I am having a screening of the film "Mozart and the Whale" with fellow Aspies and was wondering what people thought of the film and if they found anything offensive. I am asking because I heard that one of the screenwriters was the same guy who did "Rainman" and he used about every stereotypical Austic thing in that fim.
2006-12-14 10:46:39 · 4 answers · asked by yana 1 in Entertainment & Music ➔ Movies
I loved the movie : )
I was just recently diagnosed with AS. I've been with my boyfriend for a long time. Although he has no diagnosis, he has problems communicating too. There were a lot of little things in the movie that could have been written about the two of us. I've only seen it once, and I can't wait to see it again. It's a movie of course, so it's not going to be specifically tailored to either one of us. What I did like about “Mozart and the Whale” is that it emphasized that people with Asperger's are not all going to act alike, look alike, and talk alike.
Asperger's is not a one size fits all diagnosis. People with Asperger have different personalities, different strengths and weaknesses, different mannerisms, and look like everyone else. I really appreciated that about this film. I did not find it offensive in any manner whatsoever. I think that is the first message that should be sent to the public.
It was the best drama I've seen in years. I actually felt the characters. I even CRIED!! And LAUGHED!!
Personal story here: I asked my boyfriend out on a date. When he came to my house, I asked him if he was ready to go. He said, "OK," and started to leave my house without me. When I asked him where he was going, he said, "Home." I laughed and said to him, "I thought you wanted to go out with me." He said, "I thought you meant for me to go." It was so adorable to me, although I cannot tell anyone why. BTW, he is smart….And I was more like Radha, but with a ton of friends from college. I learned how to fit in. When I told my boyfriend back then that I was just like him, he didn't believe me. LOL....he sees it much more clearly after a decade of being together. There is nothing stereotypical about me or him that would set off flags that we have autistic traits. It still makes it hard though for us to work out fights between each other.
Like I said, the movie was awesome and uplifting!!
I think the Whale part is not saying that Aspies are fat. Hehehe. Watch the movie again and you'll see that when Izzie asks Donald why he is dressed as a whale, he says that whales a very Big. Then he says, "All my life I've kind of felt like I was on the sidelines, watching the parade go by. But when you're a whale, you are the parade."
...........This tells me that the real person inside of him wants to be noticed, wants to have the show for himself from time to time, wants to be the center of peoples' attention. Like a metaphor: The parade is the metaphor for life. A life in which he feels he's always on the "sidelines" of; That's just my humble interpretation of "The Whale."
Keep going with the good stuff Josh Hartnet !!!!!!!
2006-12-16 04:42:27 · answer #1 · answered by erika12601 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
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.
2006-12-14 11:13:21 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, this is the first I've heard of it, but I'll be sure to check it out - I have a 3 1/2 year old son who is moderately autistic. I know what children with autism are really like, and if the movie is too far off base I'll be sure to let people know.
2006-12-14 11:12:47 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
j2wizza1 you need to give credit to IMDB.COM for that review you copy and pasted off their website
2006-12-14 11:52:23 · answer #4 · answered by fordperfect5 7 · 0⤊ 2⤋