Watch a Movie to Celebrate Autism Awareness Month
/April is Autism Awareness Month. You should watch a movie!
Movies for Autism Awareness Month
Here are three movies that have characters with autism. Watch, and celebrate Autism Awareness Month.
But first…. A word of warning.
Do lawyers like watching courtroom dramas? Or do they get annoyed at the inaccuracies?
Do police officers like watching cop shows? Or do they spend the whole movie mocking the mistakes in procedure?
As a former high school teacher, I can’t stand watching movies that take place in high schools. They get it all wrong! But this movie has enough good outside the classroom to get my recommendation.
Click on the picture to read my review.
My husband is a volunteer rescue worker, and he talked back to the screen the entire movie, telling Dwayne Johnson everything he was doing wrong. (I liked the movie anyway - here’s my review.)
click on the picture to read my review.
Do people who have loved ones with autism like watching movies that have characters with autism? Or they find the characters to be stereotypical and misrepresented?
Smarter people than I have analyzed movies that have characters with autism.
You can read those articles here and here and here.
These three movies for Autism Awareness Month are not documentaries.
We are not watching movies that have characters with autism for exact representations of the real people with autism that we know. That is known as a documentary. A documentary is educational and interesting, but not often the most entertaining of movies. Real life is slow and tedious.
We watch Hollywood movies for
drama or action or romance or comedy.
Hollywood is allowed to be a bit inaccurate in movies that have characters with autism, to increase our entertainment, just as they are in doctor movies and army movies.
The warning is over… On to three movies for Autism Awareness Month!
Joyful Noise (2012 PG-13) comedy, drama, music
This movie starring Queen Latifah, Dolly Parton, Keke Palmer, and Broadway star Jeremy Jordan set in a church choir will keep you smiling and tapping your toes!
Queen Latifah plays the mother of Keke Palmer and Dexter Darden, who has a type of autism spectrum disorder. Jeremy Jordan is Dolly Parton’s grandson, who likes Keke and befriends Dexter. Dexter’s is a minor character, with two particularly important scenes that address the challenges he faces.
Tap to get to video clip.
It’s a beautiful scene. Is it the exact way people with Asperger syndrome act? Maybe, maybe not. But it is respectful and not insulting. Enjoy this movie!
Power Rangers (2017 PG-13) action, adventure, sci-fi
Five high school students get superpowers, learn to use them, and team up to defeat the bad guy (or in this case, bad girl). A grand adventure, with excitement and friendship to enjoy.
To be honest, it wasn’t until researching this article that I remembered that one of the teens who becomes a Power Ranger is on the autism spectrum.
I remember this movie for two reasons:
The amazing early chase scene that is all one take - the camera never leaves the action or cuts away, even through a car accident.
One of the teens has a Chinese grandmother. I felt they should have honored the Japanese roots of the Power Ranger franchise by making him of Japanese descent.
The Predator (2018 R) action, adventure, sci-fi
Alien hunters come to earth. They kill a lot of people. A rag-tag team of Army misfits fight back (it’s like they’re the A-Team)!
This movie is rated R. The foul language will make your ears burn. The blood and guts are extra bloody and gut-sy. The acting is hit or miss. If you have any military experience, or have any knowledge of science, you will be shouting at the screen.
You should probably skip this one.
But, there are glimmers of brilliance. The army wife is strong in a realistic way. The running joke about what to call these creatures is clever. There are little gags that you feel smart to catch (look for the school billboard).
What about the character with autism? It’s another portrayal of a brilliant child who is wanted by the authorities. It turns out the aliens want him, too, for reasons that will probably leave you shouting at the screen.
Here, young Jacob Tremblay has figured out how to turn on an alien mask and arm piece, just in time for Halloween. He just didn’t know what it would do.
Is it a fair portrayal of someone on the autism spectrum? Perhaps. Is getting revenge on your bullies the dream of many people? Absolutely.
If you watch this movie, and hate it, don’t complain to me! But you may find yourself laughing at the gags and cheering on the heroes, just a bit!