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Therapy is supposed to provide guidance and support—maybe a fresh perspective on the challenges of life. But in a Typical Wednesday, one man’s weekly visit to his therapist ends up bringing him more chaos instead when he ends up on an unexpected quest with another patient.
aTypical Wednesday goes on an adventure with a couple of distressed characters. Each Wednesday, Gabe (J. Lee) discusses his relationship woes with his therapist. One week, as he’s leaving his appointment, he runs into the same boy that he passes in the hallway each week—only, this time, he’s alone and looking lost. Alec (Cooper J. Friedman) explains that his grandma forgot to pick him up from his appointment, so Gabe offers to give him a ride home. But no one’s at Alec’s house, so the two end up on an unexpected adventure through the city.
Though it promises to be a wild and crazy comedy about two very different characters dealing with a series of wacky mishaps, aTypical Wednesday seems about as unsure of its desired direction as its main character does. There are definitely some comic moments as the unlikely duo wanders around the city, dealing with a bitter girl from Gabe’s past and his girlfriend’s rockstar ex while trying to figure out how to get Alec back home safely.
At the same time, though, the film also seems to attempt to tackle some pretty serious topics—especially when it comes to Alec. He struggles at home, and he can’t connect with his parents. He’s bullied at school. But instead of handling all this in a way that helps him face the situation and improve it, the characters respond by beating up the kids who bullied him. And that’s just the beginning of Alec’s disturbing situation.
At times, the film also seems to tackle issues of race. African American Gabe acts out when he’s suspected of shoplifting. He and his young white friend have some incredibly awkward discussions about race. And everyone they encounter worries about Gabe’s riding around with a white kid in his car. And while all of these make for valid issues—worthwhile topics for discussion—they feel out of place in the film, and they simply go nowhere.
aTypical Wednesday does have some entertaining moments, but those moments tend to feel more like happy accidents than a part of the plan. These two characters could have make for a quirky road trip-style comedy—but, instead, the film just feels random and unfocused and awkward.
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