Out of My Mind, on Disney+
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Caution: potential spoilers.
This 2024 film is based on a 2010 book, which I haven't read.
The movie is set in 2002, though I don't see much reason it couldn't have been set in the present. It's about a 12-year-old girl named Melody Brooks, who has cerebral palsy. She uses a wheelchair and is unable to speak, but we hear her inner voice, which she chooses to sound like Jennifer Aniston. While she is supposed to be in sixth grade, she has spent her whole academic life in the same special-ed classroom, with mostly younger students. Her father, Chuck, believes she deserves a chance at a more normal education. One day she is observed in class by Dr. Katherine Ray, who gets her into a program where she'd spend one day a week in a standard sixth grade class, accompanied by Dr. Ray. There, she meets a girl named Rose Spencer, with whom she develops a friendship, despite Rose being uncomfortable with her at first. Melody's mother, Diane, is worried about her not fitting in, but when Chuck wants to try to get her a Medi-Talker, Diane helps get Melody an assessment to decide whether she can get insurance to cover the extremely expensive technology. At first she is denied, but Chuck gets Dr. Ray to sign a paper approving the request.
When her teacher, Mr. Dimming, announces tryouts for the Whiz Kids academic team, Melody helps Rose study. She also tries out for the team herself. There are four spots available, plus two alternates. Rose is announced as getting the fourth-highest score on the test, but Melody is not chosen for the team. Chuck and Diane believe Melody got every question right, something that's never happened in Mr. Dimming's experience. When they meet with school officials to demand an explanation, it turns out Mr. Dimming hadn't even bothered grading her test. But Melody is finally given a place on the team, which bumps Rose down to an alternate. This angers Rose, and seems to end her friendship with Melody. The Whiz Kids win their regional competition, which means they'll go to Washington, D.C. for a national competition. But when their flight is replaced with an earlier flight, Melody misses it because she hadn't been included in a group outing. This greatly upsets her, and... I guess I'll stop there. But there's ultimately a happy ending.
Well, there's a lot of drama in the movie, but it can also be light and humorous. Melody is a very likable lead character, and the other major characters are all pretty good, too. I liked how Melody's condition was portrayed. (It kind of reminded me of the sitcom Speechless.) I think the movie is heartwarming, but not in a patronizing "inspirational" sort of way. At heart, it's about a typical tween girl who just wants to be understood and accepted for who she is.