Good start, but then it gets ruined

if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

Go in cold, and you're likely to emerge with your blood boiling. This has to be seen to be believed.

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

While not a comedy, this movie is a prime example of a relationship in which neither person is doing the other a favour. That is, I expected a movie where a cute guy is nice to an old lady and is an obvious tear jerker. In reality, I got a movie which was expressive, fulfilling, and not at all expected. I didn't feel sorry for either character. I empathized, and boy did it hurt. It was a tear jerker, but in it's genuineness. Honestly one of the best films I've seen in quite some time.I strongly recommend watching this film, but prepare yourself. Or rather, leave your preconceived notions at the door. Don't expect a witty comedy. Don't expect a chick flick. This film is raw, fresh and smart, but definitely not a blockbuster. And I wouldn't want it to be.

Sweet, good hearted little indie about the unlikely close friendship between at 19 year old gay wanna-be film-maker and his neighbor, a 52 year old wanna be stand up comedian. While there are rough spots – the low budget shows through, not all the acting is everything it might be, some plot twists are either obvious or a bit of a stretch – this film deserves lots of credit for dealing with something as delicate and complex as friendship. There are obvious parallels to the great "Harold and Maude" (especially when a folky singer who sounds a bit like Cat Stevens starts singing under the opening scene), but really the two films are very different. "Harold and Maude" was both far more farcical and more tragic, and dealt with romance. This film is quieter and smaller, dealing with the subtle humor and sadness of day to day life. A simple, lovely effort.

I'm not sure what the good folks at Netflix were thinking when categorizing this film, but it's certainly not a comedy. Nate & Margaret is a character study of the eponymous duo, and it is not funny.Positive: The film shines in its realistic depictions of mundane social interactions. The dialogue seems unsatisfying at first, but it's actually spot-on in depicting casual exchanges (both short and overly drawn-out) as opposed to the tighter, snappier dialogue audiences are more accustomed to. Alos, Nate & Margaret's cinematography is not overly artistic, but rather impressively unintrusive. It displays restraint uncommon in a first-time director.Negative: This movie is as funny as a $40,000 chemotherapy bill. You can tell the moments where you were supposed to laugh, but these moments feel empty and sad. It's like you're a fly on the wall of the theater during the first screening, and you can see the director's family members forcing a laugh. It leaves you wanting to pull the director aside and give him examples of real comedy (Mel Brooks, Harold Reimis, even Judd Apatow if that's how you choose to live your life).The film is rife with musical interludes that don't serve any purpose other than maybe draw out the runtime. There are at least three continuous musical tracks at the opening, three different tracks that all sound like DVD menu screen music. The plot or narrative arc is unclear. The audience misses out on the parts of the characters' development that would be most interesting, then it sort of ends. In between there are a lot of scenes that frankly we can't say belong or don't belong because we can't tell what the director was trying to say. Friends are good? Relationships are... a mixed bag? No clue.Readers: save yourself an hour and eighteen minutes. Director: Keep working, man, you're going places some day. Try something more traditional before you break the rules.

I enjoyed this little film more than most everything else I have seen this year. The direction, camera work, casting, writing are all well done. The chemistry between the actors is evocative. The story, as one reviewer said, could use another 20 minutes filling out the female lead's actions. But, at the same time, one of the great qualities of this film is the actor's ability to inform us through their presentation of characters. So many films and TV series depend on long laborious telling of a character's backstory to let us know who they are. With this film's level of writing and the actor's ability to present their characters, they fill in much of that for you without it needing to be spelled out for you.What I liked most, was just watching a story that was interesting, touching and well presented, avoiding the two dimensional predictability of so much of what is being churned out of a production line industry.