I love a good YA (young adult) story. They rarely pander, are entertaining and don’t hammer you over the head with the moral of the story, although there always is one. And what better place to tell “Out of My Mind,” the entrancing story of Melody Brooks, a non-verbal sixth grader with cerebral palsy (CP), than on Disney+. This is a family story for and about Melody and her supportive parents, Diane and Chuck, who revel in her positives and know that a bright young woman is trapped in her immovable body.
Educated at a one-size-fits-all facility for handicapping conditions, Melody, confined to a wheelchair, is clearly misplaced in this classroom of least resistance. When a local graduate student observes Melody in her class and views her test scores, she is immediately struck with what a perfect fit she would be in a pilot program placing disabled students in the regular classroom. With the full support of her parents, despite the lack of enthusiasm from her program advisors, she is wheeled into her local sixth grade class, much to the consternation of the uninformed teacher.
Viewed as a hindrance, neither the teacher nor her new classmates are welcoming. Undeterred, despite her protective mother’s instinct to immediately throw in the towel, Melody perseveres. Bullying she can handle; lack of opportunity she can’t. Melody is insistent and motivated to keep going even if she can’t win over her peers. When a new speaking device comes on the market, Diane and Chuck go to the mat against the insurance company that refuses to provide the device. That company had no idea with whom they were dealing.
Melody’s road is not an easy one and this is not an entirely happily-ever-after story about the acceptance of others. No. It’s more realistic than that. The teacher remains clueless and her peers, for the most part, are mean. It’s a story of grit, optimism, hard work and perseverance on the part of Melody and her parents. But neither is this a crash-and-burn story. This narrative is about Melody, what she faces, and what she is willing to face. It is a primer on the obstacles that others put in the way and how hard it is to bring them around.
Melody’s story resonated with me. My early career was spent working to integrate kids like Melody in what is euphemistically called “the least restrictive environment.” For most, this means a public school classroom with additional help from trained teachers. It is, as you may not know, part of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act that requires that students be educated in the least restricted environment. Whether it is a deaf child in need of an interpreter or one with a visual impairment needing additional equipment, the law states that they should be taught in a regular classroom whenever possible. Schools fight this tooth and nail because of the additional costs, but when taken to court, they invariably lose. It is the law, and it is highly beneficial to the affected students. Unfortunately, neither the states nor the federal government allocate the funds to keep the program in place. Teachers and students who share a classroom with a disabled student benefit also in expanding their worldview. There is nothing more advantageous to society in general than a well-educated, socially adapted student who can spread his or her wings rather than be restricted to the narrow confines of caged learning and a future totally dependent on others. “Out of My Mind” is just such a story with an extremely engaging heroine.
Although the storytelling is a bit pat at times, this is, after all, a Disney+ movie aiming for that “After School Special” crowd, it succeeds more than it stumbles. This is thanks to a delightful star, Phoebe-Rae Taylor, who has overcome many of the hurdles of CP, just like Melody does. Her parents, Diane and Chuck, are played by the charismatic Rosemarie DeWitt and Luke Kirby. Both are excellent, empathetic and realistic as parents of a handicapped child who is longing to fly but whose body won’t let her. Judith Light has a nice role as an eccentric neighbor who pushes Melody to want more. In an amusing coup, the inner thoughts of Melody are voiced by Jennifer Aniston because, as Melody says, she should be able to choose whoever she wants to say her words, and Aniston it was. So good is she that oftentimes you are no longer hearing the actress but only Melody.
Amber Sealey has directed this film with an easy touch, making everything flow smoothly. The script by Daniel Stiepleman captures the sensibility of Sharon M. Draper’s original novel. But, in the end, it all depended on Phoebe as Melody to make this sing.
Now streaming on Disney+.
Neely Swanson spent most of her professional career in the television industry, almost all of it working for David E. Kelley. In her last full-time position as Executive Vice President of Development, she reviewed writer submissions and targeted content for adaptation. As she has often said, she did book reports for a living. For several years she was a freelance writer for “Written By,” the magazine of the WGA West, and was adjunct faculty at USC in the writing division of the School of Cinematic Arts. Neely has been writing film and television reviews for the “Easy Reader” for more than 10 years. Her past reviews can be read on Rotten Tomatoes where she is a tomato-approved critic.
