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70%
Overall Rating
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Ranked #2,126
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In the near future, Frank is a retired catburglar living alone while his successful son, Hunter, tries to care for him from afar. Finally, Hunter gets him a robot caretaker, but Frank soon learns that it is as useful as a burglary aide. As Frank tries to restart his old profession, the uncomfortable realities of a changing world and his worsening dementia threaten to take beyond what any reboot can do for him.
--IMDb
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There's a quietness about Robot & Frank that I really found refreshing.
Here's a film that deals with science fiction but isn't a science fiction film. Here's a film that deals with a cat burglar and a burglary but isn't a heist or caper film. Robot & Frank avoids convention and expectation at just about every turn and reveals itself to be just what it is -- a film about regrets.
Set in the not-too-distant future, the always on-point Frank Langella stars as Frank, a former cat burglar turned retiree who is starting to slip mentally, i.e. losing his memory, etc. Frank did some time in prison for his crimes and you get a sense of the toll it took on him personally - he lost his wife over it and strained his relationship with his kids, daughter Madison (Liv Tyler) and especially Hunter (James Marsden). When we meet Frank, he is being visited by his son who has concerns about his forgetfulness. So, Hunter purchases his father a robot (voiced by Peter Sarsgaard) to help him as a home health aid. Of course, Frank resists and doesn't believe in it but soon starts to relate to the Robot and accept its assistance.
What happens between Frank and Robot is nothing short of astounding. Frank, feeling that getting back into the burglary game will help his mental stability and sharpness, soon learns that having a Robot for an accomplice is a pretty great thing. Robot agrees to help Frank only because it does seem that the activity is aiding with his forgetfulness. Soon, however, Frank starts rousing the suspicions of the local police (Jeremy Sisto) and librarian (Susan Sarandon), with whom Frank is also flirting shamelessly. But what Frank is really doing is making up for lost time with his kids. Frank was never able to pass on his skills to his kids, and being able to do so with the Robot is almost a second chance for Frank. He begins to relate to the Robot as if it were human, though this is one film where we're constantly reminded - it's just a machine.
There is just something soul-nourishing about this entire film. Frank Langella's performance is refined, calm and sophisticated. He's breaking the law and we're rooting for him every step of the way. The brilliance of the relationship between Frank and the Robot is that we, the audience, already know that this Robot is only going to be able to do and offer so much - the film-makers never give you the idea that this Robot is suddenly going to develop feelings and emotions. As much as Frank might want it to, the Robot essentially does what it's told and sticks to its programming. But, the final scene shared between the two is still highly emotional and brought back memories of Tom Hanks v. Wilson in Cast Away.
One of the biggest surprises of the film was the discovery of the artist Francis and the Lights, who provides the soundtrack for the picture. It's one of the most interesting and satisfying soundtracks I've heard in a long time, equal parts haunting and uplifting. The song that plays over the final credit sequence, "Fell on Your Head" is still in my brain and I can't find it anywhere to purchase or download: major bummer.
Robot & Frank is one of the better films I have seen in 2012 and a perfect example of how simplicity still works in a big way in film. The only things we're given to let us know we're in the future are some very specific looking robots, tiny cars and a tag line at the beginning of the film. And that's all we need, no questions asked. No visual effects were needed to tell this engaging story. And, at the end of the day, the most remarkable effect in this film is the effect it has on the viewer. 8/10.
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