Robot & Frank

Robot & Frank

Directed by: Jake Schreier

Starring: Frank Langella, Peter Saarsgard, Susan Sarandon

Grade: B-

High concept indie films have really found a niche these last few years with movies like Another Earth and Safety Not Guaranteed being two shining examples of what the subgenre is capable of. Robot and Frank arrives as a small and subtle entry into the field, just smart and clever enough to earn merit. As the audience, we bring some preconceptions about humans and their automated pals from films like 2001 and Moon more recently. New ground is not exactly broken, but there is some subtle playing with memory and the loss of it here, that adds an undercurrent of real depth.

Frank is an elderly man, given to bouts of dementia. He can't remember people, restaurants, or exactly what time period it is. His memory is fading, and in the near future, a home is not the only option. A robot caretaker is provided for him by his son (James "Milquetoast" Marsden), who is sick of making the long trip to see him, and the lack of gratitude from a strained relationship doesn't help. See, Frank used to be a high-end cat burglar, and that skill, and the penchant for thieving, seem to be all that has really stayed with Frank.. The robot seeks to improve his health by starting a garden, and preparing healthy food, Frank proclaims he'd rather die eatingh cheeseburgers. Most americans would agree. But after much chagrin, Frank warms up to the robot. They mostly bond by planning heists together.

Frank has a crush on a librarian, whose library is being retrofitted as some augmented reality center. Frank is unimpressed. What he is impressed by, is the wealth of those involved, noting their jewelry at a party. The next heist is on. But there are no clean getaways.

Frank is played wonderfully by Frank Langella, who is a consummate professional, and I was reminded of his performance in Starting Out in the Evening, playing another aging man whose greatness is behind him. Peter Saarsgard was a good choice for the robot, and makes the expressionless little guy lovable (as if he already wasn't). Susan Sarandon, James Marsden, and Liv Tyler don't really impress, with characters sketched out no more definitely than Frank's fuzzy memory of them. His strained relationship with his family is alluded to, and hinted at, but never fully developed as the emotional subplot it could've been.

As the heat catches up to Frank and the robot, Frank is forced to make some tough choices, and finds himself to still be the manipulative angle-player he is. The last act has some unneeded twists, and a tacked on redeeming epilogue that isn't warranted by the scene preceding it.  The wonderful concept isn't quite capitalized on like I would've liked to see, but the dialogue and moments between Frank and his robot are worth the price of admission alone.