Mozart and the Whale

Filmmaker Petter Næss's Mozart and the Whale (written by Ron Bass, who won an Oscar for the somewhat similarly-themed Rain Man) revolves around a group of characters with Asperger's Syndrome (a form of autism), including Donald (Josh Hartnett), a numbers-obsessed and mostly unemployed cab driver who leads a support group for people with Asperger's (who have impaired social skills and say things like "I'm weird, but I'm not strange," "I irritate the shit out of everyone," and "We're pathetically clueless.”). After Isabelle (Radha Mitchell)—a hairdresser who's every bit as wild and outspoken as Donald is withdrawn and inarticulate—joins the group, the pair embark on a romance (for their first date, on Halloween, she dresses like Amadeus and he like a cetacean, hence the film's title) that is predictably awkward and tumultuous, since he craves the kind of normalcy that she abhors. Mitchell is mostly affecting, while Hartnett is considerably more affected (although the actor certainly deserves props for the stretch). Their performances notwithstanding, Mozart and the Whale still ultimately comes off like a TV Movie-of-the-Week that's not nearly as touching as it thinks it is. Optional. ( S. Graham)