Review: Autism: The Musical

Mel gave me a new movie to review for my blog. As a person that loves a good movie I jumped on it. Now she warned me that it's a mix-mood film. Some parts will make you “frown face” others she said I would love. So I am prepared. Hopefully it would be inspiring and wonderful film.

Plot: The movie is centered around five children Lexi, Neal, Henry, Wyatt, and Adam. It's documentary on a drama and movement group for special needs kids and around Elaine who runs it.

Pros:
-Neal's mom kinda made me smile, she loved and accepted her little boy (who is non verbal) and tried another approach to helping her son communicate. The treatment she was using looked like the Son Rise style of social education which from my experience is less invasive than ABA she also used more creative methods which I liked.
-I am gonna to adopt Henry <3 He's friggin adorable. He's also an aspie autist. We can both geek out over dinosaurs and prehistoric creatures.
-Also Adam is also presh <3 (Flirt too, Go boy, git it git it!)
-I really feel for Wyatt, he does have the “aspie honesty” trait and tells it like it is. I was a lot like him, I withdrew a lot, but the line of “I don't even know why I go into my own world it doesn't even make sense.” Hit home for me. He's so lonely like I was so desperate for a friend. He likes Henry and gets frustrated with him. But you can see that he wants so bad to have someone to talk to...someone who can protect him from bullies
-Lexi reminds me of Tikaani a lot. She's semi-verbal but still very bright. Also a good singer. Those two can totally do a duet (if Tikaani can just stand still for a moment before he bolts off at something XD)
-Roslynn verbally smacking the second in command for the Miracle Project made me grin. She was so peeved to find her son's cello piece cut from the script. Her line “The cello is his voice” totally made me woot. I am artist, drawing is my voice if someone told me after months of working hard on a drawing that I couldn't put it up in gallery. I'll be pissy too. Go Ros go!
-The FC scene was also powerful. I wonder if Elaine would like to meet DJ Sevarese
-The play itself was bright and Adam got to play his cello!






Cons
-I just straight up disliked Lexi's mom on the first five minutes of the movie. Her dad Joe, I heart him. He's loving father.
-Vetrice is just...I hated when she said “Wow, if he wasn't autistic imagine the possiblities.” I mean c'mon woman. Kid is a doll, and verbal and smart and friggin savant he's gonna be a heart breaker when grows up.
Wyatt's line broke my heart “Mom! When bullies grow up they get meaner” I was at the point of tears, because it's true. They get meaner and they get away with it too. Like the AutSpks drones.
The over exaggeration of eye contacted bugged me for some reason
The birthday party pissed me off. I have no idea why Elaine thought it was a good idea to have a birthday party for her classically autistic son. And when Neal hurt that kid by throwing him it was away of saying “I am done” yeah it was a bad move but it was obvious that he was trying to communicate something. Jesus woman....
The parent room scene was interesting but at the same time I was rather pissed off at Hillary. Your kid is eight grade and learning to wash dishes because she needs to learn to take care of them at her how house when she lives independently. I didn't learn to properly wash dishes until I was around fifteen. Don't jump on teachers for teaching your kid life skills. That should be your job bitch, but you're too busy mourning the loss of the man you shoved away. Also I think you are projecting a lot. You can't even value Lexi.

Overall the kids themselves were pretty damn cute. Parents were ok, and yet...I was more resonating with the kids than the parents. Then again...I am an autist myself.

Tikaani says:
“This movie was interesting and adaptive and I felt that I could be in the play too, I hope someone ends up valuing me too.

I give it three and half flappy-hands. Decent watch if you can ignore the self-pity that some of the parents have.