Mozart and the Whale

Josh Hartnett and Radha Mitchell strike all the right emotional chords in this sweetly engaging character study about two autistic people who find love and try not to let their “emotional dysfunction” mess it up. He’s a whiz with numbers; she’s a kooky charmer who “can’t keep from shocking people.” The script is by Ron Bass, who won an Oscar for writing the screenplay for “Rain Man,” and the film plays like a combination of “Rain Man” and “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.” Gary Cole., The emotional dysfunctions of two people suffering from an autistic disorder known as Asperger’s syndrome threaten to derail the pair’s emerging romance in director Petter Næss’ affectionate tale of love among the mentally afflicted. For friendly taxi-driver Donald (Josh Hartnett), patterns and routines are of the utmost importance. In addition to his love for birds and his uncanny ability to process numbers, Donald does his best to give back to fellow Asperger’s sufferers by leading an autism support group. When the lovely but intensely complicated Isabelle (Radha Mitchell) shows up at one of Donald’s meetings, the good-natured cabbie finds that love can be as painful as it is elating., Offbeat romance involving two autistic souls who try keep their “emotional dysfunction” from ruining their budding relationship.