Anthony Breznican: Best of 20126 of 11
#6: Robot & Frank
It’s a few years in the future. Imagine that we now have rudimentary helper robots who are like household appliance versions of the iPhone’s Siri. Frank Langella breathes cantankerous life into another Frank, teetering on the brink of dementia, whose kids can’t be bothered with caring for the old bastard. He spent time in jail. He wasn’t a great father. Let the robot take care of him. What unfolds in this comedic drama from director Jake Schreier and writer Christopher D. Ford is a redemption story by way of a corruption story. Frank teaches the robot (voiced with HAL-like perfection by Peter Sarsgaard) how to burglarize neighboring homes, and their heists rejuvenate his spirit and his body. To cover up the crimes, he need only erase the robot’s memory, but … Frank has grown fond of this artificial intelligence. And his own mind is facing that same erase button. You will laugh a lot throughout Robot & Frank, but unless you’re made of silicon, you’ll shed a few tears by the end, too.
It’s a few years in the future. Imagine that we now have rudimentary helper robots who are like household appliance versions of the iPhone’s Siri. Frank Langella breathes cantankerous life into another Frank, teetering on the brink of dementia, whose kids can’t be bothered with caring for the old bastard. He spent time in jail. He wasn’t a great father. Let the robot take care of him. What unfolds in this comedic drama from director Jake Schreier and writer Christopher D. Ford is a redemption story by way of a corruption story. Frank teaches the robot (voiced with HAL-like perfection by Peter Sarsgaard) how to burglarize neighboring homes, and their heists rejuvenate his spirit and his body. To cover up the crimes, he need only erase the robot’s memory, but … Frank has grown fond of this artificial intelligence. And his own mind is facing that same erase button. You will laugh a lot throughout Robot & Frank, but unless you’re made of silicon, you’ll shed a few tears by the end, too.
TitlesRobot & Frank
CountriesAustralia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, United Kingdom, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, United States
LanguagesEnglish