Robot & Frank (2012)
In a “futuristic” world where video calls are commonplace and libraries are becoming extinct, there’s also a growing reliance on artificial intelligence. You won’t believe it, but in this “futuristic” movie Robot & Frank, Frank Langella is given a robot to help improve the quality of his life. The robot helps clean his house, prepare healthy meals, encourage outdoor activity, and provides social interaction. In other words, this movie was only ten years behind the times. Nowadays, people rely on their phones so much, they have apps that remind them to clean their house (incentivized by congratulatory notes), eat healthier (take a photo of your dinner and get cash rewards), count their steps to encourage outdoor activity – and the truly sick can have a robot boyfriend/girlfriend.
Back to the movie. Ten years ago, it was cute to see Frank Langella and his white puffy robot bickering, teaching each other skills, and eventually becoming friends. Frank balances the old-fashioned world by courting Susan Sarandon, a librarian, and the new one by kowtowing to his modern kids’ (James Marsden and Liv Tyler) wishes. There is a major plot point of the film that was not cute, whether you watched it ten years ago or now during the scary future: Frank’s character has Alzheimer’s. His kids give him the robot to help him remain independent as long as possible, but it’s clear from the beginning that he isn’t going to get healthier and ride off into the sunset with Susan. It doesn’t seem like it from the trailer, but Robot & Frank is a major downer. Even if you think the idea of becoming friends with a robot (in the years before such an interaction was a reality) is cute, I caution you to think twice before renting it. It is not a feel-good comedy. It’s depressing, so be prepared.
More Susan Sarandon movies here!
Back to the movie. Ten years ago, it was cute to see Frank Langella and his white puffy robot bickering, teaching each other skills, and eventually becoming friends. Frank balances the old-fashioned world by courting Susan Sarandon, a librarian, and the new one by kowtowing to his modern kids’ (James Marsden and Liv Tyler) wishes. There is a major plot point of the film that was not cute, whether you watched it ten years ago or now during the scary future: Frank’s character has Alzheimer’s. His kids give him the robot to help him remain independent as long as possible, but it’s clear from the beginning that he isn’t going to get healthier and ride off into the sunset with Susan. It doesn’t seem like it from the trailer, but Robot & Frank is a major downer. Even if you think the idea of becoming friends with a robot (in the years before such an interaction was a reality) is cute, I caution you to think twice before renting it. It is not a feel-good comedy. It’s depressing, so be prepared.
More Susan Sarandon movies here!