YOU'VE GOT A FRIEND IN ME // A FILM REVIEW OF "RENT-A-PAL"
Being a lonely white man with serious Mommy issues is the set-up of many serial killers bios. It's also the story of RENT-A-PAL's main protagonist David (Brian Landis Folkins) - a goofy but caring man taking care of his mother (Kathleen Brady), who has dementia and sometimes thinks David is his late father. He lives in the basement of her home and fills his days replying to a dating service called "Video Rendezvous." Set in 1990, way before internet and cell phones), RENT-A-PAL's core idea is inspired by a real VHS tape called "Rent-A-Friend," which featured a man named Sam who wanted to be your new friend (look it up on YouTube. It's well worth the time). He spoke to you, "listened to you," and even took a selfie of sorts with you! It was all kinds of creepy, so it's a perfect set up for a new generation horror film. David's dating service experience isn't going well. He's awkward and he hasn't had any matches line up quite yet. When he goes to Video Rendezvous in person one day to check in and see if he has any matches, he stumbles upon a VHS tape titled "Rent-A-Friend." Curious, he buys it and takes it home.
Once he pops it into his VCR, he "meets" Andy (Will Wheaton), his new friend who listens to his problems, "responds" to him, tells him about his own life and in general, gives a guy like David the emotional support he thinks he needs right now. He quickly bonds with Andy and replays the tape over and over, memorizing the dialogue so that he can respond more accurately. Shortly after, David is finally matched up with someone. Lisa (Amy Rutledge) was charmed by his awkward video and is a good and kind hearted person. She's a nurse who related to David being a caretaker and was drawn to him. As luck would have it, they hit it off on their first date and plan for another. He runs home to tell his new friend Andy about it, but Andy is none-too-pleased. Is Andy actually responding to this with jealously, somehow able to talk beyond his recording? Or is it all in David's mind? Or could this VHS tape be coming to life right before his eyes?
Brian Landis Folkins is very effective as David, sympathetic and strange. As he shifts into stranger behavior, you feel for him, which makes the actions even scarier. Will Wheaton is great as Andy, the friend with questionable motives. We never see him outside of the VHS tape, but he gives a fully fleshed out and sinister performance, mostly with a crackling smile. Finally, Amy Rutledge is pitch perfect. Sweet and caring, her performance anchors the film and gives David a beautiful way out, if only he can see it. Writer/Director Jon Stevenson has crafted a great film that only fails near the end. The slow building tension makes for a creepy and interesting take on loneliness but just as it's really getting good it falls into familiar territory with a standard horror ending. Which shouldn't diminish how effective most of the movie is, but it is a disappointing finish to a very fascinating start.
GRADE: B
WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY Jon Stevenson STARRING Brian Landis Folkins, Will Wheaton, Amy Rutledge, Kathleen Brady. Now Available to rent or purchase at Digital Cinemas.