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90 min. | Rated PG-13
Robot and Frank (PG-13) A buddy flick pairing a grumpy old man with a charmingly innocent robot: what's not to like? Especially when, as in the case of Robot & Frank, the grumpy old man is played by Frank Langella and the robot (named Robot) is cute enough to look like it jumped right out of a Disney film. Indeed, Robot & Frank has far more in common with Wall-E than 2001: A Space Odyssey — Robot is about as far from HAL as it is possible to get. And he's a hell of a lot more useful. The premise is simple: It's the near future, and Frank is an elderly man whose mind isn't working as well as it used to. Since he lives alone, his adult son decides to bring him a robot who functions as a kind of live-in caregiver, cooking meals, setting a routine, and generally providing encouragement and support. Frank, who is the most crotchety old man to steal the screen since Walter Matthau's Max Goldman in Grumpy Old Men, hates the robot at first and does his best to make things unpleasant for both of them. Once he realizes that the two could make a great team, however, he quickly warms up to his loyal companion. Robot & Frank is a light and in many ways inconsequential story, but the film fulfills its pleasant purpose beautifully. Set in a quaint, quiet New York town where the future is signified by little more than Robot and a library that's being digitalized, Robot & Frank is a comforting kind of movie, despite its honest depiction of the loneliness of aging. The smooth cinematography matches the story's meandering pace. Both move the film's subjects along so calmly that one could be forgiven for thinking that hardly anything happens from start to finish. The only disappointment comes toward the end, as the film reaches its inevitable, bittersweet conclusion. Without spoiling the story, all we can say is that there seems to be a decent-sized plothole there, the only purpose of which is to tug just a little bit harder at the heartstrings. But overall, that is a small criticism. For a film this full of dramatic superstars, Robot & Frank has surprisingly modest ambitions: to offer a little tale of companionship in old age. Sometimes, that's enough. —Elizabeth Pandolfi
See our full review:

Grumpy old man meets machine in Robot & Frank

Electric Friendship »

Official Site: robotandfrank-film.com
Director: Jake Schreier
Writer: Christopher Ford
Producer: Galt Niederhoffer, Sam Bisbee, Jackie Kelman Bisbee and Lance Acord
Cast: Frank Langella, Susan Sarandon, James Marsden, Liv Tyler, Peter Saarsgard, Jeremy Strong, Liev Schreiber, Bonnie Bentley, Joshua Ormond and Rachael Ma

Sorry there are no showtimes for Robot & Frank on Monday, May 20.

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