Rent-A-Pal (2020)
Genre: Thriller
Duration: 108 minuten
Country:
United States
Directed by: Jon Stevenson
Stars: Brian Landis Folkins, Kathleen Brady and Wil Wheaton
IMDb score:
6,3 (6.840)
Releasedate: 11 October 2020
Rent-A-Pal plot
"He talks to you. He listens to you. He understands you."
In the year 1990, lonely bachelor David is tired of his predictable life, in which he takes care of his mother and goes in search of something new. He searches for a partner through a digital dating agency and discovers the strange VHS video titled 'Rent-A-Pal'. The presenter on duty is the charismatic Andy who provides David with companionship and friendship. But Andy's presence comes with a price.
Actors and actresses
David
Andy
Lucille
Lisa
Diane
Susan
Carla
Mary
Camera Guy
Video Rendezvous Customer
Reviews & comments
perceived
-
- 1793 messages
- 5611 votes
Indeed, not a full-blown thriller. It's more of a psychological drama/thriller with a darkly comic retro horror vibe. I found it a surprisingly enjoyable and captivating film, with which the director manages to do a lot with minimal resources, making it a rather impressive debut. I'm curious to see what his next project will be. 7.5/10*
Translated from Dutch · View original
Shadowed
-
- 11421 messages
- 6719 votes
Pretty okay.
Rent-A-Pal is a decent film with a relevant undertone. With the advancement of technology, it's naturally possible to rent such a "friend." However, the film itself isn't intended to be relevant, as it's clearly set a few years ago when technology wasn't as advanced.
What's striking about the film is how well it holds its own for a long time. The conversations between Folkins and Wheaton are uniquely intriguing. Essentially, it's largely just a man talking to his own television, and yet director Stevenson manages to build this up incredibly well.
It's certainly cheap, but the film doesn't pretend to be anything bigger than it is. It's also unnecessary, because similar films jump to all sorts of ideas that ruin the whole thing. This film manages to stay on a straight, simple path for quite a while, and that only makes it better. The downside is that the tones ultimately don't balance well.
Ultimately, the film seems rather unbalanced. Does it want to be a weird film or one with sentiment? It builds so long in both directions that the final decision feels awkwardly in place. This left me, as a viewer, unsure what to make of it, but it certainly didn't leave a good impression.
It's decent for what it is, and I appreciated the concept, but by the end, it just wasn't captivating me anymore. For such a simple narrative, it certainly didn't need to be 108 minutes long. It definitely deserves a passing grade, but on closer inspection, it's not a full passing grade. Unfortunately.
Translated from Dutch · View original
Trending Movies
Trending Shows
Corporate & Media
Realtimes Network
Innovatieweg 20C
7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31(315)-764002
