Please Stand By

2017  PG-13  COMEDY-DRAMA  1h 33min

CAST— Dakota Fanning, Toni Collette, Alice Eve

MUSIC— Heitor Pereira  DIRECTOR— Ben Lewin

     At times heartbreaking, but more often heartwarming, this drama showcases the tenacity and determination of true Trekkers. Meet Wendy, a diehard fan of all things Star Trek. From characters both leading and supporting to facts both trivial and essential, her knowledge of the Star Trek universe is absolute. Though she lives with autism she still manages to hold employment and live by the rules of her group home. She's also an imaginative and talented writer who's been working on a submission for a Star Trek script-writing contest, the grand prize being $100,000. But she'd better hurry; the deadline is fast approaching, and she's running out of time to mail her entry to Paramount Studios. To be honest, she doesn't want to win the contest only for the money. She also wants to prove to her older sister that she can stand on her own and accomplish her goals like anyone else. But when circumstances prevent her from mailing her script in a timely manner she decides to head to Los Angeles on her own, without permission from anyone. She'll prove she can be her own woman. Thus begins a daunting and dangerous road trip of hundreds of miles, facing strangers of varying degrees of honesty, all in the name of the Enterprise. A film that features fine performances from a talented cast, Dakota Fanning a standout as Wendy. A film that, despite being rather low key and obviously not a blockbuster, still manages to present characters to root for. Can even be appreciated by those not enraptured by Star Trek.

OUR RATING— ***