Sincere, unsuccessful attempt to use the romantic comedy formula to make a film about a troubled love affair.
Comment
08/11/09
Adam (2009)
65
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:116
Fresh:75
Rotten:41
Average Rating:6/10
Consensus: Hugh Dancy's elegant performance as a man with Asperger's Syndrome elevates Adam, an offbeat but touching romantic comedy.
Rated: 12A [See Full Rating]
Genre: Dramas
Theatrical Release:07-08-2009
Synopsis: Romance can be risky, perplexing and filled with the perils of miscommunication -- and that's if you aren't ADAM, for whom life itself is this way. In this heartfelt romantic comedy, Hugh Dancy... [More]
Starring: Hugh Dancy, Rose Byrne, Frankie Faison, Mark Linn-Baker
Director: Max Mayer
Reviews for Adam
It comes across simply as a bit of bland do-gooding.
08/11/09
A romantic comedy so dull, so humdrum, they should give out free espressos at screenings.
08/11/09
A very superficial look at what it may be like trying to romance someone on the autistic scale.
08/07/09
Top CriticIt feels dishonest, which is a problem for a film so interested in truthfulness – especially one trying to reconcile that interest with the demands of a Hollywood romcom.
08/07/09
Top CriticA charming, quietly satisfying work, Adam is a commendable film. Sensitively written and directed by Mayer, it's given shape and dimensionality by Dancy, who delivers a tremendous performance that lends the film genuine humanity.
08/07/09
Top CriticIt’s blandly inoffensive but also rather disingenuous, sidestepping the realities of Adam’s condition by investing him with a convenient idiot savant gift for astrophysics and the eyes of a puppy.
08/07/09
Top CriticDespite obvious good intentions, this feels dishonest, and I suspect not very true to life. Worst of all, it risks trivialising mental illness into lovable quirks.
08/07/09
Top CriticDancy’s Adam is so soulful, droopy and sad-eyed you suspect a misdiagnosis, while Byrne’s alarming levels of undernourished passive aggression pass weirdly without comment.
08/07/09
Top CriticAdam is a quiet, contemplative film with a quirky heart and soul - it's just a shame that it's trapped in such a familiar framework.
08/07/09
Adam provides a welcome explanation of why some folk seem queerer than others.
08/07/09
Cookie-cutter characterisations, homily-heavy script and over-reliance on maudlin musical prompts are all too chocky-box icky in their own right.
08/07/09
It’s a striking portrait of life with Asperger’s. A sweet, slightly weird love story, for the most part it’s well-written, funny and touching.
08/07/09
Writer-director Max Mayer's film has good intentions, but a weak narrative. This grinds to a halt far too often to make way for maudlin, soft-rock interludes.
08/07/09
This sweet-natured love story is merely all right.
08/07/09
Top CriticEveryone dallies and dithers and radiates well-meaningly. This is mental illness served up for romcom pathos and sentimentality.
08/07/09
Some viewers may find it all unbearably sentimental but the film deserves praise for an unexpected ending that doesn’t launch an all-out assault on the tear ducts.
08/07/09
A film with so many designs on your affections could never be found surprising, but believe me, it won’t stop it from trying and it won’t stop you from feeling guilty the moment you realise it isn’t working.
08/07/09
Adam remains watchable thanks to credible performances from its two leads, but it fails to satisfy on an emotional level and could have been a lot better.
08/07/09
There's no question this is a well-meaning film which, on the surface, sounds pretty original. But sadly it's as bland as hell, with nothing you wouldn't find in any run-of-the-mill romance.
08/07/09
Latest News for Adam
August 06, 2009:
Hugh Dancy Talks Adam - RT Interview
Confessions of a Shopaholic, Shooting Dogs, Ella Enchanted... If Hugh Dancy was in danger of being cast as the posh English heartthrob, his latest role has put paid to that. In... More...
July 30, 2009:
Critics Consensus: Funny People Is Ambitious But Uneven
This week at the movies, we've got the tears of a clown (Funny People, starring Adam Sandler and Seth Rogen), extra-terrestrial visitors upstairs (Aliens in the Attic, starring... More...
May 03, 2009:
Trailer & Poster review 
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