User reviews

Sally Phillips is an excellent lead for a very attractive cast. Deft direction and well drawn characters make the most of a solid, albeit slightly predictable script. Enjoyable with many moments of unexpected pathos. A few plot holes but nothing that takes you out of the movie. Great scenery of the area around Perth. Nice to see a well made film with crowd appeal like this come out of Australia. Female writer/director. The denouement is a bit contrived unfortunately for my taste, hence my rating. Still, both my wife and I had a good time watching it. Good date night movie for couples of a certain age. Demonstrates what a talented filmmaker can do with a fairly simple but compelling idea and a group of journeymen actors.

I thoroughly enjoyed this simple comedy that was nicely written, wonderfully performed and directed, and very believable as a real-life experience. Sally Philips is very good in her role as a business owner of an all-male cleaning service. No, she is not fronting for a male escort service, although I am sure that came to the mind of several of the viewers initially. She is legit, as is her business. That is what makes the movie really funny. Had they tried the escort angle, it would not have worked as well in my opinion. Better to have a woman with a midlife crisis, than a madam with questionable motivations. A fun film.

I'm still chuckling at all the user reviews by men misunderstanding this movie. The irony is palpable.

I know no one involved in making this film and came to it not knowing anything about it.

I thoroughly enjoyed it-it's a definite cut above the average female-centered film and for any woman over the age of 50, it went boldly into places not usually canvassed on our screens.

Is it a brilliant film, worthy of Oscars? No. Is it trying to be? No. It's a simple story told well, with middle aged women, complete with wrinkles, fat bottoms and hair that won't behave, working out how to ask for the pleasure they want.

It has been so rare for a movie like this to be made, but this new post-COVID wave (Leo Grande, How to Please a Woman) and now The Idea of You, show the world that older women are worthy of being cherished and pleasured.

With a little bit of prostitution you can be very successful in Perth, Australia. A middle-aged woman (pretty good: Sally PHILLIPS) loses her job and turns an almost bankrupt transport company into a cleaning service with half-naked guys (also with character depth: Alexander ENGLAND). Gina (that's the name of the good one) finally wants to know. The ladies of Perth are thrilled and of course still want a little more...

With female pimping for women's self-empowerment, peppered with increased sex positivity! It's a lot at once, but it works because of the fantastic leading actress. You simply take away from Sally PHILLIPS the role of a woman at the turning point of her life. She goes from being a swimmer in life to setting the pace, and that is definitely an example for many people around the world. And the beautiful images of Perth, an Australian city that hasn't been seen so often in the cinema, are also very enjoyable. The film fits in well with the times and only leaves a small unpleasant aftertaste. Harmless and joyful sex doesn't just sell well in Australia.

The plot makes me want to suppress my true emotions about love and intimacy. The characters make me feel cynical about life. This story speaks too much to my ego and very little to my heart. In my opinion, the protagonist celebrates a hedonism that disguises emotional armor. Breaking taboos for breaking taboos sake doesn't necessarily = progress.

I can only imagine that the negative reviews are from younger women, or certain men, as I can't imagine any woman over 40 not thoroughly enjoying the total truth of this movie. Sally Phillips does a great job playing uptight Gina who redefines herself and her values. Her friends are what female friends should be, supportive and challenging. It was a terrific tongue in cheek movie which I thoroughly enjoyed. The only downside is that a service like this with warm and genuine women at the helm doesn't exist!

This is one of those movies in which the cast has more fun than the audience. Written and directed by a woman, the acting was decent, but no grasp on reality. When a real situation would arise, it was immediately tossed out, and the storybook continued. Watched it on a laptop during a local power black-out. Other than the forehead slapping, it entertained.

Finally watched this film, I thoroughly enjoyed it and would definitely watch it again!

Real talk though, it is a film for women and for men who aren't scared of women being sexual beings. It has funny bits, serious bits and is sexualised in a fun way but is mostly a comedy in my eyes.

Seems like all the majority of bad reviews are from men or prudes. I literally made an IMBD account just to write this because people are butt hurt about "non-standard-pretty" women having a sexual life.

It's simple, if you don't like hearing or seeing things about women's sexuality then this movie is NOT for you.

It is shame that these fictional characters represent so many truths in a woman's life and the movie is being reviewed badly by those who can't handle a woman having a life outside of marriage or motherhood.

Honestly, I could break a smile!

All the previous reviews are either from friends, family, or the production crew itself.

Ridiculous to rate this a 10 out of 10.

Acting was mediocre and rather flat.

Too affected and.cajoled.

Nuff said!

Aussie flick "How To Please A Woman" seems like it should be a comedy, what with it's name and premise of put-upon 50+ Sally Phillips (in a deserving lead role) starting a business having men (Alexander England, Ryan Johnson, Erik Thomson & Josh Thomson) clean the houses of local middle-aged women (mostly her pals)... and shag them. Despite some attempts at humour though writer / director Renée Webster plays it as a straight shot at a bold women's lib statement - which just comes off weird (surely not all 50+ Aussie women are as blasé about everyday casual sex as depicted here - are they?!). It's an awkwardly odd movie - that should have been a comedy.

This movie was great fun! It's so nice to watch normal-looking people in a story that actually feels honest. Some reviewers asked who would enjoy this movie. 50-something women who are tired of sappy romances with super skinny, overly made up women in five inch heels meeting men with perfect hair and eight packs, that's who.

Sally Phillips is a joy to watch and so is the rest of the cast.

I loved the part where one character asks another if they learned everything they knew about sex from porn. This movie is not for the prudish; it will probably put your knickers in a twist. But then again, maybe you'll end up loving it. I think I need my house cleaned.

Absolute sexist tripe . If this had been called how to please a man . With a series of men perving over housemaids there would be outrage. But because it's women it's allowed. This is not about equality anymore it's about revenge of sexploitation movies of earlier decades.

I like to watch Aussie movies as an Aussie and did not know this was one when chosen on Apple TV, it was not predictable, had many funny moments and did not make me cringe with an over Aussie emphasis like some Aussie films can do. Some amazing female characters and a number of themes running through the movie. Enjoyed it, recommended.

When Gina Henderson (Sally Phillips) is "let go" from her office job, she takes over the operations of a removal company to try and turn their fortunes around. With help and some encouragement from her friends at the swimming club, Gina pimps the (all-male) crew to provide cleaning services and, if required, prostitute themselves to the women in their town. As the business succeeds, Gina re-evaluates her own love and sex life.

Not a comedy, although I think it may originally have been the intention.

If woman of a certain age enjoy it, then fair enough (are they really that frustrated?), but I switched it off after 45 minutes.

The rave reviews are obviously from crew members and friends and family of Webster. In fact as one of them is from the producer's assistant the rest are suspect to say the least. Very ordinary directing with a number of dubious performances from the cast who look like they were borrowed from a high school theatre group. The twenty minute storyline is padded out with scene after boring scene in a very weak script. Altogether a pointless waste of time. How on earth does junk like this get financed?

Since I first submitted this review I see there are several more 10/10 rave reviews posted. These are so obviously fakes they are laughable. No one other than cast/crew/Webster's family could possibly rate this gormless rubbish anywhere above 3/10. They don't even have the intelligence to rate around 6 to 8 stars making the reviews halfway believable. The 10 ratings instantly bring them unstuck.

Absolutely brilliant!!! Great business idea and a very funny movie. I think because it rings so true. The script, actresses and actors did an amazing job. This movie was watched by both Australians and French, and we all agreed totally brilliant idea for the movie. Well executed. Bravo.

Some films make sense and have a purpose, like making one laugh or something we can learn that is within the narrative of film, even if it is a commodity. This film does neither. It is cringing, and basically stupid. Nor does it hold one's attention. It is pointless rubbish.

This isn't even funny, terrible premise and ridiculous storyline. Another reason to hate Aussie films. Cast is mediocre and this is a cheap-mans film. To believe that Screen-Australia funded this is NO chock. Once again a female director who needs to express herself via sexual immorality and vulgar dialogue. I'm actually surprised a film like this had no sex scenes at all. Don't waste your time - the reviews are all false. Or people have no standards anymore.

Don't take her to see this godawful film .

Sally Phillips is so clunky , wooden and cringingly terrible she makes Amy Turtle look like Greta Garbo From Breaker Morant to this , god help Australia.

Absolutely loved this cheeky, heartwarming comedy. Webster's articulate portrayal of women embracing the older stages of life with the same vivacity as their younger selves is a refreshing take with loads of laugh out loud moments. A must for fans of Calendar Girls, Bridget Jones' Diary, and Muriel's Wedding.

Take some truly funny and talented actors from some of the best Australian television programs from the last couple of decades (Packed to the Rafters, Offspring, Doctor Doctor), rework a great comedy premise until it's a slow moving, stilted, awkward sort of drama that attempts some contrived version of female empowerment, cut out anything interesting and character development for the most part...and you have this mess of a movie. It made me feel uncomfortable and icky and sorry for the actors who got roped into doing it. Sally Phillips who proved her comedy chops in the British series Miranda and lots of great rom-coms, looked as miserable as I felt. I highly recommend you give this a miss. 3 stars for the cast only.

I can say, that movie was really funny and well put together. The script is really good, no swearing and humour all the way trough. As a man watching this movie you can only laugh because come on, we have to do something for our woman.

Thank you Australia for making good movies.

How to Please a Woman has an interesting premise but ultimately struggles to find its footing. While the film aims to blend humour with deeper themes about relationships, self-discovery, and empowerment, it often misses the mark. The pacing feels uneven, and the characters lack the development needed to make their journeys compelling or relatable. Despite a few humorous moments and a well-intentioned message, the execution falls flat, leaving the story feeling more awkward and contrived than engaging. Overall, it's a movie with potential, but it doesn't quite deliver on its promises, making it a somewhat disappointing watch that falls short of its intriguing concept.

I mean this, this appeals to the lonely Middle Aged woman and I can see how it does. It attempts to turn the head on the "sexist tripe" most people buy into. For me, this is horrible and paints out women in a poor light. If you're a lonely woman you're going to love it. There's brilliant actresses who do an outstanding job with the roles they're asked to play that leaves the audience wondering... are they playing a role? Or do they really feel this way?

The casting was incredible and the lead did well. I just wonder if this is the sort of movie these actors/actresses will live to regret or be proud of. Time will tell.

Honestly, if you're a lonely woman, you're going love it. Happy woman or man.... It's not for you.