MovieChat Forums > Mercury Rising (1998) Discussion > No, he doesn't

No, he doesn't

posted 16 years ago by chrisbedford
7 replies | jump to latest

Niko whatever his name is allegedly "spent time" (what, half an afternoon?) with autistic kids and a child psychologist to "understand" how they act.

Well, maybe he did - but it certainly didn't help him to act the same way.

One reviewer here states "...plays the autistic boy so well you almost thought he wasn't acting" - er, excuse me, but bullsh!t. Actually, he plays the part so badly you actually see someone acting the part. "S-p-e-a-k s-l-o-w-l-y n-o-w, r-e-m-e-m-b-e-r y-o-u a-r-e r-e-t-a-r-d-e-d" - gaah, it's embarassing to watch. That, and the eyes rolled back... squirm city.

[–] yoshi_bignose 16 years ago

Never seen an autistic kid like that, and what made it even more *beep* was the ending where he hugged Willis. They would never do that.

[–] GIRobotII 11 years ago

Now that's not true, Yoshi. As NL says, there are no two alike. People with autism vary as much as the people on Earth vary. Yes, some people with autism DO hug. And there are people with autism who are actually very good at social settings.

[–] NL-Proud 16 years ago

From what I understand about Autism, and I have a child with autism, there are no two alike. So we cannot say absolutly that he did a bad job. I thought he did quite well considering his age. I did not like how he was written as the movie progressed. In reality his screaming fits at the start should have continued thru the movie. He went with Stacey a lot easier than he first went with Art. (just an example)

"Undomesticated equines could not move me." - Teal'C

[–] dickey-966-127449 12 years ago

I used to work in after-school child care and we had an autistic boy named Danny in our program. As I watched this movie, I was astounded by how alike Danny and Simon were. The deliberate way of speaking, unpredictable anger or affection, reliance on a daily routine... I think Miko managed a fairly accurate performance.

[–] epibee 12 years ago

So OP thought he is a self-claimed expert on Autism, but as it turned out, he is not.

[–] diane-bernaerts 11 years ago

Especially the eyes.... he absolutely overdid that.

[–] franzkabuki 10 years ago

Most of the time he would just roll his eyes back to his scull and look sedated. And even so - when he wasn't engaging in compulsively erratic behaviour - he managed to be a rather irritating presence.

"facts are stupid things" - Ronald Reagan