Robot & Frank
2012
****
Director: Jack Schreier
Cast: Frank Langella, Susan Sarandon, James Marsden, Liv Tyler, Peter Saarsgard, Jeremy Sisto, Jeremy Strong, Anna Gasteyer
The elderly Frank lives alone in Upstate New York. When his memory is starting to go, his son buys a robot to take care of the old man and his household. The former burglar gradually warms up to the robot, especially when he realises that his new companion can help him to come out of retirement. Jack Schreier's feature debut is a dry and sweet scifi-flavoured comedy with a melancholic undertone, and it features a warm lead performance from Frank Langella. There are no frills or tricks, the film simply tells a warm, low-key story about friendship between a man and a machine. The script by first-timer Christopher D. Ford celebrates the value of memories.
