Mozart and the Whale (2005)

Director:

Petter Næss

Writer (WGA):

Ronald Bass (written by)

Release Date:

2 February 2006 (Thailand)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

They don't fit in. Except together.

Plot:

A love story between two savants with Asperger's syndrome, a kind of autism, whose conditions sabotage their budding relationship.

Plot Keywords:

Autism | Aspergers | Asperger's Syndrome | Taxi Driver | Sensory Overload

US TV Schedule:

Tue. Nov. 17	8:00 PM	SHOW
Sun. Nov. 22	6:25 AM	SHOW
Thur. Nov. 26	3:00 PM	SHOW

Cast

Josh Hartnett	...	Donald Morton
Radha Mitchell	...	Isabelle Sorenson
Gary Cole	...	Wallace
Sheila Kelley	...	Janice
Erica Leerhsen	...	Bronwin
John Carroll Lynch	...	Gregory
Nate Mooney	...	Roger
Rusty Schwimmer	...	Gracie
Robert Wisdom	...	Blume
Allen Evangelista	...	Skeets
Kelly B. Eviston	...	Dr. Trask (as Kelly Eviston)
Jhon Goodwin	...	Rodney
Christa Campbell	...	Therapist
Jeffrey Brandle	...	Ten-year-old Kid
Hollis Higgins	...	Homeless Man

Also Known As:

Crazy in Love (USA) (working title)
Mozart & the Whale (USA) (alternative spelling)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for sexual content, language and some thematic material.

Runtime:

Netherlands:92 min | Argentina:94 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Brazil:14 | Portugal:M/12 | Finland:K-11 | Australia:M | Argentina:13 | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Gonzaga University - 502 E. Boone Avenue, Spokane, Washington, USA

Company:

Big City Pictures

Trivia:

The project was originally planned for Steven Spielberg, but due to his workload it eventually landed in the hands of critically acclaimed Norwegian director Petter Næss. This became his first US production.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: In the first group scene, Donald talks about numbers as he stares at the microwave oven countdown. When the camera cuts away from the digital readout, the one/second beep of the microwave can still be heard but when the camera returns to the readout, fewer seconds elapse than beeps heard.

Quotes:

Donald Morton: Turns out you can't control people.
Donald Morton: Or even predict them.
Donald Morton: Numbers are different.
Donald Morton: As I used to say, you can count on them.

Movie Connections:

References "Animaniacs" (1993)

Soundtrack:

Hold Me Now

Inspirational

I have watched this movie 6 times now and I'm still drawn into it each time. The main characters, Donald and Isabelle are wonderful. Each is dealing with aspergers syndrome, but I didn't find myself focusing on that aspect of their lives. What I saw was two human beings, both of them making difficult, out of character adjustments to better love and understand the other. I've read some comments debating the authenticity of the characters and how they portray AS and autistic individuals, but the only comments that have mattered to me were those of Jerry Newport, whose story this movie was inspired by. He gives it his stamp of approval, so who is anyone to argue someone's personal story? I give this movie my highest recommendation.