Special

Les Franken (Michael Rapaport) just wants to make a difference- an prospect that's elusive in his dead-end life. Working as meter reader, he is on the hook with his boss for being too nice and allowing manipulative people to not pay up, and he spends most of his time at home reading comic books and hanging out with his two best friends. On a whim, he decides to enroll in a drug study and allows a psychiatrist to test an antidepressant on him before putting it in for circulation.

Les takes his first pill, and chaos ensues. Convinced the medication has given him special powers, he begins hallucinating, and even 'reads' the psychiatrist's thoughts. Obviously excited at his new 'gifts' of telepathy, transportation, levitation, etc., he promptly tells his friends, who assume he's joking. The psychiatrist tells Les to dispose of the remaining pills, but Les hears him tell him telepathically to keep taking them and that some evil-doers might not want Les to have his special abilities so they have to cover it up.

Les now has a purpose, and he gets a suit for himself and begins his life of fighting crime by stopping a convenience store robbery by tacking the would-be (and armed) thief. As his desperate attempts to help neighbors (often putting innocent people through hell in the process) continue, it becomes more clear that he is, actually, in danger, though not in the way that he, in his delusional state, would expect.

"Special" begins as an offbeat, admittedly black comedy, but as Les become increasingly deranged the story takes a darker turn. Les wants to prove to himself and others that he can make a difference, but the unhealthy mixture of a bad psychological reaction, his hope to help people, and comic books make the situation a disaster for everyone involved.

The movie got confusing at times, but the main character was genuinely interesting. It was hard not to like him and his intentions, even when his paranoia became disturbing and violent. I've never seen Michael Rapaport in anything before this, but I think he did a decent job, balancing humor and delusion without going way over the top. It would have been nice to have seen the other characters developed a little more, but as a weird character study, it works.

It's good to see an original 'quirky' film. Lately, independent film-making has tried so hard to be original that it becomes dull. Troubled teens, dysfunctional families- you know the drill. It's difficult to place "Special." It's not dark enough to be compared to "The Living and the Dead," but it's not nearly as sweet as "Lars and the Real Girl" either. The story strains credibility, but if you think you might like a depressing, offbeat drama with a clever premise, you should maybe give this a shot. (Rated R)

Mozart and the Whale

In a fair amount of books and movies dealing with Autism and Asperger's, the related disorder, a scene is put where a person, generally a psychiatrist, explains the situation to another character. This is most likely not added to aid character or plot development. Probably this part is there to help people who are not 'in' the know about it, in other words, people who don't get what these conditions are so they'll understand the story better.

In "Mozart and the Whale," the main character, Donald (Josh Hartnett,) takes pauses in the beginning to talk about life with Asperger's. One might think these would be interesting, and a good departure from the 'shrink explains' cliche, but actually it becomes rather irksome. Judging from this movie, people on the autistic spectrum like nothing more than to sit around and discuss their conditions.

"Mozart and the Whale" is a romantic drama based on the memoir of the same title, which I've never read. The main characters, Donald and Isabella (Radha Mitchell,) have Asperger's Syndrome and meet during a support group meeting. The film chronicles how their relationship begins and the difficulties of trying to coexist in a romantic situation on the autism spectrum.

Well, I'm guessing some people might have no clue what Asperger's is. I suppose though, by telling you I will be making the same 'mistake' the film did and boring people who already understand it. I guess the difference was that Donald was discussing this with fellow aspergians that were already in a support group, and probably didn't need instruction. Then again, maybe you don't either. in that case, skip the following paragraph and cut to the chase.

Asperger's, in short, is a difference in the mind that cause difficulties relating to people, and in some cases, uncommon reactions to certain stimuli. It's related to a more commonly known condition, autism, but tends to be milder. People with Asperger's have problems with social skills, have certain interests they dwell on, and don't easily 'change gears.' Some of them are introverted, and others try to relate, but come off as sort of odd. Introversion, possibly, could be a reaction to being misunderstood. Generally they are gifted, and grow up to live more independently than people who are autistic.

In the beginning of "Mozart and the Whale," Donald meets Isabella, a new addition to the support group. Isabella is a bright, excitable, and socially challenged artist who immediately tells fellow group members about being raped as a teenager. Obviously she is angered when a severely autistic woman displays a grossly inappropriate reaction and begins laughing, although she doesn't understand the woman's problems, or her own flawed behavior. Infuriated, she is just stopped from leaving by Donald, who convinces her to keep going to meetings.

One of the group members has a nervous crush on Isabella, but she is more interested in Donald. Soon, she invites him to a costume party, which he doesn't arrive for. She comes and knocks on his door dressed as Mozart, and he joins her to walk with her, him in a whale costume (hence the title.) They spend time together, and even a near-breakdown from stimulus overload at the carnival doesn't ruin the night. Before departing, the have their first kiss.

After their bond deepens and they move in with each other, they start having problems in their relationship. Several times they leave each other, but get back together. However, problems arise when Isabella feels that Donald is unaccepting and is trying to 'normalize' them for the outside world, and she and Donald break up. The two of them feel lost without the other, and Isabella becomes suicidal, but they're afraid to get back together.

"Mozart and the Whale" is a decent movie, although at times it becomes irritating, especially at the beginning. When we are first introduced to the main characters, the director seems to be afraid we'll forget the condition of the group members, so we're constantly hit atop the head with 'autistic' symptoms. The characters mention their disorder just about every five minutes, and their 'interests,' such as mathematics or art, seem so hackneyed that it's difficult to relate to many of them.

On the plus side, the movie is made so that each person, in many ways, is vastly different from the others. Although they share Asperger's, their general personality and mannerisms are their own, though at times overdone. Actually, Donald and Isabella are not very alike, although they both lack proper social skills.

All in all, "Mozart and the Whale" seems like more of a tool to explain Asperger's than a proper story. I don't have the book to judge from, but the film is well-intentioned but plods heavily at times. It's definitely not the worst view of the Autistic spectrum, but it's far from the best (Rated PG-13.)

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Marley and Me

Warning: This review may contain spoilers. If you don't know how the movie or book ends, read at your own risk.

Based on the Bestselling memoir by John Grogan, "Marley and Me" is an emotional comedy drama that might have little to offer non-animal lovers. Despite deceptive trailers, it is not really a 'kid's' movie at all. This is a definite tearjerker, and will probably leave many adults in shambles by the end. Kids can watch it, it's just not a 'turn on the movie so mom can take a nap' kind of flick. It was mostly made for grownups, so if your five-year-old doesn't know the concept of death and starts asking "Where did Marley go?," don't blame me.

Celebrities Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston (of Rachel fame) play John and Jenny Grogan, respectively. As the story starts, they're a newly married couple living together. John is trying to get a job, and Jenny hopes to have children. After he gets into journalism, a friend recommends that he buy Jenny a pet dog, to ease her concern that that she is incapable of raising anything, including a plant.

So he drives Jenny to a dog breeder, without telling her firsthand his plan. There they are greeted by a litter of adorable Labrador Retriever puppies. She's delighted, and immediately sets out to pick one. One puppy stands out. It's on clearance, and is a great deal cheaper than the others. To save some money, the couple buys him. Yep, you guessed it. That's Marley. Shortly afterward, Jenny has to leave town so John looks after Marley, named by him from the famous musician.

From day one, Marley is a handful. The first night, he howls loudly from his bed in the garage until John lets him inside. While John goes to pick up Jenny, Marley tears apart the house. Despite his awful behavior, the two love him unconditionally and (dare I say it) spoil him rotten. Shortly afterward, Jenny gets pregnant but miscarries. To make his grieving wife feel better, John takes her on a trip to Scotland and leaves Marley in the care of an unsuspecting young woman. By the time they return, the practically hysterical dog sitter informs them that "That is not a dog. That is evil with a dog face."

Eventually, Jenny gets pregnant again and gives birth to a healthy baby boy. By their second living child, she starts to become overwhelmed by the pressure of caring for rwo small kids and a rambunctious dog. At that time, Jenny tells John to get rid of Marley, so he sends him to the friend's house until she calms down. The years go by, and Marley becomes less of a burden and more of a faithful (although perhaps not useful) member of the the household. As he stays by them and his muzzle grays, the viewer becomes aware that in movie dog years, he's getting old.

I'm a dog owner, and therefore that makes me me more fond of this film. People who don't like dogs are unlikely to find much in this two hour family saga. Don't get me wrong, the humans play an important role too, but most of the laughs (near the beginning) and tears (around the end) revolve around Marleys effect on the people around them. When the dog aspect comes to a halt, Alan Arkin provides comic relief as John's eccentric boss.

Okay- I cried- you might be a stone not to, but one aspect of "Marley and Me" irked me. Sure, a beloved old dog reaching the end of his life is many people's weak spot. The thing is, the director obviously knows that and plays it to the best of his abilities.The subject is enough to depress, but he seems to feel he needs to ham it up as much as possible. You can almost hear him in his studio, telling his crew to turn the melodramatic music up.

"You're not crying yet? How about I have the little boy play videos of young Marley while the dog breathes his last? Are you crying now? Huh? HUH?"

This would be unforgivable if the movie did not move audiences, but I'll admit that most of my family was practically in tears by the film's close. Although it feels like sort of a cheat, genuine emotion and decent acting went into this production, so I can only complain so much. I think it's great film for dog lovers and "chick flick" fans alike. Athough I doubt that 'chicks' will be the only ones moved by it (Rated PG.)

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