Wendy Welcott is a twenty-year-old woman with autism, a creative talent for writing, and a passion for the TV show Star Trek. She is like the motto of the U.S. Postal Service “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.” She knows where she wants to go and she is determined.
Uncontrollable physical events in the past must be overcome. Wendy has goals to achieve.
Wendy lives a routine life in an Oakland, California group home. She has a daily routine. She gets herself through the streets of the city and has a job at Cinnabon.
She helps a co-worker who bets on her unfailing knowledge of Star Trek. She drives other Trekkies crazy with her bottomless correct answers to utterly obscure questions. She gets a cut of the bets. Wendy learns that Paramount Pictures is holding a Star Trek screenplay competition to celebrate the franchise’s 50th anniversary, and writes a 500-page script for a Star Trek movie. When she realizes that the postal service cannot deliver her script on time in Los Angeles She decides to take things into her own hands and deliver it herself.
People like Wendy and care for her. Even when a couple rob her, the young mother apologizes. Little by little Wendy overcomes her autism as she deals with one experience after another.
The cavalry, Wendy’s sister Audrey (played by Alice Eve), caregiver Scottie (played by Toni Collette), and Scottie’s teenage son, Sam (played by River Alexander) are coming to the rescue.
Wendy’s plan begins to unravel when during one escape the wind takes many of her script pages. Following on her heels, Sam recognizes them and saves them.
The L.A. police finally catch up to Wendy. Officer Frank (played by Patton Oswalt in a surprising cameo) talks her into surrendering.
Wendy is reunited with her sister, her caregiver and meets Sam who had recognized the lost manuscript pages and saved them.
The story is an adventure. We care about almost everyone we meet on the journey. Does Wendy achieve her goal . . . well, yes and no. We are pulling for Wendy from the beginning to the end . . . and beyond.
When Sam meets Wendy he tells her he really likes the story.
Watch the official trailer – imdb.com/video/vi3232544793
I really enjoyed the film, the characters and the empathy. It was as funny as it was sad.
The film is based on the play by Michael Golamco, who also wrote the script for the play Please Stand By. I would love to read that script. After I saw this film, I noticed that Prime had at least six films about autism. We could all stand to learn more about this disorder. Autism is characterized by difficulty in interactions and communication with others.
For more information on Please Stand By – imdb.com/title/tt4652650/
The views expressed in this article are the writer’s own.
Wow, sounds like a truly nice movie – though I have my doubts that even highly skilled autists would be able to “overcome” their condition. None of those I know have overcome theirs. It’s not like battling the snivels … Still, a female “Rainman” combined with a Treckie theme might make for a beautiful family movie.
Susanne,
Thanks for commenting. Things are never as easy and it seems. I follow directions on Google and Facebook and the next step never works. It’s like our exchange student Marketta from Finland used to say: “One size fits all . . . except for Marketta.” The problem and solution are never as easy as they advertise . . . or sometimes even possible. The movie is more about spunk and determination that actually about overcoming autism. I’ve got another new favorite movie, Best Man Down, but will watch it a second time before reviewing. However, I think you would really enjoy both.
Thanks for sharing.
Don