At first I thought they were cheating by portraying Michael as so normal and charming and interesting, but eventually I realized that was the most heartbreaking thing about his illness, how truly sweet and loving he could be, as long as he took his meds, and how easy it is to discount people's warnings about the price you pay for ignoring the seriousness of someone's mental illness. We would all like to believe that "love conquers all," but there are some things that love alone cannot overcome. This is a movie that portrays the delights and ecstasy of love... and yet is fair enough to also portray the limitations of love to overcome extreme behavior.
