The reviews are out for the new film "'Please Stand By" which received mixed feedback from critics who generally thought that it was a watchable, geeky comedy-adventure.
The comedy, directed by Ben Lewin, received a lukewarm 59 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes which is a site that averages review scores from different entertainment outlets. Here are what some of the reviewers had to say.
Ella Taylor from NPR remarked, "'Please Stand By' deflates into a perfectly watchable but soft parable in which a can-do young American loses a battle, only to win the war of growing up, while the adults in the room confront their own unhelpful rigidities."
MaryAnn Johanson from Flick Filosopher expressed, "A lovely, gentle geek adventure that appreciates the importance of fandom as a source of inspiration and comfort, with a subtle and resolutely unsentimental performance by Dakota Fanning as an autistic fan."
Sara Stewart from New York Post wrote, "Lewin ... posits this as a whimsical road comedy, but I couldn't help questioning both the logic and the consistency."
The story is about a young autistic woman named Wendy (Dakota Fanning) who runs away from her caregiver Scottie (Toni Collette) in order to submit her 500-page script to a "Star Trek" writing competition. Wendy is determined to make the trip to Los Angeles no matter what it takes. Along the way, she meets a variety of people who experience her creativity and quirkiness.
She eventually gets caught by a policeman who happens to know the Klingon language which is used in the sci-fi series. The cop helps her instead and Wendy's idea of herself is shaped by that encounter. It remains to be seen if she will successfully deliver her script.
"Please Stand By" is set to premiere on Friday, Jan 26, in theaters all across the nation.
