ViewGuide

Created Nov 14, 2010 10:47AM PST • Edited Dec 26, 2019 07:56AM PST

1. Quality

2. Summary

   Very Good 3.5

   Doubly fascinating and deeply touching, this HBO-made biopic rises well above run-of-the-mill TV movies, especially those derided as disease of the week. While deftly produced and acted, it largely shines due to the singularity of its subject, a noble pioneer in two important realms.

   Dr. Temple Grandin is the Helen Keller of autism, the first to report from the other-side of a mystifying and increasingly common disability. As if that’s not enough, her professional accomplishments are equally large: She revolutionized the handling of livestock, making it more humane and efficient.

   The movie effectively brings all this to life, showing the misconceptions, trials and tribulations surrounding an autistic child and her family, and then how that child broke through her apparent limitations in brave and innovative ways. The woman begat by that child applied a similar combination of empathy and innovation to the treatment of livestock, improving the lives of countless cattle and the profits of their owners. Wow.

   Temple Grandin is worth seeking out for three groups.

   • Those touched by autism: Temple’s mother, aunt and most important teacher receive special attention, making them relatable heroes to those of us who know and love autistic people.
   • Those interested in the phenomena of innovation.
   • Those concerned with the humane treatment of animals and the sources of the food we eat.

4. Acting

   Very Good 3.5

   Claire Danes convincingly conveys Temple Grandin’s combination of insightful brilliance and severe awkwardness. An Emmy for Best Actress? Absolutely.

   The rest of the solid cast are secondary in a biopic like this.

   • Julia Ormond touchingly plays Temple’s strong and resolute mother. She too is well deserving of her Best Supporting Actress Emmy.
   • David Strathairn brings his trademark intelligent dignity to the science teacher who saw and then developed her academic potential. A Best Support Actor Emmy for him? Why not.
   • Catherine O’Hara pleasantly surprises as the aunt who takes Temple in for summers on a cattle ranch. We’re used to O’Hara’s over-the-top comic performances, so this low key straight role comes as a breath of fresh air.

5. Male Stars Good 3.0

6. Female Stars Great 4.0

7. Female Costars Very Good 3.5

8. Male Costars Good 3.0

10. Film

    Very Good 3.5

    The film deftly shows Temple’s visual thinking style, often superimposing her Da Vinci-like diagrams atop the scenes she sees.

11. Direction Good 3.0

12. Play Very Good 3.5

13. Music Good 3.0

14. Visuals Great 4.0
15. Content

16. Edge

    Tame 1.4

    Interesting how the mental health professionals misconstrue Temple’s hug machine as something sexual. On the violence front, the rough handling and eventual slaughter of cattle gets a solid airing, albeit minimal blood and guts are shown.

17. Sex Innocent 1.1

18. Violence Gentle 1.5

19. Rudeness Polite 1.5

21. Reality

    Natural 1.0

    Insights into autism, animal behavior and business innovation are rare alone, hugely special together.

    • Autism: Sounds and touch tend to overwhelm the autistic, though self-controlled touch can apparently calm them, as Temple’s hug machine shows.
    • Animal Behavior: Temple’s observation about how mules “see” with their ears – since each of their unmoving eyes take in 180° – is only the first of her fascinating insights. She follows this up with how cattle tend to walk in curves and need stability of traction to not get spooked. I once worked on a large dairy farm, and would have greatly appreciated her insights into how to keep the cows from spooking.
    • Business Innovation: Better ideas must run the gauntlet of organizational inertia, politics and natural skepticism before they can get implemented. Often the powers-that-be block innovation not out of spite or lack of self-interest, but because success is rarely obvious in advance. Thus Dr. Grandin’s radical innovations for livestock handling emerged out of left-field after no small amount of courage was demonstrated on her part. Contrast this object lesson with the folly of mandated industrial policy, such as that currently espoused by the technocrats who seek to transform our medical and energy industries by centralized fiat.

22. Circumstantial Glib 1.1

23. Biological Natural 1.0

24. Physical Natural 1.0