AdamMovie Reviews

Poster art for "Adam."

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So-so
Avg. Critic Score: 56 out of 100 Mixed or average reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
13 OK for kids 13+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 80
    Los Angeles Times | Kevin Thomas

    Subtlety and nuance mark both the film's dialogue and performances. It's hard to see how Dancy and Byrne could be any better. Read full review

  • 75
    San Francisco Chronicle |

    It's the speed of love, not the speed of light, that occupies Adam, a small, sweet movie about one man's widening cosmos. Read full review

  • 70
    Washington Post |

    At its best, Adam makes the viewer understand the frustration of living in a world in which everyone is a stranger -- not least by making us work as hard to understand its hero's feelings as Adam himself must work to understand Beth's. Read full review

  • 70
    The Hollywood Reporter | Kirk Honeycutt

    A sensitive but not sentimental story about a romance involving a mentally challenged young man never makes a misstep. Read full review

  • 70
    Variety | Justin Chang

    Emotionally potent performances, gently offbeat humor and writer-helmer Max Mayer's assured touch guide this tender New York love story to a quietly hopeful conclusion. Read full review

  • 70
    The New York Times | Jeannette Catsoulis

    The humor is delicate, and the performances sweet and sure; the script (by the director, Max Mayer) is not entirely predictable, and the Manhattan locations (lovingly photographed by Seamus Tierney) have a starry-eyed glaze. Read full review

  • 67
    Entertainment Weekly | Owen Gleiberman

    It's hard to buy this relationship even for a moment. Adam is sweet, meticulous, and, at times, sort of clever, but it's also a not-quite-surprising-enough heartwarming trifle. Read full review

  • 63
    USA Today | Claudia Puig

    Adam is a cut above most romances and boasts a intriguing conclusion. One comes away with a sense of hope, leavened by realism. Read full review

  • 63
    Chicago Sun-Times | Roger Ebert

    Adam wraps up their story in too tidy a package, insisting on finding the upbeat in the murky, and missing the chance to be more thoughtful about this challenging situation. Read full review

  • 60
    Wall Street Journal | Joe Morgenstern

    Adam succeeds at getting inside its hero's mind and, more impressively still, gives us entre to his singular soul. Read full review

View more reviews for Adam on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says OK for kids 13+ Surprisingly fresh romance upends your assumptions.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that, despite the marketing campaign, this romantic film about the unusual but deeply compassionate relationship between a man with a high-functioning form of autism and his new neighbor is more dramatic than comedic. There are frank discussions about sex, since the man's condition means that he always says exactly what he thinks, even about sensitive matters. Also, some characters are perplexed by Adam's autism and sometimes downright hostile.
  • Families can talk about the difficulties inherent in Adam and Beth's relationship. Are they any worse than challenges that other couples face, or just different? Why are they drawn to each other?
  • How does the movie approach sex? Do Adam and Beth communicate well?
  • How have other movies and TV shows depicted characters suffering from autism and other similar conditions? How does Hugh Dancy's interpretation compare?
The good stuff
  • message true3 Positive messages: A young man with Asperger's syndrome (a form of autism) attempts to forge a connection with his neighbor, whose big heart allows her to see beyond his limitations. But the rest of the world isn't as embracing, and some scenes depict others being hostile to him. Still, the woman who loves him does so wholeheartedly, with little judgment.
  • rolemodels true3 Positive role models: Two very different people take great pains to understand each other and wind up learning more about themselves -- and love in general. It's a touching pairing, especially since it's juxtaposed against what appears to be a solid marriage wounded by deceit and betrayal.
What to watch for
  • violence false1 Violence: A young man explodes in frustration; he screams and throws objects around, and the woman with him is afraid. But the tantrum doesn't appear directed toward her. Instead, it's fairly clear that it's because he can't control his overwhelming emotions. Another screaming match ensues later between father and daughter.
  • sex false3 Sex: Fairly frank discussion about sex and arousal. A couple has sex for the first time -- though there's no outright nudity, there's some kissing and tumbling in bed. She also places his hand in her bra. Later, a married man admits to having an affair.
  • language false3 Language: Expletives are used pretty sparingly, but include words like "bulls--t," "f--k," "dick," "damn," "hell," and "oh God."
  • consumerism false0 Consumerism: Not an issue
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false1 Drinking, drugs and smoking: Social drinking at parties, etc.
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

Looking for more reviews? Movies.com Critics Say:

Dave White

2.0

Dave White Profile See Dave White's Profile

Aspergers = Academy Award, please. Read full review See Dave White's on MOVIENAME on Movies.com

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