Many will label Adam a romantic comedy, but that moniker is incorrectly applied. While laughs are present, writer and director Max Mayer plays it (correctly) as a drama rather than a comedy. Truthfully, there’s nothing funny about a man struggling through life with a mental handicap, and unfortunately Mayer might be criticized for doing such a project. He has modest intentions of bringing attention to Asperger’s Syndrome and its effects. If modesty counted for everything, Adam would be a terrific film and a true award-winner. However, as Bryan Singer taught us in 2006, good intentions do not, alone, make a good film.
Hugh Dancy will come out of this film the big winner for elevating everything around him. Granted, the film already rested on his shoulders for obvious reasons and Dancy carries the burden admirably. Apparently he’s out to right the ship after starring in another stinker earlier this year and his versatility shines through wonderfully in Adam. Bear in mind, I’ve never encountered anyone with the disease so it’s hard to gauge if Dancy perfectly captures what it’s like to have Asperger’s; I’ve heard he doesn’t. What I can say is that Dancy’s performance is touching and really has one laughing at his good moments and empathizing with Adam’s troubles. His charm makes it difficult not to root for Adam.
He does get a helping hand from Mayer’s script which characterizes him very well. Adam is not a cardboard cut-out, he’s an actual person facing real dilemmas with real roadblocks in his way. The weight of the film rests on Dancy’s performance, so Mayer does provide a nice background and solid supports for Adam. Predominantly, astronomy is featured as Adam’s favorite hobby and does, in fact, play a role in the outcome. Perhaps Mayer uses it to tell us that Adam, like the stars he admires, is special – even with his dysfunction.
And that’s where it all ends for the symbolism and good writing for the film. The film is about Adam and it does indeed characterize him well but everything around him is a mess. The biggest offender is Rose Byrne who takes on Adam’s love interest Beth. While she wasn’t the worst thing in the horrid Knowing, she takes the cake here. Some defend her acting abilities and while somewhere there might be signs she can act, she’s 0-for-2 with me. She’s cute as a button but she has no charm or personality. She comes, in fact, from a family of terrible actors; Peter Gallagher stops in to play her father. While he’s good at playing the slimy businessman in it for his own intentions, he’s become a typecast of his own image. It’d be nice to see this actor do something different, but in Adam the moment he’s introduced you know where his character is headed. The rest of the supporters are serviceable but most are not worth writing home about. There will, however, be special mention for Frankie Fasion who delivers a nice turn as Harlan, a mentor and father-figure for Adam. He could have been a stereotype too, but he’s much, much more.
Mayer’s second fault is that he shows signs of being an amateur. He does some solid work in the sense that he brings attention to Asperger’s and manages to craft a believable character like Adam. His overall story and direction doesn’t stray from the normal romance film formula and regrettably, it edges towards the cheesy side of the road. Should the script be to blame? A little bit, as the dialogue could have used a little more tightening. However it is always the director’s show so maybe Mayer needs to take responsibility there first. Had there been another rewrite, Mayer and company might have had something truly special on their hands.
As it stands now, Max Mayer has a wonderful performance from Hugh Dancy and some nice blocks to build on. Adam has its good intentions and isn’t by any means a terrible film. The movie has a nice core whose warmth radiates out to its surrounding chambers. Too bad said chambers don’t help elevate the film, and without their help what should be a good film can’t rise above the level of a simply mediocre one. It’ll cater to its audience well enough, those who enjoy the big-budgeted Lifetime Films of The Week, but the rest of us will be left wondering why it’s so bland, even with a charming lead.
