Recommended doc for autistic family and friends: "Dad's in Heaven with Nixon"

The title's as odd and perplexing as the complex family portrait that plays out from simple summers in South Hampton to the eventual diagnosis of autism in one of its youngest.

When I recorded the documentary (airing on Showtime) it was described as "A woman ensures that her autistic young son will become an independent adult."  Well, only someone with a particular interest in the subject is likely to respond to this.  Let's just say I do a lot of reading on the subject because of some of my own relationships.

But the fact is, and I don't mean this as an insult, the film's main subject (Christopher Murray) is the closest thing to Forrest Gump as I've ever seen; hell, the entire film is a love letter from his brother Tom. 

Sure there's early misunderstanding of Chris' condition --- autism is relatively new to the medical vernacular, after all --- but his seeming limitations end up translating the world into an artful, beautiful place of blue skies, puffy clouds and sturdy buildings.

And some freakin' impressive celebrity fans!

Seriously, you can't believe who pops up in there. There's a better description of the documentary written by a random IMDB contributor. It still doesn't quite capture all that happens in the brief hour and twenty-five minutes, but it ain't bad.

Read IMDB's more robust plot summary.

There's also a fan page on Facebook if you want to "like" the movie. While the caliber of the actual film may not be on par with a true Hanks/Zemeckis team-up, it'll definitely lift your spirits and remind you to appreciate the simplicity of life and family.

And to be frank, it almost makes you wish you could borrow that autistic lens to look at the world every now and then.