The Tic Code

domesticelefant · 10 Apr 07 :: 09:42

Love the pic! :embarrassed:

TheCentralScrutinizer · 17 May 07 :: 22:32

I don't recall seeing this before:

Young actor makes 'The Tic Code' tick
Chris Marquette depicts Tourette's with skill and empathy, and it's a good thing
Grade: B
Cast and crew: Chris Marquette, Polly Draper, Gregory Hines, Bill Nunn, Tony Shalhoub, Carol Kane, Fisher Stevens; directed by Gary Winick
Rated: R for language, grown-up situations; mature middle-schoolers fine
Running time: 90 minutes
The lowdown: The story of a budding jazz musician struggling against Tourette's syndrome is ordinary in many ways. But Marquette is magnificent in the lead, a young actor who avoids the traps of mannerism, sentiment and cuteness that seem to lie in wait for him everywhere. The script and direction feel TV-sized, but performers such as Hines and, especially, Marquette, make it something worth remembering.
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By Shawn Levy of The Oregonian staff
With its soap-opera storytelling and bland direction, "The Tic Code" might have been unwatchable.
But the little film is made uniquely engaging by the performance of its young star, Chris Marquette, who brings to life Miles, a young boy gifted with brilliant musicianship and cursed with the neurological condition Tourette's syndrome.
Miles, who lives in Greenwich Village with his single mom, Laura (Polly Draper, who wrote the screenplay), is the son of a jazz pianist and promises to exceed his father at the keyboard. But his condition, which subjects him to random facial and vocal tics and neurotic obsessions with ordering and touching objects, is a barrier between him and the world he seems destined to conquer.
At the jazz club in which Miles and his best buddy (Desmond Robertson) frequent, he meets the saxophonist Tyrone (Gregory Hines), whom Miles notes also seems to suffer from Tourette's. Tyrone refuses to discuss or even admit to the condition, despite his increasing intimacy with Miles and his mom. And Miles, seeing the older man's reluctance and coupling it with his dad's haughty distance, thinks that he and his constant spasms -- his "tic code" -- are to blame.
The story moves in ways that will be familiar to anyone who's seen a made-for-TV movie or an "Afterschool Special." Director Gary Winick has lighted the film too cleanly for its dark subtexts and staged it too much like community theater, symmetrical and stiff. (He does concoct some nice business with black-and-white footage meant to simulate Miles' fitful mental state.)
Still, a certain toughness and individualism lie underneath the gloss, almost all of which is provided by the cast. Such idiosyncratic performers as Carol Kane, Tony Shalhoub and Bill Nunn appear in small roles, filling them with rich character. Hines, underrated and too often miscast, is believably torn between easy seduction and wary self-protection. Draper is out of her league in comparison.
All of them take a back seat, however, to young Marquette, an appealing kid who takes on several difficult tasks with mastery. The depiction of Tourette's could lead any actor into mannerism, but Marquette shows it in various degrees of intensity. Likewise, his piano playing, accompanied by sheer joy reflected in his face, is spread over a number of moods. He's no angel; some of the most credible moments in the film are of him acting petulantly with his mother or schoolmates.
It's chiefly his performance that recommends "The Tic Code." Thanks almost entirely to this committed young actor, the film earns a place in memory.

SOURCE: http://www.oregonlive.com/printer/print … ic01.frame

domesticelefant · 18 May 07 :: 12:10

I didn't see this before either. Wow.

deedee · 21 Jul 07 :: 09:31

Guess who just finished watching this. yah thats right, finally!! and american gun. i am in love

domesticelefant · 21 Jul 07 :: 10:01

Congratulations. You just finished watching two pieces of Chris's best work ever.

Wait, you are NOW in love? Does that mean you weren't before?

TeeJay · 21 Jul 07 :: 10:55

Congrats, Dee! Yes, it is indeed some of Chris's best work. You will now understand why Chris said that it was his lifetime goal to do something like The Tic Code again, right?

So I take it my DVDs worked for you, did they?

-TeeJay

deedee · 21 Jul 07 :: 16:51

yes I OWE U MY LIFE. pss i hve a surprize for u and deb...

TheCentralScrutinizer · 21 Jul 07 :: 18:55

Awesome! So glad we could spread the love.

Chnyst · 18 Nov 07 :: 03:17

Add me to the list of people who have seen this. I just watched it last night and I really enjoyed it. Chris did an excellent job portraying a child with Tourette's. How old was he when this made?
I have a friend who has Tourette's but her condition is a little different than that the movie showed. She blows on her arm, from the shoulder down when she feels 'it' coming on. She said that she pretty much has it under control with the help of medication. I'll have to ask her if she's seen this movie. Anyways,
I watched the trailer on the DVD after I watched the movie and noticed a scene in the trailer that was different than in the actual film. When Miles breaks the picture on the wall with his pillow. They used two different takes because the glass broke different. LOL.
I have no idea why I noticed that but I did.:silly:

TheCentralScrutinizer · 18 Nov 07 :: 03:40

I think Chris was 14 when the movie was made. I saw this excellent special on HBO called, I Have Tourette's, It Doesn't Have Me. They talked to all these great kids in it and one of them was a piano prodigy. They still run it occasionally. Fascinating show. And each one of these kids had totally individual tics. In fact, Chris played another character with Tourette's a year or so later who was very different from Miles, and he was just as believable.

BiggestChrisMarquetteFan · 18 Nov 07 :: 07:07

Chris looks like he was 9 or 10 in it to me. He was so adorable in that movie!!!

domesticelefant · 18 Nov 07 :: 11:10

Congratulations, Sean! I'm glad you liked it.

Chnyst wrote:

I watched the trailer on the DVD after I watched the movie and noticed a scene in the trailer that was different than in the actual film. When Miles breaks the picture on the wall with his pillow. They used two different takes because the glass broke different. LOL.
I have no idea why I noticed that but I did.:silly:

Really? Two different shots? Wow, that's cool you realized it. I watched this movie a hundred times and I never noticed. LOL But well, I didn't watch the trailer that much, maybe once or twice. Good eye!

TheCentralScrutinizer · 06 Jan 08 :: 03:30

I broke down and bought the soundtrack used today for $5. Couldn't resist. I don't care much for jazz, but the cover art is cool. I'll scan it at work and post it sometime next week.

BiggestChrisMarquetteFan · 06 Jan 08 :: 07:19

Sweet. I really want the Tic Code soundtrack. = )

domesticelefant · 12 Jan 08 :: 13:05

The Soundtrack? Cool. I'm not a big jazz fan either, but I loved the music they used in the movie.

TheCentralScrutinizer · 12 Jan 08 :: 20:35

I haven't gotten around to listening to it yet, or scanning the cover. I got like 8 new/used CD's over the last couple of weeks. I was starved for new music, so when I got a little bonus money from work, I went nuts.

BiggestChrisMarquetteFan · 13 Jan 08 :: 06:20

I love jazz music. I like all music actually but rap.

TheCentralScrutinizer · 13 Jan 08 :: 06:22

Bought three more CDs today at this place that was having a going out of business sale.

BiggestChrisMarquetteFan · 13 Jan 08 :: 06:27

Whiat cds did you buy, Deb??

TheCentralScrutinizer · 13 Jan 08 :: 07:21

Foreigner
Shawn Mullins - The First Ten Years
Indigo Girls - Despite Our Differences

That was today. Over the last couple of weeks, I got:

The Smithereens - Green Thoughts and Especially For You
Nik Kershaw - Then & Now
Adrian Belew - Desire Caught By The Tail and Inner Revolution
Planet P Project - Go Out Dancing 1931 Part One
The Tic Code soundtrack
Jim Steinman - Bad For Good

domesticelefant · 13 Jan 08 :: 10:39

I have like 1000 CDs I'd like to buy. But I still have to wait.

BiggestChrisMarquetteFan · 14 Jan 08 :: 04:16

Sisterdebmac wrote:

Foreigner
Shawn Mullins - The First Ten Years
Indigo Girls - Despite Our Differences
That was today. Over the last couple of weeks, I got:
The Smithereens - Green Thoughts and Especially For You
Nik Kershaw - Then & Now
Adrian Belew - Desire Caught By The Tail and Inner Revolution
Planet P Project - Go Out Dancing 1931 Part One
The Tic Code soundtrack
Jim Steinman - Bad For Good

That's cool.

deedee · 15 Jan 08 :: 04:47

Deb, is the tic code soundtrack worth purchasing.. i've been debating for a while. I love that whole music thing that they've got going on. I listen to almost anything and I just wanted your opinon:) <3

TheCentralScrutinizer · 15 Jan 08 :: 05:34

I got 12 new CD over the last couple of weeks. Haven't listened to it yet. I'll make a point to do so tomorrow and let you know.

Editsound · 11 Jul 08 :: 18:05

Well. I finally saw the movie. First of I would describe it as a good movie, with a lot of greatness. The script felt like it was a little by numbers. It wanted to cover all of the issues of tourettes, and at times it hurt the story. However, there is so much else about the movie which is wonderful. The direction, of course the music, the supporting cast. are all excellent.
I especially wanted to mention Gregory Hines. The way he played the tourettes was remarkable, the tics grew propotionally to his level of emotion. When he was calm, no tics. as he opened up to his emotions, his characters ability to control the tics went down. he really did a subtle dance with this, and it worked perfectly. He was a very good actor, but it went unnoticed because he was such an incredible dancer
And of course Chris. He really was an amazing child actor. At that age, most actors are just reacting, and they can be really excellent, but he was doing so much more in this part. Not only was he having to do the tics, but he still had to play a range of emotions while doing the tics, (I really loved the scene in the cab after seeing his father, trying to hold in the tears, while his tics are going crazy, it was heartbreaking), but he was also doing a specific New York accent. That is a lot to juggle in a performance, and to be doing it at that age. wow

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