A story about two strangers. One a little stranger than the other...
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.
Genre(s): Comedy, Drama, Romance
Runtime: 99 minutes
Rating: 7.3/10 (764 votes)
Release Date: 20 January 2009
Country: USA
Languages: English
Company: Olympus Pictures
Sound: Dolby
MPAA: Rated PG-13 for thematic material, sexual content and language.
Director(s): Max Mayer
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Producer(s):
Miranda de Pencier - producer
Gary Giudice - co-producer
Marc Lieberman - associate producer
Geoff Linville - co-producer
Daniel Revers - executive producer
Leslie Urdang - producer
Dean Vanech - producer
Christina Weiss Lurie - executive producer
Writer(s):
Max Mayer - (written by)
Cast:
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
Music: Christopher Lennertz
Miranda de Pencier - producer
Gary Giudice - co-producer
Marc Lieberman - associate producer
Geoff Linville - co-producer
Daniel Revers - executive producer
Leslie Urdang - producer
Dean Vanech - producer
Christina Weiss Lurie - executive producer
Writer(s):
Max Mayer - (written by)
Cast:
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
Music: Christopher Lennertz
Posted on: July 5, 2009
January 29th, 2009
You won't find traditional romantic comedies at Sundance. But quirkyromantic comedies were in this year. And how much quirkier can you getthan Adam, where the male lead (Hugh Dancy) has Asperger's Syndrome(like a mild, high-functional form of autism) and the female lead (RoseByrne) is a hot and seemingly normal babe? And that's the movie—Adam isvery nice but extremely weird, socially awkward, prone to erraticbehavior and a societal misfit, and Beth is everything you'd want in awoman.
(This should provide a ray of hope for all the geeky guys fantasizingabout a beautiful, charming and good-hearted woman falling in love withthem one day. I can hear it now: "If Beth can fall for Adam, then whynot me? After all, he has Asperger's and all I've got is this littlehygiene problem, plus my two-room Star Wars collection.")
The movie opens with the death of Adam's father. We follow him to work,where he is writing microchip software for toys and fixated on creatinginteresting functionality while his boss simply wants to cut costs. Hestays in the apartment he had shared with his dad, eating the samemeals every day, sitting in the same chair, and following hisestablished routines until Rose moves into the building. Adam falls inlove, in his obsessive way. Rose is attracted to Adam, but naturallywary. And things proceed from there, as they work out theirrelationship while enduring painfully awkward physical contacts andeven more pain and awkwardness meeting the friends and parents, andultimately … well, you've got to see the film. But for my money, theending was the best part.
Adam is a cute, mildly entertaining movie, with laughs and smilesdespite a less than polished script. Both Dancy and Byrne give fineperformances, and veteran actors Peter Gallagher and Amy Irving arequite good as Beth's parents. Written and directed by Max Mayer, it waspicked up at Sundance by Fox Searchlight and will likely be released in2009.
February 7th, 2009
This is your typical love story but with a decidedly interesting twist.Adam and Rose meet and start to fall in love, working through normalrelationship struggles but some of their struggles are magnifiedbecause of Adam having Asperger's Syndrome. When they reach a breakingpoint, Rose receives some poignant advice from her mother thatsuccinctly sums up the theme of the film and reverberates into theviewer's life as well. "To feel love is important, but to love, mydear, that is essential." This was one of my favorite Sundance filmsthis year, and I was excited to hear that it was picked up by FoxSearchlight. Look for it in a theater near you; you won't bedisappointed!
May 15th, 2009
At the point of pluralism for mental illness there is a lot that onecould say about this film. I think its wonderful that Adam's girlfriendis making compromises. Its kind of neat but my real question is whythis film was made about someone with Asperger's syndrome and notsomeone with Schizophrenia?
Actually I think I know the answer to that question. Its marketed byFox Searchlight.
I can't remember the last film where one of the lead characters hadSchizophrenia, outside The Soloist. (By the way Foxx's character reallywasn't having sex in that film and I am pretty sure he wasn't having akid)
Now that I think of it, a lot of films were made, Misery, Psycho, TheShining….and many many more!
You might decide why this modern masterpiece of pluralism should besuccessful, I still think it might, its sort of making people looknicer but it reminds me that we are all just bound by chemicals. So arefilm and video if you choose to see them that way.
July 12th, 2009
For me, the best thing about this film was the ending, because itavoided any clichéd and formulaic reunion. I don't know much aboutaspergers so can't comment on the accuracy of the portrayal, but I cameout feeling that I'd learnt something about the condition, and feltboth touched and moved by Hugh Dancy's depiction. The other lead, RoseByrne, behaved convincingly as if she was in a relationship with him,and highlighted the old dilemma that to differing degrees, we all makeour choices in this life in the knowledge that we can't have it all.For Beth, she would have had the stability and security she craved in arelationship, but the lack of reciprocated empathy proved a bridge toofar.
I could see why the father-daughter sub-plot was integral to the story,from a 'nobody's perfect' sense of comparison…although I found myselfa little irritated by it, as it detracted from the main themes and tookup too much air time. The film has all the ingredients of a commercialsuccess, and I left the cinema thinking 'tender but unremarkable'.6/10.
July 27th, 2009
G/SRAT strongly recommends a new quirky romantic comedy (nutongzhi)film "Adam". This film will premiered at the Berlin Film FestivalFebruary 11, 2009. We hope you will encouraged any friends who might bein Berlin to attend the also attend the Sundance premiere.
This is Hollywood's Asperger's Syndrome director Max Mayer's new film.It portrays the love of and between a hot and seemingly normal babe anda guy suffering from Asperger's Syndromes, evoking the hopes and hurtsof everyone.
It is a film remarkable in its fearless, unwavering representation ofAsperger's Syndromes and all the baggage and emotions that go withthat, while plumbing the depths of everyday lives. The film is furthermarked by the director's unpretentious concern for people on themargins of society and his humane yet piercing perspective on life.
Adam (2009) – Do as you desire Reviewed by G/SRAT Asperger's Syndromeis a flower that grows along the path to the gates of hell; it is atattoo; it is a way of remembering and forgetting; it registers variedexperiences of love and trauma.
Everyday rituals are a way of du. Du is crossing over the river to theother side; it is also crossing through life to death and one's nextlife, over and over again. Storytelling through creative ritual actionworks through suffering that cannot otherwise be overcome (either inremembering or forgetting) in life. The film shows us how ritualstorytelling and actions in different forms – webcam blogging, enduringpainfully awkward physical contacts, chatting under the guise of policeentrapment – allows for crossing over to the other side, in life, andin death.
Adam helps us see how different people have different ways of doing (ordu-ing) – acting out, acting upon and acting through their desires, andtherefore crossing through trauma to arrive at the other side, whereone is no longer imprisoned within suffering but can live with it,having lived through it. It thus suggests to us ways in which we coulddo (or du) our own impasses.
Everyone is non-normative, and must learn to du/do through differentactions/stories. In the world of the film, violence and trauma arebanal and special at the same time. No one is exempt from this everydayviolence and trauma, no one is normal and without flaw. Through thisfilm, all normative positions are under question. Non-normative roleson the other hand are represented in ways that subvert expectations. InAdam everyday trauma in two human lives becomes the context andcondition of their relation to each other. The symptoms of Asperger'sare extremely easy to see in yourself or others, and is courageous andforthright in pursuing a sign of love in the form of a romantic comedy.The other cannot forget early traumas nor can she remember or beginanything else, but finds a way to tell the stories for which there canbe no words in her as a non-suffer of Asperger's. The film's view ofits characters and their situations is a bit like that of Adam'sfather, fondly amused, and never judgmental.
The microchip software for toys is an allegory of cinema: as ritualthat allows a crossing through, as a picture that grows, moves andpenetrates its subjects, as a story told through pictures that reflectthe past and help bring the future into being.
July 30th, 2009
I had the privilege of viewing this movie on Tues. night. I was ineager anticipation, as the subject of mental health is a passion ofmine.
For me, the movie was bittersweet. We see how Adam grows from a lonelyintrovert to a sensitive and serious man, who experiences love in spiteof his challenges. Whether or not this love works out, is not theissue; it's what Adam learns along the way about life that I feel isbeautiful.
The portrayal of Rose's father is so important to the film, in myopinion. We find this so called "normal" person who epitomizes thosewho are still in fear of a person with mental illness. Buchwald onlysees the outside of a person and doesn't really give Adam a chance toshow his inner self, talents and strengths. How ironic it is that Mr.Buchwald turns out to be the true "mentally ill" person in the film!Unfortunately, many people in our society still have similar beliefsabout those who are "different". By educating people about those whoare "challenged", hopefully the stigma of mental illness can be lifted.
This film made me laugh, made me cry and made me think! As far as I amconcerned, when a movie has those characteristics, it has been a hugesuccess. I don't know any movie that has moved me like this in a long,long time!
August 13th, 2009
Having seen "Adam" just last night, I can definitely say that it is oneof the year's best and most touching romantic comedies.
"Adam" stars Hugh Dancy as a man living with Asperger's syndrome whodoes his best to reach out to his pretty new upstairs neighbor. Due tohis condition, Adam isn't the best when it comes to communicating.Though he frequently escapes by submersing himself in the world ofspace exploration, Adam senses an opportunity for a real humanconnection after Beth (Rose Byrne) moves into the apartment justupstairs. As Adam attempts to gain control of his off-kilter, sometimesembarrassing social skills, he discovers that with a little patienceand understanding, developing a meaningful relationship might not be ashard as he previously thought.
The story is definitely sounds like a different kind of romanticcomedy, and that is what it is. It's very different. The relationshipbetween Hugh Dancy and Rose Byrne is very genuine. It's very real. Thestruggles both go through in the film are very well portrayed. HughDancy is wonderful. He had the tough challenge to portray someone whohad Asperger's syndrome. His performance was so beautifully done. Hewas great. Rose Byrne was also brilliant. Her character is attracted toDancy's character, and further along in the film, she realizes being ina relationship with someone who has Asperger's is definitely somethingthat won't be easy. Byrne's character goes through a lot in the film,and tries to juggle everything with all normal expected human emotionthat goes with it. Her character definitely learns a lot throughout thefilm. Byrne is amazing. Having never heard of Asperger's syndromebefore, I walked in with no knowledge of it. The film handled it verywell. That's all I can say. It left me with a new interest forAsperger's.
The film had its quirks, smiles, screams, laughs, and tears, but thefinal product of "Adam" is definitely something to be admired. I'm veryglad I saw this film. I recommend this film for everyone. It's achanging film. It changed me. See it. 9/10
August 14th, 2009
Somewhere above the clear skies of a disquieted New York skyline, somehundreds of billions of miles away there are stars and galaxies,clusters of light and unknowable beauty speeding away not only from usbut from themselves. Eventually it will get to the point where all isinevitably lost, and the skies will be filled with an overwhelmingblack; nothingness and desolate loneliness for a heaven and a barren,sun-scorched planet for a home. "That's kind of… sad" says onecharacter. "Sad?" repeats the nonplussed hobbyist-cosmologist beforeturning off his home-brew planetarium. Somewhere within one of thesesmall gatherings of light lies New York itself, and in its central parkdwell two harmless furry creatures known as Racoons. In the middle of agiant city, these little guys don't necessarily belong but they justhappen to be there anyway—coming out at night and playing in their ownpeaceful isolation when the city closes one eye for the night. Thissomewhat romantic dualism of being torn apart from where you should beand ending up in world quite different from where you naturally belongis the glue that binds pages of Adam's story together. Brought intomelancholic focus through characters, relationships, the nuances ofordinary life and a vast array of simplistic but neverthelessheart-warming sentiments through photography and music, Adam is ahumbled and interesting take on love seen through the eyes of a fellowwho—like those racoons—isn't quite where he ought to be.
A gifted an ostensibly neurotic figure, Adam (Hugh Dancy) is a smart,intelligent and insightful guy-next-door type whoday-to-spotlessly-repetitive-day tries to overcome his disability inorder to fit in with those he shares his city-life with. As is foundout late into the first act of the feature, Adam is affected byAsperger's syndrome; a condition which often means that he cannot byany means tell what other people are thinking simply by reading theirfaces, body language or figurative words. Instead Adam relies onhonesty and literal meaning; without this, he is lost, and to many thisin turn makes him out to be a naïve child-like inconvenience. All thiscomes into play most dramatically however when a new neighbour, Beth(Rose Byrne), moves in above Adam's apartment. Unable to quite go abouthis attraction to Beth in conventional manners (at one point directlyasking if she was "sexually excited… because I was."), romantic life itseems isn't about to blow any sympathy points in Adam's direction.After a series of quirky encounters involving Adam's love for space anda particularly intense sequence where he avoids going out with Beth outof fear, the relationship takes its turns and develops slowly butsurely into an engaging piece of alternative romance. The result is aninteresting look into a convoluted form of love from a differentperspective that questions the sometimes trivial dos and don'ts ofadult relationships when brought to Adam's plate.
In a way, the movie echoes recent features such as The Science of Sleepby Michel Gondry and last year's Lars and the Real Girl in that itpushes the "disability" of its lead character to be the central pointof its narrative rather than fleeting romance. Sure enough, Adam is byno means a saint—he's simply different, and Mayer does well to alwaysrestate Adam's humanity despite his disability; this is no mawkishweepy or over-sentimental caricature painting. Like those featuresmentioned above however, Adam hits the proverbial nail on the head whenit comes to dishing out moments of pathos anyway; there'slight-hearted, whimsy comedy here; genuine, well-developedcharacterisation; and romance with drama that feels slightlyromanticised but not at the extent of its characters and themes.Indeed, it's not hard to imagine audiences being more than slightlymoved by Adam and Beth's somewhat troubled circumstances and this ismuch to the film's credit in that it plays as a character-piece butfeels like a traditional romantic drama without sacrificing theformer's traits.
Of course with a feature such as this, it would be easy to pile on thesentiment too heavily resulting in a mawkish and tawdryhandkerchief-fest steeped in melodrama but thankfully this is not thecase. Instead, Adam is cemented in place with an extremely engagingperformance by leading man Hugh Dancy offset with a warm, feminineportrayal by Byrne. The chemistry between the two is as palpable asdirector Mayer obviously intended, which is kind of refrained inbetween the back-and-forth nature of Adam and Beth's perceptions ofeach other. So while not falling for the traditional, formaliactechniques of your average romance, Meyer nevertheless crafts somethinggenuine and real for his characters. At times their romance is sweetand whimsical, at others frantic and awkward—such is one of Adam'sbiggest strengths. This of course will disgruntle some audiences uponwhich the story's conclusion should bear no redeeming fruit, but forthose looking for something a little different there neverthelessremains a certain bittersweet sense of integrity about the story thatremains consistent right through to the end. It's by no means a perfecttale, no, but for what it's worth, there's undoubtedly a whole lot ofinteresting qualities to Adam's plight here that take on a life oftheir own in the truest sense of the phrase.
Heart-warming with a dry sense of humour always steeped in refrainedmelancholy, Adam is an impressive and oft moving tale brought to lifewith memorable performances and a bittersweet account of love and itsentwined complexities.
- A review by Jamie Robert Ward (http://www.invocus.net)
August 18th, 2009
Right from the get-go, I knew that Adam was going to be an enjoyable,smartly told tale of love despite humanity's predilection forpreconceptions. Just the fact that the film was about a young man withAsperger Syndrome who meets a young girl across the hall of hisapartment complex tells you that this won't be your run-of-the-millrom-com. You have to believe that filmmaker Max Mayer will treat thematerial with compassion and intelligence; this is not a laugh-out-loudvehicle to use a serious disorder as fodder for chuckles. Anytrepidation I may have had was gone after about five minutes, just theamount of time it took to introduce me to our titular character, a spanthat teaches us so much. A 29-year-old man who has lived with hisfather in NYC his entire life has just lost the one person whounderstood him and helped him survive. The vacant stare and inabilityto show emotion at the funeral is interspersed with the methodicalroutines of his day. We see the chore sheet for which he must cross offhis late duty partner, we see the carefully hung clothing, the boxes ofcereal and macaroni and cheese, and we slowly watch it all dwindle awayas life alone is just too much to handle so soon. I knew then that therest of the way would never speak down to me or turn the drama intofarce.
One always worries about an actor taking on the task of a mentallydisabled role. Sometimes it works, (Rain Man), and sometimes it failsmiserably, (I Am Sam) … maybe Kirk Lazarus was right, "you never gofull retard". But I digress, Hugh Dancy is one of the brightest actorsworking today, in my opinion, and he knocks this one out of the park.There are moments that linger on his face as his brain works throughwhat has just happened, slowly coming to the realization of what it allmeans. The expressions are pitch perfect and his portrayal neverappears as caricature. With sharp transitions to voracious anger frommeek sweetness, the turbulence caught inside of him shows through inthose moments that he cannot control himself. As Dancy's Adam states,in a somewhat clunky explanation of the disorder, his condition makesit difficult for him to lie. That mechanism we all possess—and love—totell the odd white lie and appease those in our company rather thanrile them up is absent from him. He speaks the truth, and in return,expects the truth back. Understanding this concept can be tough as alie is a lie; even if the intentions were pure, the difference can't beseen.
His explosions never escalate to violence towards anyone but himself,although the scene can be scary. More a tantrum than anything else, theemotions inside him are released without control. Words are spoken in avery pragmatic and objective way, something that could bemisunderstood, or not, they are his true feelings at the moment afterall. **spoilers begin** Because of this, I saw the ending as profounddue to the duality in Adam's response to Beth's question on why hewanted her to go with him to California. It starts out as though hewill win her heart—by a truth so sweet and romantic—with the words thattitle this review, but then it all goes sour. His brain sees thequestion as one that has a correct answer, and that answer is that heneeds her to survive. He needs a normal person to help him in the dayto day routine, to be his sort of translator to the world. The hardpart to witnessing his response is the not knowing what he means by it.Is a person with Aspergers unable to love? Is love to them safety andcompanionship? Or was his answer his brain's way of saying that shecompletes him? That she is his world? Love is such an abstract conceptthat whether he feels it or not, he could never truly express it inwords. And that is the true tragedy of life. **spoilers end** Much likeanother slightly off-kilter romantic comedy this summer, (500) Days ofSummer, the ending may be a happy one, just not quite the anticipated"happily ever after" Hollywood has ingrained in our heads. Adam takesall the conventions of the genre and utilizes them to fit the story,not the other way around. The film takes what it needs to be palatableto a broad audience, but never forgets the agenda at its core. For allthe quirks and idiosyncrasies involved, they aren't there to be "fresh"or "cool," they are present because the lead character has them. Morethan a romance, Adam is about a broken man finding his way in life. Alifetime co-dependent realizing that there is a world out there he canbecome a part of if he has the strength to work at it and try. Beth isthe catalyst for his awakening, and he hers too. She finds out thatthere are people out there who are innocent and sweet; that humanityisn't complete rubbish. Sometimes we meet the person for which we willspend the rest of our lives with in bliss, and other times, first, wemust meet someone to remind us that the happily ever after is stillpossible.