Frank Talk (and Robot Talk, Too)

Some sci-fi movies have ostentatious premises that serve up two hours of wall-to-wall special effects. But then there are quiet, restrained films with a mild sci-fi conceit. Robot and Frank is the latter. Set in "the near future," it's the tale of an old man suffering dementia, whose son buys him robot servant to help monitor him in his home. But the old man, Frank, has a criminal past, and when the robot encourages him to engage in more activities to stave off his mental decline, Frank decides to teach it how to help him commit burglaries.

The movie is a deft blend of quietly expressed messages and themes with a fun and engaging plot. While it never beats you over the head about it, it makes you consider things like: What is a humane way to care for the elderly? How do people relate to technology? How cruel a fate is Alzheimer's Disease and dementia? But really, your mind processes these things in the background as you watch the fun tale of a devious old man trying to recapture his youth.

The cast is what really sells the concept and makes it enjoyable. Frank Langella stars as (appropriately enough) Frank, and really makes you care for his character despite his manifest flaws. His son and daughter are played by James Marsden and Liv Tyler; each provides an interesting energy to the film, as neither character really makes enough time for their father, but both have very different opinions on the robot. Susan Sarandon plays the local librarian with whom Frank has a relationship, Frank being the only guy left in the future who actually wants to read a physical book.

And then there's the robot itself, voiced by Peter Sarsgaard.He serves up a tonality and style very similar to the performance Kevin Spacey gave in Moon, but it's perfectly pitched for this film. The robot is human enough to be a believable and empathetic "person" that Frank would bond to, but dispassionate and innocent enough that it could be believably be drawn into a criminal conspiracy.

Ultimately, the movie isn't revelatory, though it is a well made little effort. I give it a B.