Adam Review

The local art cinema had a couple of interesting movies to watch, and we decided on Adam, a quiet little romantic (almost) comedy in which Asperger's Syndrome features prominently.

Adam (Hugh Dancy) is a 29-year-old engineer, and he's first seen at a funeral burying his father, with whom he had been living. Adam has Asperger's Syndrome and this makes it hard for him to have normal conversations. However, he is very smart and works for a toy company on talking dolls. Into Adam's apartment building moves Beth (Rose Byrne), who is teaching elementary school while she works on a children's book. Beth is just getting over a bad relationship and has a little curiosity and a heart full of empathy about her smart but peculiar neighbor. Ever so slowly, Adam and Rose grow closer, but it's not without setbacks. Then Adam loses his job and he's forced out into the world to do job interviews and (gasp!) may even have to move.

Can Adam cope with change? Can perfectly normal Beth cope with the behavioral problems of Asperger's Syndrome, even if Adam is otherwise kind, gentle and very smart? Does this relationship have a future?

Adam is mostly a drama, although there are a few moments of humor. Asperger's Syndrome is explained in the film and Hugh Dancy does a marvelous job of inhabiting the character of Adam, so much so that it will be hard for me to think of him as anything else. (Dancy is British but completely nails an American accent in Adam, even if it never sounds like a New York City accent.) Rose Byrne is believable and sympathetic as Beth, who sees the gentle and smart person behind Adam's standoffish personality. The two of them definitely have chemistry and they look perfectly comfortable together on screen.

For a romantic (almost) comedy, Adam has an unusual ending. I can't say any more without spoiling things, but it has a good ending... a hopeful and believable ending. It is not the ending that you will expect, however.

I liked Adam. It's not a great movie and it's not as good a romantic comedy as, say, Notting Hill or Groundhog Day. The performances in Adam are uniformly good, particularly from experienced hands like Peter Gallagher and Amy Irving. (Playing Adam's boss is Mark Linn-Baker, who was Cousin Larry on the TV show Perfect Strangers.)

Adam has some adult situations and a flash of profanity, but there's no nudity or violence. Rated PG-13, it's fine for kids 13 and older, and teen girls will probably enjoy this quirky and thoughtful romance. It may also help them rethink their ideas about the class geek, as Adam practically has "GEEK" tatooed to his forehead.

I enjoyed Adam but it's not a great movie. I'll say it's worth 3.5 stars but 4 is too many. Three stars it is, and I do recommend Adam.