So get it out of the "horror movie" genre. Once you view it as a character study, a dark one at that, it may be better reviewed.
With a low budget, the director / producer / writer managed to put together a very well done, character-driven, engaging little movie. The cinematography was very good, the tension was palpable, the dementia was well portrayed.
Thoughts of "Requiem for a Dream" and even "Taxi Driver" went through my head as I watched. Definitely recommend for what it is.
139 Reviews
Rent-a-Pal: Odd little film, in a good way
Platypuschow20 February 2024
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.
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.
Go Fish
ferguson-611 September 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Greetings again from the darkness. "Everybody loves somebody sometime." So sang the great Dean Martin. But what about the exception that proves the rule? Writer-director Jon Stevenson (in his directorial debut) offers up David, a 40 year old lonely heart, who is a full time caregiver for his dementia-afflicted mother. In between cleaning up after his mother and spoon-feeding her meals, David dreams of finding a soul mate.
Brian Landis Folkins stars as David, and he delivers a terrific performance in one of the strangest roles of the year. He manages to make David a guy we care about, despite his being ... well ... not the most exciting or charismatic dude you've met. Does it help that he doesn't have a job and lives on his mother's social security? No? How about the fact that he lives in her basement? Still not impressed? Well, the film takes place around 1990, and David is a member of Video Rendezvous, a VHS dating service - the Match of 30 years ago. Getting hopeful for David? Well you should know he has had zero matches. Poor guy.
One of Mr. Folkins best scenes occurs when we see him filming his personal video for the dating service. Well, it's his re-do ... and then a re-do of his re-do. That's pretty much how David's life goes. Later, while rummaging through the VHS tapes bargain bin, he stumbles upon one titled "Rent-A-Pal". At home, he pops it into the VCR and just like that - Andy (played by Wil Wheaton, STAND BY ME) appears on screen, and over a few days, David and Andy form an odd bond - maybe the strongest bond you've seen between a person and a character on screen talking directly to the camera/person watching. Andy is chummy and charismatic, and also a bit creepy. In fact, some of this reminded me of the Mark Duplass movie CREEP.
We witness David deal with the disappointment of each day. He finds some joy when his mother (Kathleen Brady) is reciting Cary Grant's dialogue in HIS GIRL FRIDAY, and suddenly things look up when he has a match with Lisa (Amy Rutledge). Their first date is at Skate Land, and features the awkward chemistry of two lonely hearts, rather than one. They seem to like each other, though it may just be they are each excited to be noticed by anyone.
Since the film is billed as a thriller, we know things will go sideways at some point. However, even if you figure out where it's headed, the path it takes may catch you off guard. As the bond between David and Andy crumbles, we witness David's descent into madness. Whereas his connection to Lisa should have made his life better, his extended loneliness has pushed him to the brink, and he struggles to distinguish between fantasy and reality. The final 10-15 minutes turn very dark (and feel a bit rushed), and are kinda sad to watch.
Director Stevenson has ensured a bleak feeling through most of the film with a washed out color palette. The only signs of brightness are the Skate Land sign, the receptionist's jacket, and Andy's glowing face on the TV. The performances are fun to watch, and Stevenson's debut is a keeper. "So long, Pal."
Brian Landis Folkins stars as David, and he delivers a terrific performance in one of the strangest roles of the year. He manages to make David a guy we care about, despite his being ... well ... not the most exciting or charismatic dude you've met. Does it help that he doesn't have a job and lives on his mother's social security? No? How about the fact that he lives in her basement? Still not impressed? Well, the film takes place around 1990, and David is a member of Video Rendezvous, a VHS dating service - the Match of 30 years ago. Getting hopeful for David? Well you should know he has had zero matches. Poor guy.
One of Mr. Folkins best scenes occurs when we see him filming his personal video for the dating service. Well, it's his re-do ... and then a re-do of his re-do. That's pretty much how David's life goes. Later, while rummaging through the VHS tapes bargain bin, he stumbles upon one titled "Rent-A-Pal". At home, he pops it into the VCR and just like that - Andy (played by Wil Wheaton, STAND BY ME) appears on screen, and over a few days, David and Andy form an odd bond - maybe the strongest bond you've seen between a person and a character on screen talking directly to the camera/person watching. Andy is chummy and charismatic, and also a bit creepy. In fact, some of this reminded me of the Mark Duplass movie CREEP.
We witness David deal with the disappointment of each day. He finds some joy when his mother (Kathleen Brady) is reciting Cary Grant's dialogue in HIS GIRL FRIDAY, and suddenly things look up when he has a match with Lisa (Amy Rutledge). Their first date is at Skate Land, and features the awkward chemistry of two lonely hearts, rather than one. They seem to like each other, though it may just be they are each excited to be noticed by anyone.
Since the film is billed as a thriller, we know things will go sideways at some point. However, even if you figure out where it's headed, the path it takes may catch you off guard. As the bond between David and Andy crumbles, we witness David's descent into madness. Whereas his connection to Lisa should have made his life better, his extended loneliness has pushed him to the brink, and he struggles to distinguish between fantasy and reality. The final 10-15 minutes turn very dark (and feel a bit rushed), and are kinda sad to watch.
Director Stevenson has ensured a bleak feeling through most of the film with a washed out color palette. The only signs of brightness are the Skate Land sign, the receptionist's jacket, and Andy's glowing face on the TV. The performances are fun to watch, and Stevenson's debut is a keeper. "So long, Pal."
Clever indie film
Draysan-Jennings24 September 2020
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.
The longer you watch, the more twisted it gets. Entertainingly dark.
TxMike4 May 2021
Warning: Spoilers
What is the best way for a 40-ish man to stay single? To let it be known that he lives in the basement of his mother's home. Brian Landis Folkins is really superb as 40-ish single man David. His mother is 73 (actually pretty young, I say) and suffers from dementia so he takes care of her. That is his job, they live off Social Security and maybe some inheritance from his musician father that died almost 10 years earlier.
David is lonely and joins a matchmaking service, where you make a video (this is 1990) and look at videos of others. While at the office he comes across a tape "Rent-a-Pal" by Wil Wheaton as Andy. At some point it seems that Andy is not just a tape with appropriate pauses to let questions be answered, instead he comes to start interacting with David. Of course that would take some sort of magic, so I prefer to look at it as David's mind starting to trick him, Andy is no longer to him just an image and voice on tape.
The more the movie goes the more twisted it gets. At one point David in fact meets a female that seems to like him but he breaks off a date when Andy reminds him they are supposed to play cards, "go fish", that night. Anyway as things progress it gets to a point of no return, things don't end well for any of the characters. But it is entertaining for those of us who enjoy a quite different story.
I watched it at home on DVD from my public library, my wife skipped.
David is lonely and joins a matchmaking service, where you make a video (this is 1990) and look at videos of others. While at the office he comes across a tape "Rent-a-Pal" by Wil Wheaton as Andy. At some point it seems that Andy is not just a tape with appropriate pauses to let questions be answered, instead he comes to start interacting with David. Of course that would take some sort of magic, so I prefer to look at it as David's mind starting to trick him, Andy is no longer to him just an image and voice on tape.
The more the movie goes the more twisted it gets. At one point David in fact meets a female that seems to like him but he breaks off a date when Andy reminds him they are supposed to play cards, "go fish", that night. Anyway as things progress it gets to a point of no return, things don't end well for any of the characters. But it is entertaining for those of us who enjoy a quite different story.
I watched it at home on DVD from my public library, my wife skipped.
LASAGNA WAS THE REAL VILLAIN.
andrewchristianjr16 August 2021
Not a bad film
ridsey14 September 2020
Parts great, overall okay
stole864 January 2021
Original story, great setting (totally has the 60s vibe), but a little dragged out and predictable ending. Btw, David (Brian Landis Folkins), is outstanding! Every actor here has great performance but this guy.....is on another level. Hope gets noticed and casted by a major Hollywood studio, would be the perfect supervillain!
Despite the gimmick... it REALLY works
bob_meg15 September 2020
It takes a lot of chutzpah to put as much into a film as Jon Stevenson's obviously put into Rent-a-Pal, a radically left-of-center psych horror/thriller in the mold of Repulsion and Mark Hanlon's 1999 Buddy Boy, with a little Videodrome dashed in for extra queasiness.
What I most liked about this film --- and what makes it very unique in the horror genre --- is that it dives unflinchingly into the realism of some very disturbing subjects: loneliness, depression, hopelessness, dementia, but also hits genuine notes of contentment, comfort, true love, redemption and yeah, back to hope, if only briefly. In short, it goes *everywhere*, like any legit character-driven drama, never short-changing or short-cutting despite that it's entire premise revolves around what should be a very tedious gimmick. That can only happen if everyone on cast and crew is at the top of their games, and Rent-a-Pal's band of indie shoestring nomads crush this dark gem with sledgehammer relish.
Brian Landis Folkins is mind-blowing as David Brower, a desperate, terminally isolated basement dweeb with a bad addiction to cheap bourbon, tacky VHS dating service cassettes, and a truckload of toxic childhood scars from abuse suffered at the hands of his now 73-year-old mother, who in the early 1990s is unraveling from the most horrifically realistic portrayal of dementia I've ever seen. Kathleen Brady as Mom brilliantly captures the vivid swerving between reality, fantasy, and incoherence. But Rent-a-Pal is really a showcase for Folkins, who gets more engaging as he gets less verbal, his tortured face a relief map of pain and suffering.
Yeah, everything pretty much sucks for David, although he can't even admit that to anyone, least of all himself. Then he finds "Andy" (Wil Wheaton) or actually a bargain bin cut-out video of Andy--- a bizarro dude who looks sorta like a life-size ventriloquist's dummy, complete with creepy sweater vest. Sitting on or near a chair and talking directly to the screen, Andy alternates insincerity with comments that run from patronizing to downright sadistic. At first David is amused, then intrigued, as Andy peers into the screen with his oh-so-interested active listening poses and nods and laughs enthusiastically. Then David starts to talk back, play cards, and offer up his deepest most painful memories to his new video friend.
This is where a lesser movie would have jumped ship and pulled out "the twist" --- as in... Andy is really monitoring David in his home in real time and is in reality a twisted psycho stalker... or.... Andy's video performance is *new* each time David cues up his tape. But no, nothing like this happens in Rent-a-Pal... only a few times does the film veer to the surreal or hallucinogenic. Stevenson seems to understand that would diminish his film's hypnotic spell.
When David finally meets his literal soul-mate (Amy Rutledge in a fragile heart-rending performance), Folkins has you so wrapped up in David that you're cheering him on, even as you secretly know something REALLY bad is going to happen.
It does, and that's where Rent-a-Pal will lose some people. It actually *is* a horror movie, but one whose role model is more Jeff Dahmer than Michael Myers. It did remind me a lot of Buddy Boy in tone and content, but Rent-a-Pal has much more heart. And that heart only makes it more painful when it's ripped out of you.
Watch at your own risk, but more likely great reward, if you're up for this kind of a dark journey.
What I most liked about this film --- and what makes it very unique in the horror genre --- is that it dives unflinchingly into the realism of some very disturbing subjects: loneliness, depression, hopelessness, dementia, but also hits genuine notes of contentment, comfort, true love, redemption and yeah, back to hope, if only briefly. In short, it goes *everywhere*, like any legit character-driven drama, never short-changing or short-cutting despite that it's entire premise revolves around what should be a very tedious gimmick. That can only happen if everyone on cast and crew is at the top of their games, and Rent-a-Pal's band of indie shoestring nomads crush this dark gem with sledgehammer relish.
Brian Landis Folkins is mind-blowing as David Brower, a desperate, terminally isolated basement dweeb with a bad addiction to cheap bourbon, tacky VHS dating service cassettes, and a truckload of toxic childhood scars from abuse suffered at the hands of his now 73-year-old mother, who in the early 1990s is unraveling from the most horrifically realistic portrayal of dementia I've ever seen. Kathleen Brady as Mom brilliantly captures the vivid swerving between reality, fantasy, and incoherence. But Rent-a-Pal is really a showcase for Folkins, who gets more engaging as he gets less verbal, his tortured face a relief map of pain and suffering.
Yeah, everything pretty much sucks for David, although he can't even admit that to anyone, least of all himself. Then he finds "Andy" (Wil Wheaton) or actually a bargain bin cut-out video of Andy--- a bizarro dude who looks sorta like a life-size ventriloquist's dummy, complete with creepy sweater vest. Sitting on or near a chair and talking directly to the screen, Andy alternates insincerity with comments that run from patronizing to downright sadistic. At first David is amused, then intrigued, as Andy peers into the screen with his oh-so-interested active listening poses and nods and laughs enthusiastically. Then David starts to talk back, play cards, and offer up his deepest most painful memories to his new video friend.
This is where a lesser movie would have jumped ship and pulled out "the twist" --- as in... Andy is really monitoring David in his home in real time and is in reality a twisted psycho stalker... or.... Andy's video performance is *new* each time David cues up his tape. But no, nothing like this happens in Rent-a-Pal... only a few times does the film veer to the surreal or hallucinogenic. Stevenson seems to understand that would diminish his film's hypnotic spell.
When David finally meets his literal soul-mate (Amy Rutledge in a fragile heart-rending performance), Folkins has you so wrapped up in David that you're cheering him on, even as you secretly know something REALLY bad is going to happen.
It does, and that's where Rent-a-Pal will lose some people. It actually *is* a horror movie, but one whose role model is more Jeff Dahmer than Michael Myers. It did remind me a lot of Buddy Boy in tone and content, but Rent-a-Pal has much more heart. And that heart only makes it more painful when it's ripped out of you.
Watch at your own risk, but more likely great reward, if you're up for this kind of a dark journey.
Dark, but very gripping....
wildsparrow1612 September 2020
Warning: Spoilers
This was much better than I had expected, given a simple premise and low budget. The acting was excellent and it is well-paced. It is a journey of a gentle, caregiver's descent into madness when life becomes more than he can handle. We see a kind, gentle, incredibly lonely man who spends his days taking good care of his dementia-ridden, potty-mouthed mother. The movie takes place in the 80's which is pretty cool. We watch his angst escalate as well as his loneliness. He "befriends" a man on a tape, that is how lonely he is. This turns out to not be a healthy 'relationship', as one can imagine. Things get very, very dark from there. This is very suspenseful movie, but quite dark. If you are okay with that, I recommend it.
Nothing Special
manresa3144 November 2020
Warning: Spoilers
It was okay. The concept was a good idea. The acting was good too. It had more funny moments than horror moments. It held my interest for the most part. However, it couldn't deliver in the climax and the ending was a miss.
I didn't understand because it seemed his dreams were finally answered when he received romantic interest which he so desperately sought after. The girl was cute, compatible and understanding to his circumstances. I didn't make any sense to me when he picked the pal over the girl. Grade C
I didn't understand because it seemed his dreams were finally answered when he received romantic interest which he so desperately sought after. The girl was cute, compatible and understanding to his circumstances. I didn't make any sense to me when he picked the pal over the girl. Grade C
A slow-burn surprise
I_Ailurophile16 May 2021
This is an interesting one.
'Rent-A-Pal' firmly establishes the timeframe of its setting, and the media broadcast that gives the year as 1992 is the least of it. The very old tube-style TVs, VHS, the station wagon, rollerskating rinks - to say nothing of video dating. A precursor to Internet dating, this very specific service nonetheless feels like such an oddity now - and is a throwback that handily lends itself to the atmosphere the film conveys.
This isn't a movie that can be neatly classified into any specific genre. One might reasonably call it a thriller, but it's one of the most understated, slow-burn thrillers I've ever seen. 'Rent-A-Pal' is more like a character study zeroed in on David (Brian Landis Folkins) as loneliness becomes desperation, then obsession, and worse. And Folkins portrays that descent, that gradual unraveling, with surprising, unexpected deftness.
There's a level of unyielding surrealism built into the feature as the friendship David forges with "Andy" (Wil Wheaton), and his growing fascination with the Rent-A-Pal VHS, takes over his life, and not just defies but escapes the boundaries of a recorded transcript. Wheaton has moved past acting to focus for some time now on his writing, but his turn as well-dressed Andy is irrepressibly creepy, and entrancing. It's honestly a joy to see him in this.
Throughout the feature, Jimmy Weber's score varies from tactfully understated to a little over the top - yet, somehow, perfect. Kathleen Brady's role as David's senile, elderly mother, Lucille, gives itself to an outstanding performance of the sort that is perpetually underappreciated. While our eyes are focused on David and Andy, Lucille remains in the background, a picture of swirling, unsteady emotion as her lucid moments come and go. Brady is to be commended for so capably fulfilling a part so essential, and so easily overlooked.
'Rent-A-Pal' is fascinating. Because it takes quite a while to feel like it's going somewhere, but by the time it does, we realize what the film has been doing all along. Only at the climax does the narrative kick up with a notable sense of suspense, but the tension has been boiling for so long at that point that the release is staggering. Through it all, Folkins' performance as David shows us a man who is losing himself. This is a picture that relies heavily on subtlety in its craft, and in its success, it is masterful.
Kudos to writer-director Jon Stevenson. This isn't a movie that's going to be for everyone, least of all those who are looking for a feature with a more driving narrative. Still, I started watching 'Rent-A-Pal' with no particular expectations, not even having heard about it previously, and in the end I'm blown away. This deserves to be seen by a far wider audience.
'Rent-A-Pal' firmly establishes the timeframe of its setting, and the media broadcast that gives the year as 1992 is the least of it. The very old tube-style TVs, VHS, the station wagon, rollerskating rinks - to say nothing of video dating. A precursor to Internet dating, this very specific service nonetheless feels like such an oddity now - and is a throwback that handily lends itself to the atmosphere the film conveys.
This isn't a movie that can be neatly classified into any specific genre. One might reasonably call it a thriller, but it's one of the most understated, slow-burn thrillers I've ever seen. 'Rent-A-Pal' is more like a character study zeroed in on David (Brian Landis Folkins) as loneliness becomes desperation, then obsession, and worse. And Folkins portrays that descent, that gradual unraveling, with surprising, unexpected deftness.
There's a level of unyielding surrealism built into the feature as the friendship David forges with "Andy" (Wil Wheaton), and his growing fascination with the Rent-A-Pal VHS, takes over his life, and not just defies but escapes the boundaries of a recorded transcript. Wheaton has moved past acting to focus for some time now on his writing, but his turn as well-dressed Andy is irrepressibly creepy, and entrancing. It's honestly a joy to see him in this.
Throughout the feature, Jimmy Weber's score varies from tactfully understated to a little over the top - yet, somehow, perfect. Kathleen Brady's role as David's senile, elderly mother, Lucille, gives itself to an outstanding performance of the sort that is perpetually underappreciated. While our eyes are focused on David and Andy, Lucille remains in the background, a picture of swirling, unsteady emotion as her lucid moments come and go. Brady is to be commended for so capably fulfilling a part so essential, and so easily overlooked.
'Rent-A-Pal' is fascinating. Because it takes quite a while to feel like it's going somewhere, but by the time it does, we realize what the film has been doing all along. Only at the climax does the narrative kick up with a notable sense of suspense, but the tension has been boiling for so long at that point that the release is staggering. Through it all, Folkins' performance as David shows us a man who is losing himself. This is a picture that relies heavily on subtlety in its craft, and in its success, it is masterful.
Kudos to writer-director Jon Stevenson. This isn't a movie that's going to be for everyone, least of all those who are looking for a feature with a more driving narrative. Still, I started watching 'Rent-A-Pal' with no particular expectations, not even having heard about it previously, and in the end I'm blown away. This deserves to be seen by a far wider audience.
Disturbing, bizarre & compelling
jimbo-53-18651128 June 2021
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.
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.
Very disappointing
jetwhite-0749821 February 2022
I have no idea why this has a rating of 6.3 !
It was slow & depressing with very little happening but, due to a rating of 6.3, I kept watching, waiting for something to happen.
I wouldn't even call it a horror, nor a psychological thriller. I suppose you could call it disturbing but not in any kind of entertaining way.
My advice, don't believe all the ratings here and give this one a miss.
It was slow & depressing with very little happening but, due to a rating of 6.3, I kept watching, waiting for something to happen.
I wouldn't even call it a horror, nor a psychological thriller. I suppose you could call it disturbing but not in any kind of entertaining way.
My advice, don't believe all the ratings here and give this one a miss.
Good thriller
TheMovieBro16 January 2021
Aside from the genre semantics that make up the bulk of the reviews in here, there's not a whole lot to complain about with this movie. A lot of the moments are fairly predictable as they unfold before you, but in no way does it come off as cliche. Excellent performances from all the actors involved. Wheaton is especially fantastic for his role. Perfect casting and a singular vision made this movie work really well. I haven't seen any of Jon Stevenson's other work, but Im looking forward to more.
A film content to go at its own pace that I quite enjoyed
jtindahouse14 September 2020
In a modern world where horror movies are forced to apply the golden rule of "a scare every 10 minutes", a film like 'Rent-A-Pal' is a refreshing alternative. Not enough films respect their audience anymore, but this one does - almost to a fault. It comes in at 108 minutes long, which is roughly 18 minutes longer than 95% of modern horror movies. And it is significantly slower and more drawn out than those other films as well. This is a film that isn't going to be rushed or hurried along by anyone. It knows where its going and the route it wants to take to get there, and that's what it goes about doing. The results are pretty decent.
After reading the synopsis for 'Rent-A-Pal' I wasn't exactly sure how the film was going to go. It was hard for me to imagine how they could pull off a film like that. Even still, as I was watching it, it was more unique than I expected it to be. It was hard to know whether the film just wanted you to buy into the concept, or whether there was more going on than met the eye. The film does get quite uncomfortable at times. They didn't want to make it easy on the audience and they certainly did a good job of making us squirm through the awkwardness of certain scenes.
'Rent-A-Pal' never feels in your face, or like its going out of its way to impress you. It's quite an understated film in that sense. It's a film where a long way into the runtime you may be asking yourself exactly where this is going - but in a good way. You'll ask that in a sense that you want to know, rather than out of frustration. The ending was reasonably well done I thought, without being anything mind-blowing. I had a good time with 'Rent-A-Pal' and I would call this a slightly above average film worth having a look at.
After reading the synopsis for 'Rent-A-Pal' I wasn't exactly sure how the film was going to go. It was hard for me to imagine how they could pull off a film like that. Even still, as I was watching it, it was more unique than I expected it to be. It was hard to know whether the film just wanted you to buy into the concept, or whether there was more going on than met the eye. The film does get quite uncomfortable at times. They didn't want to make it easy on the audience and they certainly did a good job of making us squirm through the awkwardness of certain scenes.
'Rent-A-Pal' never feels in your face, or like its going out of its way to impress you. It's quite an understated film in that sense. It's a film where a long way into the runtime you may be asking yourself exactly where this is going - but in a good way. You'll ask that in a sense that you want to know, rather than out of frustration. The ending was reasonably well done I thought, without being anything mind-blowing. I had a good time with 'Rent-A-Pal' and I would call this a slightly above average film worth having a look at.
Excellent Performance by Folkins
carolinephillips-4742724 August 2021
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.
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.
weird story that will stronghold you till the end
ops-5253511 September 2020
Ive never heard about Jon Stevenson, who has written, produced and directed this film, but from now i will for sure remember that name. i should really like to know how on this god forsaken earth he got the idea to a story like this, is it selfexperienced, or just a quaker moment of peter smart flashingly good idea moment. what i can say is that if you dive into this story you will for sure feel the strangulation of loneliness.
its a story from the late 80's or early 90's, its the vhs video system era, where everything could be done or solved by the help of a video cassette. the vhs plays a great part of this films dynamics, so this is the abc to the vhs era. about a man, taking care of his demented mum, ,living in the basement of his mums house, he goes through the daily routine, of diper shifts, feeding time, tv-watching and bed routines, day after day, he gets more and more depraved from his situation. he is friendless, but tries to find a companion via a dating agency. in those days, fortunes where made by offering people to come and record a short film presentation of youself for lots of dollars spent, and each time you made a hit, you got the reply video for a stash of doe to take home for evaluation. but this fellow aint a lucky fisherman by the female pond, and in desperation he buys a tape from the surplus clearout salesbin, called ''rent a pal'', e.g every lonely mans best pal for advisery and confort made for you from the livingroom chair to your living room chair.
so this is the initiation fase of the story, and as it develpes, you will experience a caracter study of brilliant proportions, you do hold hand with this lonely creature as he gets more and more depraved, desillutionized, fatigued and near psychotic into a frenzy of dialouging with the coloured spots of a tv screen, where the borderline caracteristics linger in the frames of this poor fellow.
its a small casted film, its made on a low budget, but the production dont bear signs of that. the staging and very realistic gadgets and stuff giving a timetrue realistic feel of this era of the last century are just exquisitlly well done. the score have the kind of tension that gives you the feel of , this is a good movie, appears from the very start.
acting is superb, an oscar from me to the male lead for his true deranged acting on a high truth factor, and the mother caracter as a dementedf feature, may well get nominated for best female assisting role. a demented caracter aint easy, and has to be observed thouroughly to overwhelm and convince a grumpy old man that has earned his doe at a geriatrics care facility for 95% of his working carriere, having dealt with hundreds of all levels of dementia at a daily basis.
well this is a true and honest review of a film that takes you into the grey, dry, and nearly darkest corners of a lonely mans life. there are not much gore and blood, but assure you a lot of funny and gutwrenching moments, its a high recommend .
its a story from the late 80's or early 90's, its the vhs video system era, where everything could be done or solved by the help of a video cassette. the vhs plays a great part of this films dynamics, so this is the abc to the vhs era. about a man, taking care of his demented mum, ,living in the basement of his mums house, he goes through the daily routine, of diper shifts, feeding time, tv-watching and bed routines, day after day, he gets more and more depraved from his situation. he is friendless, but tries to find a companion via a dating agency. in those days, fortunes where made by offering people to come and record a short film presentation of youself for lots of dollars spent, and each time you made a hit, you got the reply video for a stash of doe to take home for evaluation. but this fellow aint a lucky fisherman by the female pond, and in desperation he buys a tape from the surplus clearout salesbin, called ''rent a pal'', e.g every lonely mans best pal for advisery and confort made for you from the livingroom chair to your living room chair.
so this is the initiation fase of the story, and as it develpes, you will experience a caracter study of brilliant proportions, you do hold hand with this lonely creature as he gets more and more depraved, desillutionized, fatigued and near psychotic into a frenzy of dialouging with the coloured spots of a tv screen, where the borderline caracteristics linger in the frames of this poor fellow.
its a small casted film, its made on a low budget, but the production dont bear signs of that. the staging and very realistic gadgets and stuff giving a timetrue realistic feel of this era of the last century are just exquisitlly well done. the score have the kind of tension that gives you the feel of , this is a good movie, appears from the very start.
acting is superb, an oscar from me to the male lead for his true deranged acting on a high truth factor, and the mother caracter as a dementedf feature, may well get nominated for best female assisting role. a demented caracter aint easy, and has to be observed thouroughly to overwhelm and convince a grumpy old man that has earned his doe at a geriatrics care facility for 95% of his working carriere, having dealt with hundreds of all levels of dementia at a daily basis.
well this is a true and honest review of a film that takes you into the grey, dry, and nearly darkest corners of a lonely mans life. there are not much gore and blood, but assure you a lot of funny and gutwrenching moments, its a high recommend .
A great commentary on what loneliness can do..
tinydracula14 March 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Ok where do I start! Let me start off by saying I'm very happy people got the point of the film. Not being necessarily a horror movie. It is very much a great film on representing loneliness and what it can do to the human psyche. You thought the tape was haunted or something silly like that huh? I did. But I was wrong, I think he very much was going down that rabbit hole before the tape entered his life. Otherwise he wouldn't bond so deeply with a video tape of a guy saying the same things, at the same time, with the same tone and responses. But he's strangely comfortable with the repetition and being able to predict what will come and when. I think this is the kind of tape that's kind of like a "self help" tape of sorts just in a more adult way. Which actually is good. Because it's meant to show adults it's ok to be awkward but it's not ok to close yourself off. A tape that helps you (or Atleast is supposed to help you) learn on how to connect with people and how to start up conversations by showing you patterns of speech. Showing you ways of how to engage with others. But instead he took it the wrong way. He took it as "this tape will fix all your problems, this tape is all you need and if anybody says you're crazy they're just jealous of you and the tape" I thought that yes it has its boring parts but I think that was deliberate. To help put us into the mindset of him. To show the same repetitions and same backgrounds over and over again to show why he feels like he's been so held back and so afraid to go out into new things. And ultimately that mindset was his ultimate demise. Yet Hence why he was afraid of letting his new tape out of his life. 'What will I do without this tape? Things are new now, things are getting better, I cannot let people take this from me!' What do you think about that analysis? Do you like that? Agree or disagree? Thanks for reading! :)
It was not that great
emd11217421 December 2020
Underrated Slow Burn Thriller
solid_artur16 September 2020
I've felt that this movie needed an quick review.
If you like slow burning thrillers, weird ideas, character development and no "open ending" movies, then this film is for you. Kudos to the main actor, excellent job!
Great cinematography. The tape guy could be weirder, something was missing.
Solid 7.5/10.
If you like slow burning thrillers, weird ideas, character development and no "open ending" movies, then this film is for you. Kudos to the main actor, excellent job!
Great cinematography. The tape guy could be weirder, something was missing.
Solid 7.5/10.
A journey to the madness
Moviemaniac3017 February 2022
Had So Much Potential....
KingBaldwinIV10 November 2020
Warning: Spoilers
The film truly grabs your attention early on.. The acting is excellent, though the script limits the cast from achieving anything impressive/memorable. The writers boxed in the characters in my opinion. Feel they could have done more with the charismatic 'Andy' (From the VHS tape).
Alternate scenario: could have had Dave see the real Andy in public or something.
Like I said, early on there is a feel for a great movie, but then falls off about half way through, realizing that any hope of a stimulating climax/twist will most likely never come.. Predictable and stale overall. Only reason I gave it 5 stars is because of the quality actors/actresses.
Alternate scenario: could have had Dave see the real Andy in public or something.
Like I said, early on there is a feel for a great movie, but then falls off about half way through, realizing that any hope of a stimulating climax/twist will most likely never come.. Predictable and stale overall. Only reason I gave it 5 stars is because of the quality actors/actresses.
Very original and surprising
jfgibson7328 December 2021
This was a pretty good little story. I admire the lead actor for taking this role--it's not very flattering. The writing did a great job getting me to care about the central character, as well as his romantic interest. After showing all the obstacles this man faces daily, it was a real relief when he met this woman, who was so sweet and caring. When I was watching, I had questions about what this man was experiencing when he watched the special tape. When it finished, I felt like I understood what had been happening all along. Some nice surprises in this one. Well done.
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