Carla's mother is upset. "She shows all the symptoms!" The symptoms of what? Flash forward a few years later, when Carla is suffering from Ambiguous Disorder.
Ambiguous Disorder, in this case, consists of talking like Elmer Fudd, tilting her head in odd directions, and making sitcom-like jokes with perfect timing that actual mentally disabled people would be unlikely to make. Whatever condition Carla's supposed to have, it ain't autism. Her eye contact is totally normal, and some of her odd behaviors show up at random. Why does she bark at dogs during a wedding? Because it's funny. Why is she able to successfully hitchhike and get a ride all the way across the country? Because it's needed for the plot. If you thought Sheldon Cooper was inconsistent, Carla makes him seem downright accurate by comparison. At least the creators of that show did some research. Here, they invented a random nameless mental disorder, then forgot to define its symptoms.
Soon, we meet Daniel. Daniel shares whatever condition Carla has, and not only talks like Elmer Fudd but throws in some Porky Pig whenever he's nervous. Naturally, the two fall in love. And they even read The Joy of Sex, as Carla points out the page numbers of sex positions she wants to try, or doesn't want to try. We eventually see Carla and Daniel strip down to their undergarments.
The movie is confused and inconsistent about its tone. We see Carla cry from being bullied and laughed at. Then later we're expected to laugh at her disability because of funny things she says. Daniel's bullying is treated seriously at one point, then later as a joke when we're supposed to laugh at the line "there's no gum in my hat this time". If the movie is going to be a comedy, then why bother portraying the disabled characters sensitively in the first place? If that's not enough, the degree to which the characters are disabled seems to vary based on the needs of the plot or the jokes. Why are Carla and Daniel both able to hitchhike across the country to get to where they need? To fulfill the standard romantic comedy plot formula?
I suppose I should find this movie's subject matter and tone offensive, but I just can't. To me, its constant stream of ineptitude and neverending ways of screwing things up make it a riot.
Film I suppose I should find this offensive, but it's just too hilarious in its ineptitude
Carla's mother is upset. "She shows all the symptoms!" The symptoms of what? Flash forward a few years later, when Carla is suffering from Ambiguous Disorder.
Ambiguous Disorder, in this case, consists of talking like Elmer Fudd, tilting her head in odd directions, and making sitcom-like jokes with perfect timing that actual mentally disabled people would be unlikely to make. Whatever condition Carla's supposed to have, it ain't autism. Her eye contact is totally normal, and some of her odd behaviors show up at random. Why does she bark at dogs during a wedding? Because it's funny. Why is she able to successfully hitchhike and get a ride all the way across the country? Because it's needed for the plot. If you thought Sheldon Cooper was inconsistent, Carla makes him seem downright accurate by comparison. At least the creators of that show did some research. Here, they invented a random nameless mental disorder, then forgot to define its symptoms.
Soon, we meet Daniel. Daniel shares whatever condition Carla has, and not only talks like Elmer Fudd but throws in some Porky Pig whenever he's nervous. Naturally, the two fall in love. And they even read The Joy of Sex, as Carla points out the page numbers of sex positions she wants to try, or doesn't want to try. We eventually see Carla and Daniel strip down to their undergarments.
The movie is confused and inconsistent about its tone. We see Carla cry from being bullied and laughed at. Then later we're expected to laugh at her disability because of funny things she says. Daniel's bullying is treated seriously at one point, then later as a joke when we're supposed to laugh at the line "there's no gum in my hat this time". If the movie is going to be a comedy, then why bother portraying the disabled characters sensitively in the first place? If that's not enough, the degree to which the characters are disabled seems to vary based on the needs of the plot or the jokes. Why are Carla and Daniel both able to hitchhike across the country to get to where they need? To fulfill the standard romantic comedy plot formula?
I suppose I should find this movie's subject matter and tone offensive, but I just can't. To me, its constant stream of ineptitude and neverending ways of screwing things up make it a riot.