Adam 2009

     Soon after moving in, Beth a brainy and beautiful writer damaged from a past relationship encounters Adam.  He is handsome but odd?  He is a man 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 but the resulting shake-up can be liberating.

     Despite the marketing campaign portraying this film as a comedy this is romance and drama film.  It is about an unusual but deeply compassionate relationship between a man with a high-functioning form of autism and his new neighbor.  There are frank discussions about sex, because the man's condition means he always says exactly what he thinks. This can be about sensitive matters.  Also, some characters are perplexed by Adam's autism and they are sometimes actually hostile.  3 1/2* (I liked this movie)

99 min, Directed and written by Max Mayer with Hugh Dancy, Rose Byrne, Peter Gallagher, Frankie Faison, Haviland Morris, Mike Hodge, John Rothman, Steffany Huckaby, Maddie Corman, Karina Arroyave, Amy Irving, Peter O’Hara.

Note:  Imdb 4.2* out of 10* with 34K ratings, Metacritic 56 out of 100 with 27 critic reviews 8 out of 10 with 59 user scores, Rotten Tomatoes 66% with 135 critic reviews 72% with 10,000+ audience scores, Roger Ebert 2 1/2*, The Guardian 2* out of 5* Cath Clarke, Common Sense Media S. Jhoanna Robledo, age 13+, 3* out of 5*, 1* drinking, drugs & smoking and violence, 3* positive messages, role models, sex.  Letterboxed 3.3* out of 5* with 26 reviews.

Special Note:  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?  Both leading actors use American accents.

Mistakes:  When Beth has her picture hanging up inside Adam's closet, he turns around to look at her and the clock next to Beth says 10:40.  Then Adam looks at the picture again in confusion and then looks at Beth again a few seconds later and the clock next to Beth then reads 10:39.  When Beth's father is talking to her on the couch one on one, he calls her "Bethany."  Later in the movie when Adam opens the package with the book she has written, her name is listed as Elizabeth?  In response to Beth's query about what "10 to the minus 39th power" means, Adam states that it is the number represented by a decimal point followed by 39 zeros followed by a "1".  Actually, it is the number represented by a decimal point followed by 38 zeros followed by a "1".