Allen Evangelista, Christa Campbell, Erica Leerhsen

A young couple who have Asperger's syndrome, a kind of autism, fall in love, but their talents are offset by an inability to relate to one another, which threatens to undermine their relationship.

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78% liked it

8,105 ratings

PG-13, 1 hr. 32 min.

Directed by: Petter Naess

Release Date: October 21, 2005

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DVD Release Date: December 12, 2006

Stats: 854 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (854)


  • August 9, 2009
    Crazy and odd, but isn't all love that way. I thought this was beautiful and well done.
  • July 14, 2008
    "Turns out you can't control people. Or even predict them. Numbers are different. As I used to say, you can count on them."

    Mozart and the Whale is a film about two people with Asperger's Syndrome (a form of high-functioning autism) and how their disorder impacts ...( read more)their relationship. Josh Hartnett plays Donald, an eccentric, but talented math genius who organizes a support group for other autistic people. Australian actress Radha Mitchell plays Isabelle, a musically-inclined young woman who joins Donald's group and eventually becomes his love interest. It is interesting to watch two adults with Asperger's Syndrome falling in love (although in real life, we shouldn't always count on it: men with Asperger's outnumber their female counterparts by about 3 to 1).

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    A little background information is useful. Asperger's Syndrome is a mental disorder, primarily characterized by deficiencies in social and communication skills, rather than intellectual ones. People with Asperger's commonly possess above-average IQs and unique talents in narrow fields like math or music, but frequently have difficulty making friends, building relationships, and communicating with people in general. They often take things too literally and have difficulty reading body language and voice tones, resulting in miscommunication. In short, they often seem to behave strangely.

    Fortunately, "normal" behaviours can be learnt. Many people with Asperger's see assimilation as the best way to be accepted by society (and to get ahead in life). After all, they possess the same aspirations as ordinary people: they want to do well in school, get good jobs, marry well, and enjoy meaningful relationships. And while many people with Asperger's require behavioural therapy and special training to assimilate into normal society, the potential rewards for assimilation are huge: they can contribute to society in extraordinary ways. For example, economist Vernon Smith (who won a Nobel Prize) and game designer Satoshi Tajiri (the creator of Pokémon) were once diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome. To be sure, suffering from Asperger's is not as huge a disability as say, being blind or deaf.

    Although both Donald and Isabelle suffer from the same, Isabelle is nevertheless extroverted, brash, and outspoken; Donald is shy and self-conscious. Moreover, both characters, by virtue of their autism, communicate frankly despite their different personalities. In one poignant scene, when Donald takes Isabelle to his apartment room, she declares excitedly: "This is about sex, isn't it?" To which Donald shyly replies: "Well, I haven't had any in a long time."

    Yes, the words that Hollywood inserts into the mouths of autistic characters.
    The film's portrayal of autistic people is comic, but sympathetic. When Isabelle hears her parents praising an athlete who "broke a record," she decides to impress them by taking the family's vinyl records and snapping them into two: she wants to break some records of her own - an act that gets her cruelly ostracised by her friends. People with Asperger's tend to take things literally, and the film exploits this for comic effect. At the same time, the film is careful to portray a diverse range of autistic people, which is pretty nuanced by Hollywood standards. There are many minor characters, including a budding writer who has trouble controlling his tone of voice (played by the very underrated John Carroll Lynch) and an autistic woman who is incapable of not smiling.

    The film's title is also fitting. For a Halloween party, Isabelle dresses up as the composer Mozart, while Donald dresses up as a whale: their eccentricity is acceptable on the single holiday that the rest of humanity sets aside precisely for such weird behaviour. To be sure, Mozart and the Whale does suffer some weaknesses, most notably its saccharine soundtrack (apart from Blonodfire's "L-L-Love") and the fact that the film's plot is less interesting than its characters: the love story has its occasional moments of banality and predictability. And despite his commendable performance, Josh Hartnett's scope for creative action seems limited by the introverted, shy nature of his character Donald. Mitchell, on the other hand, is a joy to watch. But I'm a self-confessed fan of hers, so don't take my word for it.

    Mozart and the Whale is not a great comedy, but it is a good one, the sort of film that one might want to watch on a cold Sunday afternoon when one desires to waste time in a less-wasteful way. The film achieves its aim of raising awareness of an important mental disorder, although its inherent effectiveness as a comedy is somewhat average. Now I really need to put my hands on Petter Nćss' Elling (I should have started there but no one's perfect).
  • March 31, 2008
    An uneven, honourably intended romantic comedy.
  • January 19, 2008
    A love story with a disability.

    Particularly great acting from Josh Hartnett in the role of an autist.

    The story in itself is definitely worth the watch.
  • December 6, 2007
    Initially I only rented this because Josh Hartnett was in it, but it really was all-around very good. I don't know how accurate a portrayal of Asperger's it was, but never mind. The two main characters might have been tragic by themselves, but them coming together defined the mov...( read more)ie and gave it lift. I liked the message most of all: it's okay to be crazy, but it's better to be crazy together. Reminded me of the Mad Pride movement. I liked this a lot more than I thought I would.
  • November 9, 2009
    There were a few parts that could be left out... but for the most part, this was quite a charming and sweet movie about two people with autism who fall in love with each other. At times, you forget that they have abnormalities because they seem just like regular people.
  • October 20, 2009
    awesome movie + incredible acting performances.
  • September 2, 2009
    "They don't fit in. Except together."
  • August 18, 2009
    Nice actings (maybe a unique experience for the actors!), but couldn't see the point of making a two-hours-long movie about crazy people falling in love!
    In one word: BORING!!!
  • August 17, 2009
    Great acting!!! Love the Hartnett!!

Comments


  • thereverendtholomewplague
    February 15, 2008
    Such a sweet film. I absolutely loved it!
  • lizzieclark777
    August 23, 2007
    I actually have Aspergers Syndrome and I really liked this film. I was so excited when I found out about it and was jumping up and down! (It was such a lovely suprise to find out that Josh Harnett was in it too! Haha) I really could relate to this film. It made me feel like I wasn't alone. I really would recommend this film to everyone- especially those with Aspergers Syndrome or High Functioning Autism (they are both very similar). This is one of my favourite movies!
  • bulletinabible86
    April 21, 2007
    It's one of my favorite movies. I don't know why, I just watched it and somehow related to it and liked it. =D
  • chuppacabra
    January 22, 2007
    .............talin about my fav hero ..josh he has done good job.....and he zz lokin cute as usual..so kip it up ..3 cheerzz for josh yeah!!!!

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