I Wish More People Talked About This 2009 Rom Com And How It Depicts Asperger's Syndrome

Outside of this website, I'm a teacher, and one thing that I love about April is that it's Autism Awareness/Acceptance Month.

Because much like I do for Hispanic/Black/Women History Months, where I celebrate and discuss accomplishments from each group of people, I also sometimes devote whole lessons to talking about people on the spectrum, as well as the great contributions they’ve made to society.

That's the classroom. On the internet, I talk about movies. And, one movie that I think needs WAY more attention is the 2009 romantic comedy, Adam, which is about a man with Asperger's Syndrome who falls in love with an allistic woman in his apartment complex. It's a cute flick, and I want to talk about it.

As Far As Romantic Comedies Go, It's A Sweet One

We love romantic comedies here, and mostly because we love to root for unlikely pairings. Not too long ago, I wrote about one such couple in the movie Enough Said, which sees James Gandolfini romancing Julia-Louis Dreyfus. What's great about that movie is that their relationship shouldn't work on paper (and for a time, it doesn’t), but we hope that it does because they’re cute together…even if one of them doesn't initially see it.

And, we have a similar trajectory in the movie, Adam. Starring Hugh Dancy as the titular character, and Rose Byrne as his love interest, Beth, we again have two characters who one might not suspect would work, but do…sort of. You see, Adam has Asperger’s Syndrome, so social interactions are a bit difficult for him. He also has a hard time understanding why you typically wouldn’t ask somebody if they were excited “sexually” on a first date with them.

That’s why this movie works, because their romance flourishes…until it doesn’t, but I’ll get to that later.

The Movie Handles Autism With Sensitivity

A good friend of mine keeps telling me that I need to watch the beloved Netflix show, Love on the Spectrum, and I’m sure I do. I’ve heard nothing but good things about it. My friend tells me that what she really loves about it is how it shows an honest portrayal of people on the spectrum, which I feel is very important when it comes to representation.

Well, Hugh Dancy himself is not autistic, but I still feel the movie handles autism with sensitivity, which I appreciate. The humor that comes across here isn’t mean-spirited or at Adam’s expense.

Instead, it’s the situations that are humorous (and charming), like when Adam gets in a space suit and washes Beth’s windows at night, or when his deceased father’s friend, Harlan (Frankie Faison), has lunch with him, and struggles to have a conversation. It feels genuine, and…I guess fair. For the most part…

It Also Shows How The World Might Look At Somebody On The Spectrum

As I alluded to earlier, the movie swerves in a way that you might not expect. Now, I won’t spoil how it concludes exactly, but I think the movie also shows how loving somebody on the spectrum might be harder than one might suspect, and how not everybody will be okay with the relationship, mostly because they just don’t understand it.

This is why I feel diversity and representation are so important in entertainment, such as with Tal Anderson’s Becca character on The Pitt. Adam does a good job of showing what a relationship between a neurodivergent person and somebody who isn’t neurodivergent might look like.

This is why I think you should give it a watch if you haven’t seen it already. Happy Autism Acceptance Month.