The biopic was inspired by executive producer Emily Gerson Saines, whose experience as the mother of an autistic child motivated her to share Temple Grandin’s story.

Critics praised its ability to make Grandin’s autism relatable and her perspective on livestock psychology deeply compelling.

Claire Danes’ performance received particular acclaim for its depth and precision, avoiding sentimentality while portraying Grandin’s growth with nuance.

Temple Grandin was celebrated as an inspiring, meticulously crafted biopic that offered a rare and moving glimpse into an extraordinary life and mind.

Inspired by her teacher, Dr. Carlock, to pursue science, she is admitted to Franklin Pierce College where she develops an early version of the squeeze machine to calm herself during stressful times.

Initially, the device works as intended, and garners favorable coverage in local press, but the ranch hands are dismissive of her design and alter it, resulting in the drowning of several cows.

Angered, Temple visits Dr. Carlock, and leaves the meeting encouraged to continue her efforts to improve the industry and start her own slaughterhouse.

'"[1][2] Grandin was familiar with Gerson Saines' work with the Autism Coalition and granted her permission to make the film, but the endeavor—first launched in the late 1990s—would take more than ten years to come to fruition.

[1][3] Variety reported in 2002 that David O. Russell was attached to direct the film from a screenplay by W. Merritt Johnson (adapting from Grandin's memoirs Emergence and Thinking in Pictures).

Danes herself was coming off a string of more lightweight roles (whose "primary job and experience [was] to become gaga over a man", she described) and eager to take on a more demanding part.

Ferguson also credited the abundance of trained film crews in the Austin and Dallas regions as a significant benefit to shooting in the area.

[1][6] Although Grandin said that she tried to stay away from Danes to avoid impinging on her performance, she was quite concerned about the proper construction of the tank and about the breed of cattle being used in the scene.

Grandin appeared for a special book signing, discussion and preview of the film at a Manhattan Barnes & Noble on January 25.

The website's critics consensus reads, "A heartfelt glimpse into Temple Grandin's mind, this engrossing biopic reaches its full potential thanks to Claire Danes' unsentimental performance.

"[15] Entertainment Weekly's Jennifer Armstrong wrote: "The beauty of [the film] is that it makes the title character's autism—and the unique insight it gave her into livestock psychology—relatable to anyone with a heart, and fascinating to anyone with a brain.

"[16] Alessandra Stanley of The New York Times called it "A made for-television biopic that avoids the mawkish clichés of the genre without draining the narrative of color and feeling.

"[17] Robert Bianco of USA Today wrote that unlike many other HBO productions, "Temple is an incredibly joyous and often humorous film."

Murray gives the film a grade A−, in part for Danes' success in portraying Grandin as a full-fledged personality instead of "a checklist of symptoms gleaned from a medical journal".