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List Price: $14.94 | | Label: Sony Pictures
Salesrank: 12156
Released: December 12, 2006 |
| Our Price: $5.95 |
| Used Price: $2.98 |
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MPAA Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
Starring Josh Hartnett and Radha Mitchell (Silent Hill, Pitch Black), Mozart and the Whale is a heartwarming, romantic drama inspired by the true story of two people with Asperger's Syndrome, a form of autism, whose emotional dysfunctions threaten to sabotage their budding romance. Donald (Hartnett) is a good-natured but hapless taxi driver with a love of birds and a superhuman knack for numbers. Like many AS sufferers, he likes patterns and routines. But when the beautiful but complicated Isabelle (Mitchell) joins the autism support group he leads, his life-- and his heart -- are turned upside down.
Stills from Mozart and the Whale (click for larger image)
Description of Mozart & The Whale (Widescreen):
This quirky, low-key romantic drama delves into the lives of a group of misfits intent of fitting into a world that views them as strange, demented, and (at times) retarded. A fictionalized account of a real-life couple with Asperger's Syndrome--a disorder characterized by repetitive behavior patterns and impairments in social situations--Mozart & the Whale follows the lives of shy Donald (Josh Harnett) and outgoing Isabelle (Radha Mitchell). Donald is a mathematical genius who takes things literally. Isabelle is a stunning beauty whose inability to take minor suggestions causes her to run from one relationship after another. When the two begin dating, she is the aggressor, even cleaning his pig sty of an apartment. "You can't disappoint me," she tells Donald. "Because whatever you are is exactly what I want." The movie has some sweet moments, but doesn't spend enough time delving into the challenges of being part of an Asperger's couple. The problems that they have in their relationship (insecurity, commitment and communication problems) really aren't that different from that of your "normal" couple. Hartnett and Mitchell give convincing portrayals of a complicated pair, but the film's lukewarm storyline ultimately isn't as compelling as the stars' acting abilities. --Jae-Ha Kim
Mozart & The Whale (Widescreen) Reviews:
I heart this! 
2009-09-13 - Amazing movie! It hits home! I wish I knew someone this willing to make things stick like Radha's character!
A small jewel of a film 
2009-08-23 - "Mozart and the Whale" stars Radha Mitchell (Feast of Love) and Josh Hartnett (Wicker Park). This engaging, romantic film is about two eccentric people, and was written by Ron Bass, who also wrote the screenplay for Rain Man.
I'm fast becoming a big fan of Radha Mitchell. Her amazing range is revealed by the various roles she has portrayed in recent films from "Melinda Melinda" to "Feast of Love". She has a real vibrancy about her that comes through on screen.
It seems this wonderful movie slipped past my noticed when it first came out in 2005, but I'm very glad that I finally discovered it in 2009.
I love this film!
2009-07-27 - I am so glad I watched this one it would be a travesty for anyone to skip over it. Not only will it entertain you, it will educate you and it will touch you. The acting was fantastic! If you loved The Rainman staring Dustin Hoffman you would enjoy this film as well. I was not aware of Asperger's Syndrome and it was quite curious watching such behavior. Though we have already been exposed to such characters like "Monk" with his OCD. These two though were quirky and funny. Next thing to notice is love in it's purest form. I am intrigued to see that love can make any "handicap" disappear even for just a few seconds, and these people suddenly are no different than you and I. Their emotions are even more burdened with the disorders they face but in spite of such difficulty they connect and probably even in a deeper level than a normal person without any disorder. This movie makes normal people boring! A very intelligent movie and wonderful to watch.
A love story of hope for the messed up dorks of the world
2009-01-06 - About autistic people and their problems, this movies doesn't pull any punches.
The psychiatrist gets it all wrong too!
A cabalistic autistic meets his mate in a beautiful girl who paints and
talks to animals.
No road is smooth for people like them.
An appetizer of something serious
2009-01-04 - I've always hoped to see a drama about AS or Autism which will talk about the struggles the individual and the family face both alone and together. Romantic stoies maybe more appealing to general viewers, but it would be so much more real if both charactors shared more of their histories and HOW they feel and deal about their past and present issues in the film. We know they both have Aspergers, but they are people first and it is important to bring this point close to the viewer's hearts dispite how different they may seem.
This film is something light for the public to begin with ~ in that sense it is a good movie.
