Comments on: When Not Going ‘Full Retard’ Paid Off: Ten Critically Acclaimed Depictions of Mentally Challenged Characters

By: lopu

lopu — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 05:57:28 +0000

everybody loves a pity party

By: Why Hollywood Loves Mentally Challenged Characters - Amazing Data

Why Hollywood Loves Mentally Challenged Characters - Amazing Data — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 05:16:45 +0000

[...] Link – Thanks Warren! [...]

By: Shiloh

Shiloh — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 02:07:13 +0000

Why isn’t Angelina Jolie here? She won an award for Best Supporting Actress, for the film “Girl Interrupted”as a loony, didn’t she?

By: The Movie Whore

The Movie Whore — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 02:51:08 +0000

Sorry but A Beautiful Mind is so watered down to what actually took place that I give the movie no credit for any accuracy of depicting the condition and Russell Crowe gets no credit for this role either. The behavior is so much more extreme than what was shown that it is actually a slap in the face to any one that suffers from the condition.

By: moxie

moxie — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 21:58:58 +0000

I just watched Tropic Thunder for the first time last night. Funny to me that the dvd also featured a very real preview of a very emotional drama starring a very serious Robert Downey Jr. opposite a VERY full retard Jamie Foxx. I honestly wasn’t sure if it was part of the parody for a while.

By: Jason Sanders

Jason Sanders — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 16:29:49 +0000

Excellent list. I’d seen a few of these, like I am Sam and Forrest Gump, but hadn’t heard of Charly or Shine. Will def have to check them out.

By: Chris

Chris — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 08:09:37 +0000

Also DeCaprio’s performance in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, which earned him Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations.

By: Cineleet

Cineleet — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 00:07:40 +0000

Moe. Yes, this became very apparent to us as we were preparing this post. We’re planning on doing a companion post on portrayals of physical disabilities in Hollywood.

By: Moe.

Moe. — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 22:03:31 +0000

Of course, Hollywood & the critics have an ongoing love affair with characters who have disabilities in general — not just mental ones. Think of the reception of films like My Left Foot or Scent of a Woman.

Many of these are just underdog stories, and it’s hard to not root for the underdog

By: Mark Schweitzer

Mark Schweitzer — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 18:13:11 +0000

Another excellent and related type of characterization – though not usually recognized as involving a mental disability, is Leonardo Decaprio’s role playing Howard Hughes in The Aviator. Based on his behavior, tendencies and intellect, many have suspected that Hughes actually suffered from Asperger’s Syndrome, which is a form of high-functioning autism. For anyone familiar with the condition, DeCaprio’s performance is spot-on.