MacabreVerse

7/10

_Please Stand By_ is a gentle and heartfelt road movie that offers a touching look at the world through the eyes of a young woman on the autism spectrum. Dakota Fanning delivers a subtle and moving performance — as always, she brings emotional authenticity to every frame. You truly believe in her character’s inner world. The cinematography is bright and warm, helping to frame the story in an almost fairy-tale light, while still keeping it grounded in reality. The film does a great job showing both the challenges and the beauty of experiencing life differently, without falling into cliché or forced sentimentality. There’s a strong emotional connection between the sisters, which adds depth and warmth to the narrative. Their relationship, full of love but also frustration and uncertainty, feels genuine and earned. Supporting characters are simple but not flat — they serve the story well without trying to steal the spotlight. The Star Trek angle, while specific, never feels like a gimmick — it’s a clever way to express the protagonist’s inner world, her logic, and her desire for belonging. It’s not a groundbreaking film, but it’s sincere and charming — and sometimes that’s more than enough. It’s a film about being heard, seen, and allowed to be yourself — and that’s a message that resonates.

RalphRahal

0/10

Please Stand By (2017) is a heartwarming yet flawed movie that follows Wendy, a young autistic woman with a passion for Star Trek. The plot is engaging and makes you root for her, but some scenes feel forced or out of place. The directing leans too much into making other characters seem unreasonably harsh, which might have been intentional to reflect Wendy’s perspective, but it ends up feeling unrealistic. The cinematography is solid but nothing outstanding, mostly keeping things simple and functional. The attention to detail in Wendy’s routines and the world around her is noticeable, but the way her journey unfolds sometimes lacks natural flow. Dakota Fanning delivers a committed performance, but it feels stiff, likely due to how the character was directed rather than her acting ability. Wendy comes across as overly robotic at times, missing the emotional depth that could have elevated the movie. The supporting cast does a decent job, though most characters feel underdeveloped. The script has good moments but could have done more to make interactions feel organic. The score is a highlight, adding warmth and emotion where the film itself sometimes falls short. Overall, Please Stand By is a decent watch with a strong central performance, but the execution keeps it from reaching its full potential.

abtr

0/10

Spoilers

Why introduce the sweater thing as a thing at all if you're then gonna ignore it ? I don't know much about autism other than the spectrum is big and they like their routines. But I feel like those two things are huge. Her condition would have been better portrayed as it is in The Good Doctor. As it was, half the time I forgot she was supposed to even be autistic. She just came across as awkward and antisocial, which are personality traits that don't actually mean a person is autistic. Also, the ending didn't resolve much. Did the sister sell the house? (it had a for sale sign on the lawn in the last scene with the dog). If she didn't, the how did she afford to keep it when she couldn't before. Did she and her husband move wherever they were supposed to be going in the beginning? (was it supposed to be far away? Because, it kinda felt that way, like the sister was saying goodbye when she went to visit Wendy, and they couldn't take the piano with them) Did Wendy move in with them, or did she stay in the other house? I feel like this movie had a lot of build up, but little pay off. She entered her script and lost the contest, fine. But what about everything else?