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Hugh Dancy, Rose Byrne, Peter Gallagher, Amy Irving, Frankie Faison ... see more see more... , Mark Linn-Baker

A romantic character study examining the obstacles to intimacy and the compromises we make in the name of love, Adam stars Hugh Dancy as a man living with Asperger's syndrome who does his best to reac... read more read more...h out to his pretty new upstairs neighbor. Due to his condition, Adam isn't the best when it comes to communicating. Though he frequently escapes by submersing himself in the world of space exploration, Adam senses an opportunity for a real human connection after Beth (Rose Byrne) moves into the apartment just upstairs. As Adam attempts to gain control of his off-kilter, sometimes embarrassing social skills, he discovers that with a little patience and understanding, developing a meaningful relationship might not be as hard as he previously thought. Peter Gallagher, Amy Irving, Frankie Faison, and Mark Linn-Baker co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Flixster Users

71% liked it

22,897 ratings

Critics

64% liked it

127 critics

PG-13, 1 hr. 35 min.

Directed by: Max Mayer

Release Date: July 29, 2009

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DVD Release Date: February 2, 2010

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Flixster Reviews (1,454)

  • itsjustme2004
    October 10, 2011
    itsjustme2004
    I think that I must be in love with Hugh Dancy. Anything I see him in I really like..and this movie I just loved. Very touching, romantic and sweet. I am glad that they didn't give us the typical love story ending. I actually really loved the way they approached the conclusion. S... read moreooooooooo nice
  • romy861
    January 7, 2011
    romy861
    I wanted to like this much more than I actually did. Interesting character in Adam, a young man who suffers from aspergers syndrome. Hugh Dancy is well cast and makes Adam sympathetic and vulnerable. Rose Byrne, also, nice in the role of Beth.
    For some reason though, the promisi... read moreng premise felt kind of flat, movie seemed much longer than it actually was , and I found myself getting bored with the whole thing. The film definitely has it's moments and is worth a watch, but personally I thought it could have been much more than what it actually was.
  • stevenecarrier
    November 23, 2010
    stevenecarrier
    "Adam", liked "Dedication", can support the criticism that love does not cure someones mental condition, but if you take that out of it, especially with a film like "Adam", you will find a lovely story about understanding, love and coming to terms with the life that has been give... read moren to you. Hugh Dancy plays a young man with high functioning Asperger's Syndrome whom begins a romantic relationship with a beautiful and compassionate neighbor, played by the beautiful and talented Rose Byrne. Dancy and Byrne are great, understated, and nuanced. Writer/Director Max Mayer keeps the films subjects light enough to enjoy but he does let the dark sneak in, adding just enough realism to ground his picture. "Adam" is a sensitive film full of many lovely moments and ends up being something rather unique.
  • puffchunk
    October 1, 2010
    puffchunk
    Another movie to fit in the 'normal hot girl falls in love with a mentally handicapped boy' category, along with Pumpkin, Dirty Filthy Love, and Lars and the Real Girl. This time its aspergers syndrome, wich is interesting to me since I know several people with this syndrome (in... read morecluding close family). They pretty much hit the nail on the head with this one. I think the message of the film is that people can be just as happy/unhappy with anyone for different reasons. I'm glad it didn't have a fairytale ending and what not. A great date movie.
  • xXGiNoBiLiPRXx
    July 13, 2010
    xXGiNoBiLiPRXx
    This movie was lovely to watch, it's not your typical story in a way but in a way it is. It's about not giving up and when a door closes a window opens. It's such a hard desicion to give up and continue with life but this movie really teach us that is possible and you can be happ... read morey following your dreams, and I'm happy it was realistic and didn't have the hapily ever after ending although it wasn't a bad one at all either. Great acting too from both Hugh Dancy and Rose Byrne. Go watch it, I recommended!!!

    Soon after moving in, Beth, a brainy, beautiful writer damaged from a past relationship encounters Adam, the handsome, but odd, fellow in the downstairs apartment whose awkwardness is perplexing. Beth and Adam's ultimate connection leads to a tricky relationship that exemplifies something universal: truly reaching another person means bravely stretching into uncomfortable territory and the resulting shake-up can be liberating.
  • lewiskendell
    May 28, 2010
    lewiskendell
    If there's one genre of movies that really, really, REALLY has to do something different to stand out in my eyes, it's these kind of relationship movies. If one of these movies is formulaic, it's a basic guarantee that I'm not going to be impressed. Sure, if the right combination... read more of stars is involved, I may be a bit more interested, but what really catches my attention are the occasional movies that put a different spin on the usual. Movies like The Graduate, (500) Days of Summer, High Fidelity, and Adam.

    Adam works so well because Hugh Dancy and Rose Byrne make their relationship seem semi-believable. It's not a stretch to accept that their interactions and the things that happen to them, somewhat represent how things could actually be. Adam (the movie) isn't trite, insipid, or overly-sentimental, it's just a honest look at what a relationship between a pretty cool chick and a "different", but still likeable, man might really be like.
  • blacksheepboy
    May 19, 2010
    blacksheepboy
    A bittersweet and unconventional love story that benefits mostly from Hugh Dancy's really good characterization of a handsome young man with Asperger's Syndrome.
  • TomBowler
    April 6, 2010
    TomBowler
    Heartfelt if a liittle muddled. Full review later.
  • LorenzoVonMatterhorn
    March 2, 2010
    LorenzoVonMatterhorn
    "A story about two strangers. One a little stranger than the other..."

    Adam, a lonely man with Asperger's Syndrome, develops a relationship with his upstairs neighbor, Beth.

    REVIEW

    The chances... read more of you seeing this movie on the big screen are close to zilch since it's had such a limited cinematic release, so be sure to catch it on television or DVD because it is a rom-com with a special edge. Although the couple are young Americans in New York City, it is the British Hugh Dancy who gives an excellent performance as the eponymous IT professional and amateur stargazer who suffers badly from Asperger's Syndrome, while it is the Australian actress Rose Byrne who is delightful as the young woman willing to make the effort to understand him. The treatment of Asperger's is handled sensitively, but not without humour, and the ending avoids the temptation to be trite. A real accomplishment then for the American Max Mayer who both wrote and directed and whose previous writing and directing has been almost entirely for the theatre.
  • neverteaseaweasel
    February 12, 2010
    neverteaseaweasel
    Overall, I really did like this movie a lot, but at times it really is awfully typical and cliched. Hugh Dancy does a marvelous job of portraying someone with Asperger's. I really liked the way it was portrayed as well. You cannot help but feel sorry for Adam, but at the same tim... read moree the film does not look down upon him. The rest of the characters are just as disconnected and lost as he is, and they're completely normal, functional people. The film has a nice little soundtrack, both with the score and the bona fide songs. Everything else has a really, really washed-out and sterile look to it. I imagine it must have been intentional, and it really is a nice touch.

    I really felt that the first half hour was the strongest in the film. Its not only charming and light, but also incredibly sad and emotional. The tragic part of this is that the rest of the film goes down hill then. While Adam is never downright unenjoyable to watch, there are quiet a few parts that drag. I think it would have been much better overall had it focused more on Adam and less on Beth and her family. Still, its a good movie. Its just that it could, and should, have been so much better.

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Critic Reviews

Roger Moore
August 26, 2009
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel

Adam is As Good as It Gets with a dash of Rain Man, movie comfort food, but still charms us through the familiar rhythms of its story. Full Review

Amy Biancolli
August 21, 2009
Amy Biancolli, Houston Chronicle

Sure, it's complicated, but isn't that always true of romance? And doesn't it blow the hinges off the universe -- every single time? Full Review

Tom Long
August 21, 2009
Tom Long, Detroit News

There's no getting around the character's plight as an eternal outsider or the natural sympathy it draws. But writer-director Mayer never loses control of this fact, offering a story that's both sweet... Full Review

Cary Darling
August 14, 2009
Cary Darling, Dallas Morning News

The two of them look terrific together, too -- enough so that you wish someone would cast them together in a much better movie.

Colin Covert
August 13, 2009
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune

Adam is a minor, tolerably enjoyable romance that doesn't add up to anything much. Full Review

Jennie Punter
August 7, 2009
Jennie Punter, Globe and Mail

Were it not for the fine engaging performances of both Dancy and Byrne, Adam would be sickly sweet. Full Review

Cliff Doerksen
August 7, 2009
Cliff Doerksen, Chicago Reader

Written and directed by Max Mayer, this anodyne romantic comedy is as predictable as the alphabet but should hold particular appeal to women whose maternal impulses inflect their mating instincts. Full Review

Bruce Demara
August 7, 2009
Bruce Demara, Toronto Star

The film rides on Dancy's wonderfully authentic performance. Full Review

Dan Kois
August 7, 2009
Dan Kois, Washington Post

At its best, Adam makes the viewer understand the frustration of living in a world in which everyone is a stranger.

Wesley Morris
August 6, 2009
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe

While it's probable that this movie will bring Asperger's to an audience that's never heard of or experienced it, it's also likely to bore them. Full Review

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