Jake Schreier's ROBOT AND FRANK

Movie review by Dennis D. McDonald

This is a character driven movie about the near future that tightly focuses  on an elderly retired jewel thief (Frank Langella) who lives by himself in a semi-rural but well-to-do community. His son, concerned about the old man’s mental deterioration, purchases a humanoid style robot to serve as a companion and caregiver.

The old man teaches the robot to pick locks and keep its mouth shut. Trouble in the small community follows.

There are many ways this movie could have been played — sappy, sight gags, overly emotional, sentimental. Instead the director and excellent cast play things fairly straight and focus on the old man’s behavior and state of mind.

It is not what I would call a terribly commercial film but I really enjoyed the story, performances, and the spare and economical way that sophisticated day-to-day technology’s impact on people is portrayed.

Review copyright © 2014 by Dennis D. McDonald