I posted a very similar review to Amazon as well, so I hope I'm not posting a duplicate review, or breaking any rules here.
I chose to watch this movie quite randomly. Fortunately, what I stumbled upon was a beautifully written story, with some really entertaining and funny moments. At the beginning I thought "Oh boy, this is going to be depressing," but it wasn't long before the family dynamics captured my interest. I found Aunt Cindy's character and her reaction to the situation, entirely believable. The evolution of relationships in the family was moving and believable. The kids, Luke's cousins, were wonderfully written and acted.
At first, I thought the addition of the Zack character was odd and unlikely. But it got better and better, and added some comic relief to the serious subject matter. The scene observing the "NT's mating rituals" was so dang funny, I rewound and watched it several times. I think choosing Seth Green for the role was genius. He was entirely believable as an oddball guy working for his father's company, and the friendship that developed between Zach and Luke rang true.
In the end, there were things left unresolved that I wanted to see: would Zack and Luke get to stay in touch? It seemed like a such a loss for Luke. And the absence of the Mom from the Grandmother's Funeral, and failure of the movie to show the Grandfather's funeral, where she would surely have to make an appearance and face Luke... I don't know. It just seemed like those scenes were avoided because they would be too messy to include. Of course, issues in life don't always get wrapped up in a tidy little 2 hour package, that's real life. But the birth mom at Grandfather's Funeral seemed like part of the story to me.
I was so surprised how much I was moved and entertained by this movie. I just had to write a review but I dreaded seeing other reviews. I braced myself for a scathing outcry about the use of the word "retarded" and angry reviews insisting that "The Story of Luke" wasn't a realistic representation of a person with Autism. To my great relief and surprise, nearly everyone seems to love this movie as much as I do. There are very few reviews with anything negative to say.
It's not hard to spot planted positive reviews, or "friends of the film" reviews, and I'm not seeing that in the well-deserved, overwhelmingly positive comments. Most people seem to be as impressed with this movie as I was, for it's powerful emotional message and for it's entertainment value.
This beautiful movie is a must-see, whether or not you have a family member with a disability.
I chose to watch this movie quite randomly. Fortunately, what I stumbled upon was a beautifully written story, with some really entertaining and funny moments. At the beginning I thought "Oh boy, this is going to be depressing," but it wasn't long before the family dynamics captured my interest. I found Aunt Cindy's character and her reaction to the situation, entirely believable. The evolution of relationships in the family was moving and believable. The kids, Luke's cousins, were wonderfully written and acted.
At first, I thought the addition of the Zack character was odd and unlikely. But it got better and better, and added some comic relief to the serious subject matter. The scene observing the "NT's mating rituals" was so dang funny, I rewound and watched it several times. I think choosing Seth Green for the role was genius. He was entirely believable as an oddball guy working for his father's company, and the friendship that developed between Zach and Luke rang true.
In the end, there were things left unresolved that I wanted to see: would Zack and Luke get to stay in touch? It seemed like a such a loss for Luke. And the absence of the Mom from the Grandmother's Funeral, and failure of the movie to show the Grandfather's funeral, where she would surely have to make an appearance and face Luke... I don't know. It just seemed like those scenes were avoided because they would be too messy to include. Of course, issues in life don't always get wrapped up in a tidy little 2 hour package, that's real life. But the birth mom at Grandfather's Funeral seemed like part of the story to me.
I was so surprised how much I was moved and entertained by this movie. I just had to write a review but I dreaded seeing other reviews. I braced myself for a scathing outcry about the use of the word "retarded" and angry reviews insisting that "The Story of Luke" wasn't a realistic representation of a person with Autism. To my great relief and surprise, nearly everyone seems to love this movie as much as I do. There are very few reviews with anything negative to say.
It's not hard to spot planted positive reviews, or "friends of the film" reviews, and I'm not seeing that in the well-deserved, overwhelmingly positive comments. Most people seem to be as impressed with this movie as I was, for it's powerful emotional message and for it's entertainment value.
This beautiful movie is a must-see, whether or not you have a family member with a disability.