The Healing Powers of Dude’s good intentions fail to translate to screen like Netflix’s ‘Atypical’ did
There are shows that evoke not just empathy, but also a feeling of inclusivity. Netflix’s ‘Atypical’ is a perfect example of that. Keir Gilchrist’s portrayal of Sam, a teenager who is on the spectrum, is one that makes you not just understand what he (or any other person on the spectrum) sees and feels but the show also gives an excellent insight into how neurotypicals react to his condition.
The overall effect is a compassionate one. These are all things that Nextflix’s new show ‘The Healing Powers of Dude’ is not. It’s not for the lack of trying at all. The family comedy deals with an 11-year-old called Noah (Jace Chapman), who suffers from social anxiety disorder, and who has decided to overcome his fears by enrolling in middle school after years of homeschooling.
Noah’s world is one full of terrors. When people surround him, he sees zombies. When he’s nervous, he sees himself sinking into solid ground. When things get overwhelming, he barfs.
But he has a wonderful, caring circle -- supportive parents, a loving younger sister, two new school friends, and a dog. And this dog -- an emotional support pet -- is the titular “Dude”. Dude is a bit annoying, he is easily distracted, and can be a little snarky.
But Dude is the only one who sees Noah’s manifestations of anxiety as real. While this premise sounds nice and even compassionate, the writing is perhaps the biggest hurdle in that path. It is difficult to call a show, which discusses mental health, trite. But it is.
The parents are caricatures of the overly supportive archetype. The young sister is a caricature of the worldly-wise, mature-for-her-age little girl archetype. And Noah’s friends are also somewhat stereotypical. One is a bumbling idiot who is too unaware of himself, and the other is stern and serious but has her heart in the right place.
But the worst is Dude. Voiced by Steve Zahn, he is not a stereotype; but that’s only because he does not fall into any kind of character type at all. Additionally, while the audience can hear Dude’s monologues, the entire effect is too corny and not at all enjoyable.
It was adorable in the late ‘90s and early 2000s to watch real-life animals doing real-life things but with human voices that did not have anything to do with their faces, but to say that has passed its lifecycle is an understatement. Zahn, whose acting career is not at all scattered with excellent performances, only manages to bring the show's energy down.
His voicing lacks expression and his character lacks realness. There are a few good things about the show, especially bits of Chapman’s performance. But for the most part, everyone seems to be following a script they don’t have too much faith in; and it shows.
The brilliance of shows like ‘Atypical’ lies in the little details. Sam reciting penguin species when he’s having an episode, the strain his disorder puts on a borderline dysfunctional family; the pain his actions cause others around him, even when Sam is unaware of what he’s doing.
But ‘The Healing Powers of Dude’ just doesn’t match up to that. The show has good intentions. But those intentions don’t make their way to the screen.
Whether through hamfisted writing or through clumsy performances, it turns into one of the thousands of shows on Netflix you can’t bear to watch after a couple of episodes. Call it a bad attempt or blame it on Sturgeon's law (99 percent of everything is crap), this show just doesn’t make the cut.
‘The Healing Powers of Dude’ is available for viewing on Netflix.