Adam

Adam | |
| Director: | Max Mayer |
| Cast: | Hugh Dancy, Rose Byrne, Peter Gallagher |
| Release Date: | 2009 |
| Genre: | Drama, Romantic Comedy |
In the opening scenes of writer/director Max Mayer's drama about a man suffering from Asperger's Syndrome, Adam (Hugh Dancy) is at his father's funeral. While you never see his dad, you get the sense that Adam's going to be lost without him. After all, this is a guy who eats the same thing every day (bran for breakfast, mac 'n' cheese for dinner) and keeps his brownstone apartment in meticulous order. Asperger's is a mild form of autism that makes it difficult for Adam to communicate, even though he's physicist-smart. So when he meets his lovely brunette neighbor Beth (Rose Byrne), he has trouble telling her how much he likes her, though at one point he blurts out that he's sexually aroused. And yet, the two begin a relationship that goes along smoothly until, in predictable fashion, Adam has one of his fits, forcing Beth to break up with him. Of course, in the next scene, Adam overcomes his fears of the outside world and pursues Beth. He tries to convince her to help him with his new job at an observatory, which requires that he move to California. The movie's trajectory is more that of a made-for-TV special than a feature, and its subplot concerning Beth's fraudulent father (Peter Gallagher) is completely extraneous. While Dancy and Byrne have pretty decent chemistry, the whole thing is pretty schmaltzy.