Melody Brooks is navigating sixth grade as a nonverbal wheelchair user who has cerebral palsy. With the help of some assistive technology and her devoted allies, Melody shows that what she has to say is more important than how she says it.
Based on the best-selling novel: OUT OF MY MIND tells the story of Melody, a non-verbal twelve-year-old with cerebral palsy navigating sixth grade. With the help of technology and her devoted, exuberant allies, Melody will prove that what she has to say is more important that how she says it.
Melody Brooks has cerebral palsy and a photographic memory.
She uses a wheelchair and is non-verbal.
Because Friends is her favorite television program, the actress Jennifer Aniston's voice is used to represent her innermost thoughts even though she is mute.
Her parents, Chuck and Diane, are always watching over her, and they think Melody should get a better education because of her obvious intelligence.
She has a younger sister named Penny.
After meeting with Dr. Katherine Ray, she proposes to enroll her in a sixth-grade program where she will sit with other students in a typical classroom.
Diane is hesitant to consent, but Chuck persuades her to enroll her.
After being sent to Mr. Dimming's class, Melody's appearance causes awkwardness for both Mr. Dimming and the other students.
Although she is able to attract the attention of her classmate Rose Spencer, she encounters indifference despite demonstrating her intelligence.
After Melody invites Rose to the museum, their friendship becomes extremely one-sided.
Melody goes off on her own, and Rose gets sidetracked by her other pals.
After Chuck and Diane apply for a Medi-Talker, Melody is able to speak using an electronic voice, which she is more than happy to use.
Melody persuades Rose to study with her when Mr. Dimming announces the Whiz Kids student competition, pointing out that her Medi-Talker has study-related games.
For the first time, the girls become close. Students who have been selected to represent their school are announced after completing the test.
Chuck, Diane, and Dr. Ray start to suspect Melody because she fails to make it while Rose does.
They discover that in addition to Melody receiving a perfect score on the test, Mr. Dimming decided not to grade it at all.
Dr. Ray acknowledges that she does not care about helping students like Melody, and Principal Antenucci is angry that Mr. Dimming's reputation has been damaged.
Rose is extremely upset when she is made to alternate when Melody joins the team.
Melody wins for the team when the students compete in the Whiz Kids competition.
The group then celebrates without Melody because of her eating habits.
Everyone has to rush to the airport after Mr. Dimming receives last-minute news that their flight to Washington has been canceled and rescheduled.
Melody is notified last and is unable to make the flight since she is not with them.
Melody pours a milkshake into her Medi-Talk out of rage.
Diane hits Penny while they are fighting in the car because she does not notice her playing in the driveway.
She is admitted to the hospital after surviving.
Diane acknowledges to Melody that she is not responsible for the recent events and that she has been making more mistakes than she has.
After their trip to Washington, the Whiz Kids team returns with a defeat.
With the aid of her Medi-Talk, Melody finally makes amends when she and her parents arrive at the class.
She accuses everyone of not treating her with dignity and compassion, and she says she does not want them to simply treat her better-she wants them to recognize her and pay attention to her.
The class and Mr. Dimming are moved by her remarks, and they embrace her when she returns.
Her Jennifer Aniston voice transitions to her Medi-Talk voice as she concludes her inner monologue, suggesting that she now accepts herself for who she is.
Melody expresses gratitude to Jennifer Aniston for letting her "borrow" her voice during the credits.
