{"id":2346,"date":"2012-09-19T12:39:33","date_gmt":"2012-09-19T19:39:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.rayivey.com.php5-21.dfw1-1.websitetestlink.com\/wordpress\/?p=2346"},"modified":"2012-09-19T12:55:13","modified_gmt":"2012-09-19T19:55:13","slug":"robot-and-frank-film-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.rayivey.com\/wordpress\/robot-and-frank-film-review\/","title":{"rendered":""},"content":{"rendered":"\"Facebook\"<\/a>\"twitter\"<\/a>\"rss\"<\/a>\"instagram\"<\/a>

\"\"<\/a>Great character actors don\u2019t get to play the lead that often.\u00a0 And while he\u2019s a huge star on Broadway, veteran thespian Frank Langella has rarely played the lead in a film.\u00a0 Of course, he\u2019s had a long, rich film career that\u2019s spanned almost fifty years, but with a few exceptions (The Twelve Chairs, Dracula, Frost\/Nixon<\/em><\/strong>), he\u2019s usually the guy adding some class to the project in a supporting role.<\/p>\n

So it\u2019s always a good thing to find Mr. L. playing the rare lead.\u00a0 In Robot and Frank<\/em><\/strong>, 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.<\/p>\n

Since the movie is set in the near future, Marsden shows up one day with a gift for Frank:\u00a0 a robot assistant.\u00a0 Naturally, Frank hates the idea, but his son gives him an ultimatum:\u00a0 Work with the robot or face exile into the Old Folks Home.<\/p>\n

Thus begins a quietly delightful relationship.\u00a0 Robot (that\u2019s his only name) is voiced by the talented Peter Saarsgard, and he\u2019s programmed to not only help Frank around the house, but to work on his overall health as well.\u00a0 He forces Frank to adhere to a strict schedule and to exercise.\u00a0 He further annoys Frank by planting a garden.<\/p>\n

But since Frank is a cat burglar by trade, and since this is a movie, it\u2019s only a matter of time before Frank manipulates Robot into becoming his new partner in crime.\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

I realize on the page that sounds pretty silly, but the movie pulls it off quite elegantly.\u00a0 It reminds me of one of Blake Snyder\u2019s screenwriting rules:\u00a0 Having Fun With the Premise.\u00a0 It\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

Besides Robot and his kids, the other important relationship in the movie is with the local librarian (the always-more-than-welcome Susan Sarandon).\u00a0 Frank enjoys flirting with her, and during the course of the movie he tries to find opportunities to step up his game.<\/p>\n

Robot and Frank<\/em><\/strong> is a model of modest, sturdy, engaging filmmaking.\u00a0 It should be referenced in film school.\u00a0 It\u2019s full of lovely little details that help tell the story.\u00a0 One example is when the local sheriff (Jeremy Sisto) witnesses a casual display of Robot\u2019s superhuman agility.\u00a0 You can see the wheels start to turn in his head.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>The film is also full of very nicely framed and composed shots.\u00a0 There are times, like a late scene involving the two title characters, where the staging actually adds layers of meaning in an elegant way.<\/p>\n

Robot and Frank<\/em><\/strong> is also an example of one of my personal favorite subgenres:\u00a0 The Small Science Fiction film.\u00a0 The movie clearly had a small budget, but it\u2019s so charming you could care less that you’re obviously watching a small person (Dana Morgan) walking around in a robot suit.<\/p>\n

The science fiction angle also adds additional context and food for thought that wouldn\u2019t be present otherwise.\u00a0 It\u2019s easy to see that this is a buddy movie, but it\u2019s also about the changing way we humans interact with technology.\u00a0 It\u2019s even about how we think<\/em> about technology.\u00a0 What happens when an artificial intelligence we\u2019re talking to seems like a real person?\u00a0 How does this change the relationship?\u00a0 How does it change us<\/em>?<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

I can only make one serious criticism of the movie:\u00a0 In the third act, there\u2019s a reveal regarding Frank\u2019s faulty memory that\u2019s not entirely convincing.<\/p>\n

But that\u2019s a very small quibble.\u00a0 Find an art house cinema near you and see Robot and Frank<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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Average Rating: 4.8<\/span> out of 5<\/span> based on 220<\/span> user reviews.<\/span><\/div><\/p>

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