Though “Adam” may be overshadowed by the more highly publicized “500 Days of Summer” and “Away We Go” this season, it is a romantic comedy that is worth seeking out. Writer Max Mayer succeeds at overcoming the pitfalls of the genre through a unique story about a man with Asperger syndrome who falls in love with an aspiring children’s book author.
As Adam, Hugh Dancy demonstrates his ability to move beyond the role of the charming, handsome gentleman by capturing the challenges of communication humorously and believably. For those who know very little about Asperger’s, as I did before seeing the film, his performance sheds light on the syndrome.
The disorder on the autism spectrum affects as many as three out of 1,000 people, according to a 2005 study in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. Those affected have difficulty understanding the nuances of nonverbal communication and tend to have repetitive patterns of behavior and interest, as demonstrated by Adam’s constant consumption of macaroni and cheese and his obsession with space.
Adam becomes enthralled with his new neighbor Beth (Rose Byrne), and charms her by creating a virtual solar system in his apartment and taking her to see a family of raccoons in Central Park. He attempts to clean her windows in a spacesuit after she uses a hyperbole that he doesn’t quite understand: “they’re so filthy with smoke I can’t see out of them!”
The relationship that develops between Adam and Beth is sweet yet realistic: she is slow to let him in and is often forced to take up the role of caretaker rather than girlfriend. The result, however, is a funny and unconventional narrative that breaks the mold of cookie cutter romantic comedies.