Title: Please Stand By
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Director: Ben Lewin
Starring: Dakota Fanning, Toni Collette, Alice Eve
Runtime: 1 hr 33 mins

What It Is: When a young autistic woman named Wendy (Fanning) enters a script writing contest for her favorite IP “Star Trek” she is out of time to mail it to the contest. Wendy will now attempt to make it all the way from her Oakland home to Hollywood and Paramount Studios. With almost no resources but her wit and her determination to guide her. Now her worried case worker Scottie (Collette) and her older sister Audrey (Eve) are trying to find her.

What We Think: So this one is really just not very good. Fanning is a good enough actress to convincingly pull off an autistic character. Her performance just kills whatever momentum the script tries to give her. Now, this isn’t as if the script itself is all that great (it isn’t) but to be fair to the writers the story is rather simple. I didn’t believe the relationship between Fanning and Eve and they were supposed to be sisters. There’s also some ridiculous bits in this. Logic essentially getting thrown out of the window at every turn.

Our Grade: C-, Not very good and not a film I can recommend. At least not with a ton of confidence. Listen, I’m all for minimally uplifting attempts at drama but this one does so rather cheaply and easily. It’s nice to see Fanning back in action but perhaps a different film that focused more on her strengths would’ve been ideal. Nonetheless, there might be something here you enjoy but if you’re like me that’s going to be a big ole fat no. Toni Collette has been doing a TON of indie work recently. Stuff like Miss You Already in which she works with Drew Barrymore to drive us to tears…not me though I’m tough.