Terry Walters	...	Michael
Steffany Huckaby	...	Carol
Susan Porro	...	Jen
Maddie Corman	...	Robin

Storyline

Soon after moving in, Beth, a brainy, beautiful writer damaged from a past relationship encounters Adam, the handsome, but odd, fellow in the downstairs apartment whose awkwardness is perplexing. Beth and Adam's ultimate connection leads to a tricky relationship that exemplifies something universal: truly reaching another person means bravely stretching into uncomfortable territory and the resulting shake-up can be liberating.

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Plot Keywords:

neighbor | asperger's syndrome | electrical engineer | children's book | engineer | 

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Taglines:

A story about two strangers. One a little stranger than the other...

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Details

Official Sites:

Fox Searchlight [us] Official site [fr]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 August 2009 (Ireland)

Also Known As:

Adam - Eine Geschichte über zwei Fremde. Einer etwas merkwürdiger als der Andere

Filming Locations:

California, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$68,377 (USA) (31 July 2009)

Gross:

$2,277,396 (USA) (13 November 2009)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Olympus Pictures, Deer Path Productions, Northwood Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Chief Executive Officer of Halloran, in the letter regarding Adam's interview, is named Tamar Ganish. The film's production designer is Tamar Gadish.

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Goofs

At one point in the film, Mr. Buchwald calls Beth "Bethany", suggesting that is her full name. However, at the end of the film when Adam opens up Beth's book, it clearly reads, "Written by Elizabeth Buchwald", suggesting her full name is Elizabeth.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Beth Buchwald: My favorite children's book is about a little prince who came to earth who came to Earth from a distant asteroid. He meets a pilot whose plane has crashed in a desert. The little prince teaches the pilot many things but mainly about love. My father always told me I was like the little prince. But after I met Adam, I realized I was the pilot all along...

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Connections

Features Inside the Actors Studio: Episode #3.9 (1996)

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Soundtracks

"Girl With the Light Brown Hair"
Written by Martin Wereski
Performed by Charlotte Politte
Courtesy of MAR-TUNE Music

User Reviews

"Adam" is one of the best written films of its kind

The adjectives used to market "Adam" include: romantic, funny, delightful, poignant, uplifting, humorous. I have to disagree with most of those, especially: funny, humorous and delightful. A comedy it is not.

But that's not to say that it isn't good. It's actually quite good. "Adam" is a tumultuous romantic relationship story centered on a young man with Asberger's syndrome. The main characters are Adam (Hugh Dancy), his love interest Beth (Rose Byrne), her father (Peter Gallagher), her mother (Amy Irving) and Adam's guardian (Frankie Faison). Each of these characters have their own story line which perfectly complements the main story. All of the characters have been vividly painted with complexity, emotion, and authenticity.

This is one of the most complete films in terms of quality of writing, direction, and overall superb technical film-making.

Of the adjectives to describe "Adam" I would use: genuine, sentimental, and heartbreaking. It is one of the best written films of its kind, but loses stars because of mis-marketing. It's not even close to a romantic comedy, perhaps it's a romantic drama if it can even be categorized.