Rent-a-Pal

Loner David (Folkins) lives with his mother who's riddled with dementia and longs for a deeper connection in his life. After video dating doesn't go his way, he discovers a VHS tape in a discount bin for something called Rent-A-Pal. Upon putting the tape in the VCR, he meets a jolly new friend named Andy (Wheaton) who becomes his latest obsession.

Soon, all David wants to do is stay in the basement talking to Andy on the TV as his mental capacities slip away and even Lisa (Rutledge), a potential love interest, can't pry him away.

Rent-A-Pal harkens back to the bleak 70's psychodramas of yesteryear and this downbeat tone might not be to everyone's taste. It also leaves a good deal up to individual audience member interpretation and doesn't spell everything out for you.

The performances are uniformly excellent all around with Folkins carrying the film with his sad sack David. It's to his credit that he remains watchable even while playing such a pitiful and desperate character. Wheaton is every bit his equal as the too-chirpy Andy who might be more sinister than he initially lets on.

Well that was a surprise. I definitely wasn't expecting this movie to be as good as it was. Other then the ending I thought this movie was really good. It had a great cast and original plot. I can't really think of another film quite like it. I wouldn't necessarily call it a horror film though. It was more like a dark comedy. 6 stars from me.

A good thriller about how lonely a person can be and how the ressentment of life can bring you to the break of madness. With Wheaton bringing some great and creepy acting to the table.

40 year old David lives at home with his 73 year old mother and acts as her full-time carer as she suffers from dementia. After unsuccessfully trying to find love via a video dating agency for the last 6 months, David opts to buy a video called Rent-a-Pal hoping that this will provide him with a viable short-term substitute. However, the more David watches this video the more he finds his life spiralling out of control...

Rent-a-Pal is an example of a film that does a slow-burn approach correct; there's an almost quaint, sedate, direct-to-video feel about the first half of the film as David quietly goes about his day-to-day life looking after his mother. But as things progress there's a simmering tension to the picture as David's obsession and gradual detachment from reality begins to unfold...

It's fair to say that the contrast from the first half of the film to the second half is a tad jolting and some may be taken by surprise at just how disturbing and brutal the film becomes in its second half (me included), but if you can hack it then the film does provide a good examination in to the gradual descent in to madness of a lonely individual; you can make what you will of David's interactions with Andy, but personally I feel that David was 'hearing what he wanted to here.' most of the time.

The acting is pretty good and helps to create the disturbing atmosphere that permeates the film; particular mention should go to Brian Landis Folkins for his terrific portrayal, but Wil Wheaton's creepy turn is also worthy of mention.

Rent-a-Pal is both disturbing and bizarre, but at the same time it's compelling and fascinating to watch (although I'll admit it won't be for all tastes). Still if you can handle these sort of things in a film then you're in for something of a treat with Rent-a-Pal.

Plot

1990: David, 40, looks after his dementia mom. He uses a video dating service to no avail. He buys a "Rent-A-Pal" video tape and things change.

Cast

The directional debut of Jon Stevenson and stars Lord King Emperor of all us nerds, Wil Wheaton.

Verdict

Rent-A-Pal was a movie I watched because I wanted to see something before bed and I couldn't be bothered to spend much time scrolling through the streaming service. I had no expectations, I had never heard of the film and I was going in blind and that's rare and appreciated.

If you're expecting a horror, you'll be disappointed as it simply isn't Think of it as a slow burn thriller with the core themes of loneliness and mental health.

It's a solemn sad tale that doesn't really let up, it's dark, it's gripping and unexpectedly it was surprisingly unique and kept my attention throughout.

Wheaton was great here, the films construction is solid and though I'd argue it's very niche it worked for me and I walked away deeming it one of the better movies I've seen in a while.

Rants

Something I took away from the film was nostalgia, did I ever participate in VHS dating? No, in fact I don't know if it's ever been a thing here in the UK and certainly doesn't come across very practical. But VHS, the 90's, it reminds me of the good ol'days of visiting Blockbuster, that wonderful feeling of a VHS block and the noise it made when you moved it. I miss those days, digital doesn't have the same magic.

Breakdown

Very unique Fascinating premise Good performances Very niche Drags in places.