so f***ing weird, I loved it.
So disappointed, what can I say about this one,painfully slow to start,straight up wierd and not in a good way and the last 45 mins just gets even more stupid.the only positive it’s good to see Will Wheaton in another film and he does do creepy very well
I have a long list of movies to get through. This was on the list.
Rent-A-Pal is actually not terrible, but it requires some suspension of disbelief. In the 90s, David, a bachelor living in the basement of his parents' old home, has had to put his life on hold to take care of his mother, who has dementia. David is using a dating service through video tapes where one records a brief description of themselves and it gets distributed to people with similar interests. David has had no luck and on his latest trip to the video store, he finds a tape called Rent-A-Pal, a sort of interactive tape where Andy, the man in the video, prompts the watcher to respond in open spaces and then develop a friendship with them. But not all is right with the tape, as things seem to change in the video and Andy becomes more unhinged.
I did enjoy this film for what it was; a mostly single-setting sort of supernatural horror about loneliness, having to put everything aside to care for someone who needs it - while you know it's a noble thing to do and someone has to do it, simultaneously you also hate being unable to live. I thought the movie had really good pacing, things seem to change and happen in ways that are unnoticable to David but really obvious to the viewer, where David is so drawn in to having one single friend (through Andy) that he seems to ignore things that don't make sense - that's why I think it needs a little suspension of disbelief.
The movie was actually just really very long, and even though I said it was well-paced some things probably didn't need to be in it, like David falling asleep to one of his dad's old film reels, which is just a sex tape of his mum and dad? or I guess maybe a random woman on the road that his dad met? I didn't think David needed to be turned into a creep. He was just a lonely guy looking for love that happened to live in his mum's basement.
Worth a watch.
Decent film that’s a bit of a slow burn. Characters were fairly interesting and some good performances.
agree with others - well-acted but slow and the last act doesn't make much sense, in the sense that it wasn't earned. even though it moved slow, the escalation towards the ending came out of nowhere
Like a gymnast with a broken leg, this is fun to watch but takes some leaps where it can't stick the landings.
A lonely guy befriends a character on a video tape and then things go off track… BTW, if you like this film, you'll really really love a Greek film called Suntan.
I’m really not sure….
I enjoyed it, it felt like it was actually made in the 90s which I suppose made it clever!?! Wil Wheaton’s character was brilliant and watching David change towards the end was good.
But at the end I did feel a bit “what did I actually watch there…” just odd. But was it an odd film or so clever they wanted me to feel like that?!?
Wow, I can't believe you!!... You're full of surprises!
I loved it!
I thought I was going to see a film about loneliness. And, the film appears to be that for much of the run time. But, as it approaches its 'big finish' it goes completely bonkers and you realize it was a waste of time. If this film were on VHS I would cut it up and burn it.
Not bad. Weird and sad. The last act didn't make sense.
Shout by Lee Brown Barrow Movie BuffVIP 3BlockedParent2021-03-20T15:15:52Z
Overstays its welcome - a little like the rent-o-pal itself - but still a pretty good curio for those who want something different. Good to see Wil Wheaton again too.