Mozart and the Whale (2005) Reviews

• Mozart and the Whale is Excellent

  ellyt2006-12-17

  We waited in anticipation for the release of Mozart and the Whale for 2 years. We kept writing the company and asking when it would be released. We met Jerry Newport at ASA 2 years ago (my son, Josh, aged 11 has Asperger's Syndrome) and wanted so much to see the story of him and Mary. As an aside, I wish you could have heard the conversation between Jerry and Michael John Carley on the various Beethoven movements...it was the most amazing impromptu music theory talk I have ever heard. At any rate, Mozart and the Whale was in limited release and so we waited for the DVD to be out. Finally it is!! And we watched it last night. We were not disappointed. It was wonderful. There was so much truth in it. We saw the range of autism in the group that Donald formed. Then there was the quirkiness of the various people. But it showed the love and caring that can form among any person, no matter what the diagnosis. We loved Izzy's laugh...that HA! We know kids with Asperger's who can't modulate their sounds and sound way loud in their approach to life. I also loved the sequences about his living style. This is so much like my son....the stacks of stuff...the collections....the freaking out when his stuff is moved around....this is all real folks. And it is portrayed with a sensitivity and humor that can't help but to make you smile and/or laugh....not at Donald and Izzy, but with the cherishing of the moments that parents feel when they experience the familiarity of the moments. But to me, the big question was what would Josh (my son) think of how Asperger's was depicted. Now, remember, he met Jerry and really thinks he is COOL. Josh said "see mom, that means that I can meet someone and get married too, so don't worry anymore". This movie gives me hope that a life of independence and companionship is possible for Josh. Yes, we adore Jerry Newport. He knows a lot...he shares some of it with us in this film. Do yourself a favor...get this DVD and let's hope that Sundance will show the world that Mozart and the Whale is a film that needs to be shown.

• Very good job on capturing spirit of inspiring real aspies....

  wholphin482005-12-30

  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

• A great movie on Asperger Syndrome

  inge_mill2006-09-11

  This movie is one of my favorite movies. Why? I simply love the theme of this story. I know what Asperger is like, and this story came so very close to the truth. The situations are very realistic. Also, the responds from the characters are also very realistic. I'm sure everyone recognizes a little of themselves in at least one of the characters. Even though these characteristics may not be as strong, they are still there. Everyone is a little autistic you know. Some just have it a little more than others. The acting is very good, and even though I'm not a really big fan of Josh Hartnett (blame Pearl Harbor), I found myself really liking him in this movie. Radha Mitchell is simply magnificent. I recommend this movie to everyone!

• Its all about A-S-P-E-R-G-E-R-S

  somethingtotallyoriginal2005-12-27

  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!

• Disappointed nearly to the point of anger

  derrick_jeffries2006-12-26

  Being a person diagnosed with Asperger's Sydrome, the father of a child with moderate Autism, and the brother of a sister with severe Autism, I am very disappointed with this movie. The part of Donald Morton was't too bad, as his overall presentation, facial expressions, eye contact, high anxiety, etc, seemed close to realistic. Isabelle was just not real to me. The look in her eyes was that of a neuro-typical person with a wide range of emotions revealed in them. She had some scenes wherein she behaved similar to someone with Asperger's or Autism, but without her overall behavior being accurate it was a let down. She is a good actress, but she needed to do more homework for this role. The support group scenes were some of the most disappointing of the movie. There are many highly functional individuals who attend AS support groups in the real world, however, even the most functional do not exhibit the type of empathy that this group did. Trust me, real Aspies would have had little to no interest in the love life of these two group members. It is not believable to me that Donald could have formed this group. Perhaps the real Jerry Newport could have. Donald does not demonstrate enough leadership or functional independence, and his anxiety is debilitating. There are Aspies who have leadership qualities, but they are usually very rigid and opinionated thinkers, who also have a type of personality that other people with Asperger's Syndrome, who are less out spoken, gather around. That level of rigid/concrete thinking is just not depicted in this movie, nor is the reality of the tempers that often go along with it. I wish there was more focus on the useful and functional aspects of Asperger's Syndrome. Why didn't they show us more of what Donald did in his work? How were his mathematical abilities benefiting him in the real world? Isabelle was gifted in music and art. Reveal more of her passion for this. Let people see more of an inside view of Autism rather just playing around with the quirkiness in ways that were sometimes irreverent. I now fear that thousands, or perhaps millions more people know even less about Autism and Asperger's Syndrome than they did before! Yes, I have read the glowing reviews, and I am extremely disappointed in them. I have lived around Autism from every possible perspective that you can imagine. Trust me, what you will see in this movie is Hollywood and not the real world.