Thomas plays Josh, a young man whose life is rocked by two important events; his girlfriend breaks up with him because she thinks he is gay, and his mother (Lawrance) attempts suicide with Panadol and half a bottle of Baileys. Given he’s an emotionally stunted 20 year old, it’s difficult to see how he will handle either situation.
One of the aims of any television series or film is that it takes a specific story and connects with a wide audience, and Please Like Me achieves that and more. Recalling British series like Grandma’s House and Spaced, Please Like Me is quintessentially Australian but feels so relatable to an international audience. It’s a story about friendship, growing up, and realising your parents don’t have all the answers. No one really has all the answers. And it’s nice to see a comedy series in which the humour comes from genuinely interesting and recognisably human characters with the same wants and needs that any of us has.
The performances are all exceptional: Thomas is excellent, and Roberts and Lawrance in particular are wonderful as Alan and Rose, his estranged parents. Together they are perfect as a family struck by an inability to communicate with one another. And Judi Farr is a standout as Aunt Peg, who has no such problem communicating her feelings at all. Ultimately, the series is just as much about Josh’s willingness to accept himself and grow as a human being, and it’s exciting to watch his emotional transformation. Sure, he’s still a work in progress by the series’ end, but aren’t we all? Please Like Me feels like something Josh seems to be begging himself everyday and we as the audience hope that he likes himself as much as we like him.
I more than like Please Like Me. I, like, like like Please Like Me. Like, I might even be in love with Please Like Me.
Written by: Josh Thomas, Liz Doran and Thomas Ward
Directed by: Matthew Saville
Starring: Josh Thomas, Debra Lawrance, Thomas Ward, Wade Briggs, David Roberts, Caitlin Stasey, Nikita Leigh-Pritchard, Renee Lim, Judi Farr, and Andrew S. Gilbert.
5/5
Reviewer: Sallie Pritchard
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xX1_9iDcFPE