Mozart and the Whale

This is the only film about Aspergers and I value it. It is GREAT to see star-power giving awareness.

Having Aspergers myself, I could do what most people ('nero-typicals') couldn't- understand and associate with the characters. Though at the same time there were differences... because everyone with Aspergers is different.

So I found myself going, "Hey thats me!" Or, "Hey thats not me!" throughout. It varies from one thing to the other- it can be right on the money or the polar opposite. It was fun/nice to recognize all the small/not so small things-in-common. As for the differences, they were irritable!

When I first heard of this movie a while ago, I didn't understand why it was called "Mozart And The Whale". But now I do, and you will too. It is beautiful and has multiple meanings.

Only thing is it may portray people with Aspergers as being out of control nuts or retards, which is not the way they really are. So they may be overexaggerating and misconcepting just a little there.

All in all, curious and informative. Its guaranteed to please and inspire any Aspie who watches it. May bring them together too. HOORAY!

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

Many people have doubts about Josh Hartnett's acting abilities. He's landed some good performances in his earliest roles (The Virgin Suicides, O), but once the teenagers adopted him as the next big celebrity crush he got swallowed in the hype that led to Pearl Harbor. This destroyed any credibility he might have as an actor, and he has spent the rest of the decade trying to prove himself as a serious actor and to get rid of the hearth throb image.

He completely succeeds in this goal with Mozart and the Whale. He plays Donald, a young man with Asperger's syndrome so well, you forget it's him. The performance is rough, unpolished and honest, and while it might not be technically perfect it's evident Hartnett was very inspired and motivated. It is a very good performance, and anybody who doubts his acting abilities should watch this film before making a judgment. The only problem is: not many people saw this film. And it is a shame.

Radha Mitchell plays Isabelle, a young woman with Asperger's, and the film follows the two protagonists fall in love. Mitchell is also good in her role, but is less sympathetic; that is, until you realize what it seems like annoying, shallow girl, is actually the display of her Asperger's syndrome.

The film itself, however, is full of the problems. It tries to be a romantic comedy about an unusual couple, but it doesn't work that way. Rumor says something went wrong in the production, and due to some executive meddling the film failed to be a drama it was meant to be. Allegedly, this made Josh Hartnett mad and he chose not to promote the film, which is a shame, because it's probably his best performance to date.

Sometimes, it feels like a genuine story about people with Asperger's meeting, falling in love and having a relationship (it is based on true people and events), but at the moments it is reduced to the common denominator. You simply can't do that with a theme like this; this one doesn't work as a romantic comedy with quirky protagonists. It also feels like good 30 minutes of it is missing; it's rushed, especially in the last third.

Still, even simplified and "Hollywoodised", this film is a good watch. But it's mainly because of the main cast, particularly Hartnett. He finds his voice like never before and manages to make us believe he's an individual with Asperger's living his life, falling in love, and trying to resolve everyday problems.

At the end, the film is disappointing, but the best scenes deserve to be watched over and over again. Essentially, this film is a missed potential with some great acting.

This film is about a young man and a young woman, who have Asperger's Syndrome, falling in love with each other.

This film is very impressive. Josh Hartnett portrays the main character, Donald, who has poor social skills and social relatedness. His lack of eye contact, shyness, inability to comprehend facial expressions and body language are all portrayed well in the movie. It shows that Josh Hartnett can seriously act. The film is bright, warm and sweet. As for the visuals, there is always abundant colours in the film, and adequate lighting is ensured throughout the movie. I really like this point because it adds a positive feel to the film. I am glad to have watched this film, and even more glad that it can help to raise awareness of Asperger's syndrome.

I am not quite sure why it has not been released in any county other than Brazil, however I must say it definitely exceed my expectations. The idea I had for it of it being a poorly prepared romantic commercial comedy was proved in some ways wrong....in fact close to a feeling of Rainman I must confess it is a solid film based on what it intends and point to achieve, and it does it successfully.

A good and creative direction for its wise and innovative use in romantic relations of not so normal individuals, which has been seen to be misused and standardized in the past due to the little effort to use the element of the peculiar aspects of the condition of the characters in new areas of human relations, especially when it comes to romantic relations of two of them.

Also Radha Mitchell gives a better than average performance to which Hartnetts falls short, but not by much.

I recommend this film as a good and solid film work that achieves it's intentions to whoever has in mind the aims and limitations of such a romantic comedy, and takes it for what it is, sells and promises.