Phonearl Good start, but then it gets ruined

GarnettTeenage The film was still a fun one that will make you laugh and have you leaving the theater feeling like you just stole something valuable and got away with it.

Robert Joyner The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

Neive Bellamy Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

SnoopyStyle Kate (Catherine Keener) and Alex (Oliver Platt) are a NYC couple with a teenage daughter Abby (Sarah Steele). They own an upscale used furniture store and bought out their adjacent neighbor Andra's apartment once she finally dies. Single nurse Rebecca (Rebecca Hall) dutifully takes care of her hateful grandma Andra. The other granddaughter Mary (Amanda Peet) is a smart-mouthed cynic. Kate wonders if she should volunteer and awkwardly tries to show her generosity.It's a fascinating group of characters but nothing is truly outrageously funny. There is some smirk worthy moments. I like that Kate is not ridiculous but also not normal. These are flawed characters struggling to find connections. Nicole Holofcener finds the lighter moments as well as some deeper personal issues. I wish the two main characters have more connections. The movie is concentrating on Rebecca Hall and Elizabeth Keener but they don't have enough direct interactions together.

jnguyen46117 From the director that brought you Lovely & Amazing, Nicole Holofcener's Please Give developed interesting characters and a well-related plot. Charms from both the leads, Oliver Patt & Catherine Keener, helped a lot with their complex characters. Please Give is a simple plot where economy and relationship problems occurs. But the director and writer is so elegant in their story-telling and directing, it is almost impossible to not be interested in Please Give.Going slow at times and acting from supporting roles seems laughable, Please Give still gave a lot without being asked. OscarBuzz: Long shots from any nominations but it might snatch a nod for screenplay.

evanston_dad The ratio of caustic, neurotic urbanite whiners to normal people with whom I could actually see myself engaging in conversation without wanting to strangle them is uncharacteristically low in Nicole Holofcener's latest, which is probably why I enjoyed this film much more than some of her previous ones."Please Give" suggests that frequently those most in need of our generosity are those who are closest to us. That theme is most vividly illustrated in the character played by Catherine Keener, a poster child for affluent white liberal guilt, who wants to help others in need but feels far too badly for them to ever end up doing any good (she's kicked out of volunteer jobs for being a Debbie Downer). Keener is the typical Nicole Holofcener creation, a character so annoying in her neuroses that you almost end up disliking the actor for bringing her to life. Thankfully, Keener's performance is balanced by that of the lovely Rebecca Hall, who plays the grandchild of Keener's next-door neighbor and has the thankless job of taking care of her miserable battle axe of a grandmother in the absence of anyone else who will. Her's is a portrait of someone who gives of herself not because she feels vaguely guilty or because she expects the admiration of others for her selflessness, but rather because she knows it's the right thing to do and that no one else is going to step up to do it.Rounding out the cast of more or less misfits are Oliver Platt, as Keener's philandering husband; Amanda Peet, as Hall's preening and obnoxiously (but ultimately devastatingly insecure) selfish sister; and Lois Smith, in a small but sweet role as the grandmother of Hall's boyfriend.Grade: B

Greg Debniak At least Woody Allen's movies about New Yorkers had some humor and plot twists. What we have here is boring self-absorption. What is it about New Yorkers that their every little feeling is amplified out of context to be the be-all and end-all of existence? Why would I care about your guilt or any other feelings you have that make you uncomfortable. The characters in this movie give me no reason to care about them at all.... they're all too full of themselves.I'm sorry but like most people I do NOT see New York City as the "Center of the Universe". It's just a big, busy, overcrowded and overpriced mess of a city that exists for nothing more than self-glorification. Give me a break, I'd rather be in Philadelphia or Chicago or Seattle. At least the people in those cities have a horizon that isn't limited by the Hudson and the East Rivers.I rarely walk out of movies before they are over but I did on this one. A waste of my time.