Great character actors don’t get to play the lead that often.  And while he’s a huge star on Broadway, veteran thespian Frank Langella has rarely played the lead in a film.  Of course, he’s had a long, rich film career that’s spanned almost fifty years, but with a few exceptions (The Twelve Chairs, Dracula, Frost/Nixon), he’s usually the guy adding some class to the project in a supporting role.

So it’s always a good thing to find Mr. L. playing the rare lead.  In Robot and Frank, he plays Frank, an aging, divorced ex-con whose two busy children (James Marsden and Liv Tyler) are trying to cope with his increasing senility.

Since the movie is set in the near future, Marsden shows up one day with a gift for Frank:  a robot assistant.  Naturally, Frank hates the idea, but his son gives him an ultimatum:  Work with the robot or face exile into the Old Folks Home.

Thus begins a quietly delightful relationship.  Robot (that’s his only name) is voiced by the talented Peter Saarsgard, and he’s programmed to not only help Frank around the house, but to work on his overall health as well.  He forces Frank to adhere to a strict schedule and to exercise.  He further annoys Frank by planting a garden.

But since Frank is a cat burglar by trade, and since this is a movie, it’s only a matter of time before Frank manipulates Robot into becoming his new partner in crime.

I realize on the page that sounds pretty silly, but the movie pulls it off quite elegantly.  It reminds me of one of Blake Snyder’s screenwriting rules:  Having Fun With the Premise.  It’s awfully fun to watch Frank coach Robot on lock picking and cajole him into accepting that planning a heist is actually healthy for his mental acuity.

Besides Robot and his kids, the other important relationship in the movie is with the local librarian (the always-more-than-welcome Susan Sarandon).  Frank enjoys flirting with her, and during the course of the movie he tries to find opportunities to step up his game.

Robot and Frank is a model of modest, sturdy, engaging filmmaking.  It should be referenced in film school.  It’s full of lovely little details that help tell the story.  One example is when the local sheriff (Jeremy Sisto) witnesses a casual display of Robot’s superhuman agility.  You can see the wheels start to turn in his head.

The film is also full of very nicely framed and composed shots.  There are times, like a late scene involving the two title characters, where the staging actually adds layers of meaning in an elegant way.

Robot and Frank is also an example of one of my personal favorite subgenres:  The Small Science Fiction film.  The movie clearly had a small budget, but it’s so charming you could care less that you’re obviously watching a small person (Dana Morgan) walking around in a robot suit.

The science fiction angle also adds additional context and food for thought that wouldn’t be present otherwise.  It’s easy to see that this is a buddy movie, but it’s also about the changing way we humans interact with technology.  It’s even about how we think about technology.  What happens when an artificial intelligence we’re talking to seems like a real person?  How does this change the relationship?  How does it change us?

The director of the film is Jake Schreier, who is the former keyboardist for Francis and the Lights, and the warm and clever screenplay is by Christopher D. Ford.

I can only make one serious criticism of the movie:  In the third act, there’s a reveal regarding Frank’s faulty memory that’s not entirely convincing.

But that’s a very small quibble.  Find an art house cinema near you and see Robot and Frank.