Please Stand By – Film Review

Wendy sees things differently: she’s fiercely independent, with a brilliant mind and a mischievous sense of hilarity. Wendy also has autism. To her, people are an indecipherable code and the world is a confusing place. Inspired by her no-nonsense caregiver, Wendy comes of age and escapes from her care home on the road trip of a lifetime to deliver her five-hundred-page script to a screenwriting competition.

It’s no secret that Star Trek is one of the most popular science fiction franchises ever created, and Ben Lewin‘s Please Stand By essentially serves as a love letter to the series in a touchingly beautiful way. It’s a film about a young woman named Wendy who adores Star Trek with her whole heart and enters a writing competition based on the series.

Whoever ends up having the best script and wins will earn $100,000 and Wendy believes that she has what it takes. This is a wholesome and moving movie even if it is one that’s incredibly familiar and predictable. You kind of know what’s going to happen in the first twenty minutes but the ride along the way is what makes this movie so fun. It’s not the destination. It’s the journey.

Its script by Michael Golamco understands how to tell a story that is able to touch your soul in a deep way. Although it’s familiar, I would be lying if I said that this movie didn’t make me feel emotional at times because the film finds ways to truly make you care and root for Wendy along her journey.

It’s also just so nice to have a film like this one with an openly autistic character as the protagonist. We don’t get movies like that often and so when one comes along, it definitely needs to be celebrated. Dakota Fanning portrays Wendy beautifully here. She manages to find ways to make her so endearing and lovable in every single scene.

Toni Collette also shines in a small supporting role alongside Alice Eve. Jessica Rothe also shows up in this movie for one scene which was quite a treat to see. She’s one of the best actresses of all time, and I can only hope that she gets more roles down the line.

Don’t go into this movie expecting some game-changing coming-of-age story. Please Stand By aims to be heartwarming and touching and it’s exactly that. If you sit back and enjoy the ride, you should find yourself getting swept away in this cute and fun story.

Although it’s heavily predictable, Please Stand By is a wholesome coming-of-age story that’s further fuelled by a strong lead performance from Dakota Fanning.