Nate and Margaret

Well, folks, I gotta say ... I was taught the theatrical definition of "comedy" a long time ago, and, basically, it's "all's well that ends well." The rest is tragedy.

So I believe that this is a comedy, both in the strictest sense of the word, and, I think, too, in the enjoyment of the film. I agree with so many others here, this is a movie that stays with you. I've seen a lot of good movies this year, not all made this year but popping up on Netflix for my viewing pleasure: Extract, Butter, Price Check -- all for some reason revolving around food, Satisfaction Not Guaranteed ... the list goes on and on. No, this one is not a thigh-slapper, but then neither is the comedy of the main female character ... perhaps the one stretch is to think that her shtick could make it. Yet I think it is so endearing, and Natalie West underplays her roles so well, that is not beyond reality at all. I can't say this is a great movie yet ... time will tell how it sits. But it certainly is sweet.

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.

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 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.

Nate & Margaret is that rare combination of writing with intelligence, acting with depth, and direction with a storyteller's sensibility.

In these days of billion dollar blockbusters with interchangeable 'big name' stars, story lines driven by special effects, and direction as excessive as the decibel level of the soundtrack, it is refreshing to find a 'little' film that has chosen the path less traveled.

Veteran actress Natalie West gives us a quirky, cranky and ultimately irresistible Margaret, an eccentric 52 year old pursuing her dream of becoming a stand up comic. Tyler Ross plays Margaret's unlikely best friend, Nate, a 19 year old film student. Ross' performance bubbling with boyish charm and enthusiasm provides the perfect counterbalance to West's world weary curmudgeon. The supporting cast of characters are all well drawn and completely relatable. We know these people; we love these people; we are these people.

Nathan Adloff handles his big screen directorial debut (he also wrote and produced the film) with a combination of wit and tenderness that elevates what could have been a cute coming of age story to really fine filmmaking that makes me anxious to see what he has up his sleeve for his sophomore outing.

No, Nate & Margaret won't send you into sensory overload, but it will steal your heart.