Robot and Frank (2012)

There are movies that come along that don't really have one genre, but instead mix them and if done right can really create something special. The latest film Robot and Frank starring Frank Langella, James Marsden, Liv Tyler, Susan Sarandon, and Peter Sarsgard blending drama with a touch of Sci-fi, but does this film work or is this great cast wasted on a failed experiment?

Robot and Frank follows a retired cat burglar in the near future whose family is concerned with him living alone. When his wealthy son delivers a robot caretaker to help with his day to day life he begins to see the benefits it could have for him to return to his old life. But as things seem to get better, his worsening health and dementia may be more than even the robot can help with. This is one of those films from description may or may not sound all that appealing, but delivers a truly surprising emotional film. For most of the film it is just Langella and the robot in charge of carrying the film and it works amazingly well. Langella gives one of the best performances in a quite some time, which is saying something since he is pretty much always great. This story manages to take a story element that is somewhat out there and add some humor and a hefty dose of heart to create a really unexpected experience. There are not over the top CG special effects to bring the robot to life, just a person in a very basic suit and it works perfectly.

This is one of those special movies that only comes along every so often and is a must see. You wouldn't think there could be much of a relationship between and old man and a robot this strong until you see this film. While everything is pretty laid out for you about the direction of this movie, it still manages to throw in some unexpected twists and surprises that will make you love this movie even more. If you haven't seen or heard of this movie you need to fix this issue immediately and check it out.

Fmovies: "How do you know this whole thing isn't just one big scam?" Frank (Langella) is an ex-jewel thief who is living alone and is getting dementia. Worried about his dad his son Hunter (Marsden) gives him a gift, a robot to help him remember things and help out around the house. At first Frank is opposed until he learns he can teach the robot to be his partner. I wasn't sure what to expect from this movie going in. It looked OK but also had a feeling it was going to be slow and a little dry. I was wrong. While the movie is not at all action packed or exciting it had an original idea that really kept you interested the entire time and I found it to be an enjoyable movie. There is comedy in this and the way its presented makes it seem like this thing could really happen. The movie is actually surprisingly touching and well worth seeing. I just don't know if I'd watch it again, but I'm glad I saw it once. Overall, a good and heartfelt movie that is well worth checking out. I give it a B.

Robot and Frank is a sweet and tender drama, set in what it proclaims to be "the near future," about a retired cat-burglar, responsible for several crimes that were said to rob the insurance criminals and the robot that is placed in his life as a caregiver when he becomes no longer able-bodied enough to do so. The man is Frank (Frank Langella), an ex-convict beginning to experience dementia/Alzheimer's like symptoms. His son, Hunter (James Marsden), is tired of commuting ten hours round-trip on a weekly basis to care for his father, so to assure his safety and health, he buys him a slick domestic robot (voiced by Peter Sarsgaard), which is programmed to help the elderly in their daily activities. The bot also promotes a rather therapeutic lifestyle, emphasizing healthy eating habits and cognitive exercises to restore and maintain brain activity. I can only hope these things become available publicly in the near future.

As expected, Frank is hesitant to use the robot, finding it useless since he sees himself as capable to take care of himself. Yet when he realizes that the robot doesn't have the conscious ability to distinguish ethical behavior from illegal behavior, Frank believes he can get back into the petty-crime business and use the robot as a lock-picking device. Their first crime involves stealing a rare antique book from the local library, which is looking to overhaul its print media format in favor of the digital age. The librarian, Jennifer (Susan Sarandon), who Frank begins to develop a small little crush on, is dismayed, but coping with the loss of print books in the world, so Frank believes that his effort to save one of the rarest books of all time will make her a bit happier.

A subplot involves Frank's daughter Madison (Liv Tyler), who works on-location in Turkmenistan, coming to visit him shortly after Hunter gives him the robot, to show that human-care is the best care of all and that robots can not provide a human with the same kind of love a human can. She possesses something of the opinion Frank held before this robot came into his life, and we wonder if she will come out changed like him.

The "near future" presented is the kind of near future that we ourselves can kind of predict, rather than it being a Jetsons-esque utopia. All cars have a "Smart Car" built towards them if the "Smart Car" was compressed and made leaner (they look like a twenty-five mile-an-hour wind can blow them over), digital media is taking over in places like libraries, phone calls are made through the TV in a Skype-like format, and the aforementioned domestic robot has become something of a standard. This is the second most favorable aspect to this film, next to the relationship Frank has with his robot. The world the film erects is pragmatic and easily-likable. It doesn't require the suspension of disbelief. It might have if this was made in the 1990's. Libraries going away? Yeah, right.

The film sweetly gives us a parable on how aging and caregiving may be changed in the next few years, with the influx of technology and the possibilities for in-home care with robots. As foreign as this sounds, it isn't far from likely. American citizens, especially the elderly, have had a terrifically tough time adapting to a world that is changing faster than many can keep up, and this film details that. We see Frank is more in-tuned with technology than many others his age, but he may be one of the lucky ones. If there's anything to take away from Robo

Robot and Frank fmovies. I enjoyed "Robot & Frank", though I am not quite sure why I've seen it referred to as a comedy or a 'buddy comedy'. It's actually a rather serious and ultimately depressing film--but one that is highly original.

Frank Langella stars as an aging man who is slipping mentally and physically. Exasperated, his son decides to do something to free him from having to worry about his father--buy him a helper robot that will keep an eye on him and care for him. However, Langella's memory is spotty--and the very larcenous part of his past is still alive and kicking. And, he's hoping that the robot might help him on his next caper.

The film is a bit hard to rate. I was stuck between a 7 and an 8. It is super-original and fresh but also a bit of a downer--particularly towards the end. It's nice to see some very good acting but I wish the film was a bit more fulfilling. What did you think? Did you also find it a tad unsatisfying when all was said and done. Good--very good. But also not exactly an enjoyable film.

I could find no error in the story and that is unbelievable when I remember those top latest movies that I have watched in recent days of which they had at least a few.

What impresses me at most is that we can trace those warm family ties which we used to have once and now deteriorating.

The movie is easily watched; can assume the camera is well used and Frank Langella is acting marvelously.

I wonder if the reason I liked the movie too much is that I am 63 years old.

One more comment: It shows that you can make also make a good movie without a big budget and too many walking man.

A funny & touching film that is very effective at getting the audience to identify and empathize with Frank Langella's aging character, a former cat burglar who is gradually growing senile. Frank's son buys him a robot caretaker --a health-nut disciplinarian with a soft spot in its hardware heart -- and Frank eventually persuades the robot to be his partner-in-crime in some late-life capers he has planned.

The film is cleverly and ambiguously set in the "near future," so the 30- & 40-somethings of today could easily be the Franks of tomorrow: still using the slang of the 2000s & 2010s, not scared of the latest technology but still somewhat befuddled by it, and rather aghast when young people ask us about our quaint "relationship with printed media."