Very few films or television shows talk about folks on the Autism spectrum....and sometimes those which do, present a rather atypical sort of individual. For example, the guy in "Rain Man" is NOT typical of an individual with Autism and these folks having amazing gifts and talents is often not the case. Additionally, you don't really see the continuum of folks with Autism, as there are HUGE differences between many individuals. Some are barely functional, some do okay with assistance and some function perfectly fine on their own...and "Please Stand By" shows a protagonist who might have been labeled as having low to average functioning Apserger's. She can do a lot of things on her own...but also needs some assistance doing everyday things. And, fortunately, the writer, Michael Golamco, did a GREAT job researching how to correctly portray someone with Autism...and Dakota Fanning did a lovely job playing her in the film.

Wendy (Fanning) is an adult on the spectrum. She lives in an assisted living situation and manages to maintain a consistent daily routine. However, the social worker keeping contact with Wendy doesn't realize that Wendy is planning something. Apparently, Wendy is a huge fan of Star Trek and read that there is a script contest...and she's planning on taking her script from the San Francisco Bay area to Paramount Studios in Los Angeles. But she tells no one...possibly because she knows they'll try to dissuade her. Soon, folks are panicked, as Wendy has disappeared on her quest.

I loved so much about this movie. It was NOT predictable and filled with the expected cliches. Wendy was also not stereotypical and the script never relies on cheap sentimentality nor formula. Overall, very well done and educational as well.

The most famous depiction of autism on the silver screen is Dustin Hoffman's performance in Barry Levinson's "Rain Man". More recently, that portrayal has drawn criticism for what's gotten seen as a hyperbolic representation of the condition. Ben Lewin's "Please Stand By" is a more nuanced depiction, with a young woman on a journey to a submit a Star Trek script. Some of the things that the movie shows her doing - i.e., trying to block out noise - are in fact the sorts of things that people on the autism spectrum will do.

I hope that this movie draws more attention to autism. There are apparently more diagnoses of it than ever before. This could be due to increased understanding leading to more diagnoses, or because there are in fact more people on the autism spectrum than ever before. Whatever the case, I recommend the movie.

The acting was OK, the direction was decent, but it was the story and the script that shone. Wendy is an autistic girl who wants to submit her script to a Star Trek writing contest. Due to mailing difficulties, lack of foresight and a lot of ignorance and ignoring from the people around her, she is forced to escape the safe environment where she was taken care of and go on a trek herself in order to submit the text personally.

Now, this would have been enough for a movie plot, but beneath it all is the idea that most people are locked into their narratives, alone and lonely, unwilling or incapable of change, of breaking out of their tiny petty little bubbles. Wendy's journey becomes even more epic in comparison to the "normal" people she meets who are not able to make the same effort and care as much as this "disabled" person.

I loved how the ending was as realistic as possible, bitter sweet, because in the end only the hero willing to make the journey has changed and the world stayed the same. I loved the Patton Oswalt scene, BTW. Who else could have played that better?