Now and again, we stumble on a slightly less mainstream film that looks so good, we’re a little annoyed with ourselves for not knowing about it before. This is certainly the case with the indie comedy drama Robot & Frank, a movie that, until this first trailer appeared, we’d barely heard of.
The work of first-time director Jake Schreier and writer Christopher D Ford, Robot & Frank and stars Frank Langella (Skeletor!), Liv Tyler, James Marsden and Susan Sarandon. Langella plays Frank, a retired burglar who lives in the near future. His advancing years prompt his son and daughter (respectively, Marsden and Tyler) to buy a mechanical carer to look after him - something Frank isn’t particularly happy about - that is, until he teaches the automata how to pick locks, and the pair embark on a new life of crime together.
The above may sound horribly mawkish, like a Short Circuit remake written by Alan Bennett, but as a patient viewing of the trailer below will prove to you, Frank & Robot's premise is delivered with a lightness of touch and a sparkle of writerly wit. It made a big impression at the Sundance film festival, too, earning some rave reviews which quickly piqued distributors’ interest.
Exactly when - or how wide - the UK release will be isn’t yet clear, but if we hear any word of a due date, we’ll be sure to keep you posted.
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