Please Stand By
Magnolia Pictures | Release Date: January 26, 2018 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
49
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 12 Critic Reviews
Positive:
4
Mixed:
7
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
75
ObserverRex ReedJan 26, 2018
It’s a long haul, but Please Stand By, meticulously directed by Ben Lewin (The Sessions), chronicles the pitfalls, terrors and triumphs of the trip with heart-wrenching realism. Read full review
70
SlateMarissa MartinelliJan 25, 2018
It’s a relief to see an autistic woman played as more than simply a bundle of symptoms. Read full review
70
TimeStephanie ZacharekJan 25, 2018
[Fanning] plays Wendy as a person and not a condition. Read full review
63
RogerEbert.comGlenn KennyJan 26, 2018
Please Stand By is a sensitive character study whose story beats are a little bit overly familiar, to be frank. Dakota Fanning is excellent as Wendy. Read full review
60
New York Magazine (Vulture)David EdelsteinJan 26, 2018
Please Stand By is thoughtful in how it dramatizes the consequences of autism. The movie is a little stiff, though. Read full review
50
New York PostSara StewartJan 25, 2018
Patton Oswalt makes an amusing cameo as a Klingon-speaking cop, and Toni Collette is her usual graceful self as Wendy’s harried counselor, but in all this is a half-baked effort at humanizing autism — at its best when Wendy’s at her computer channeling the Vulcan voice of Mr. Spock, that intergalactic hero who was always so puzzled by human emotions. Read full review
50
Village VoiceApril WolfeJan 25, 2018
The film itself is often flat, akin to a very well-directed after-school special crafted exclusively to dramatize what it might be like to either live on the high-functioning end of the spectrum or care for someone who’s there. Read full review
50
The A.V. ClubMike D'AngeloJan 23, 2018
It’s hard to be persuasive, though, when your protagonist comes across as a collection of quirky tics rather than a credible human being. Read full review
50
Slant MagazineKeith WatsonJan 22, 2018
Dakota Fanning's Wendy is less a truly thought-through character than a compendium of quirks. Read full review
40
Los Angeles TimesKatie WalshJan 25, 2018
Please Stand By has its surface charms...but if you look under the hood, the film just doesn't work. Read full review
40
The New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisJan 25, 2018
Despite [Fanning's] commitment to the role — and the generally fine supporting performances — this timorous tale sidesteps uncomfortable realities in favor of soothing whimsy and preordained uplift. Read full review
38
Movie NationRoger MooreJan 16, 2018
A picture whose picaresque premise holds more promise that its star or director deliver. Read full review
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