This week, Jake Schreier will bring one of Marvel’s dark horse superhero ensembles to the big screen with Thunderbolts*. The most intriguing thing about Thunderbolts* is how it’s being marketed, as its collection of antiheroes functions less like the Avengers and more like the Guardians of the Galaxy. This isn’t the first time Schreier has brought a unique blend of chaos and heartbreak to his moviemaking efforts, though. His very first film, Robot & Frank, would establish many of the elements that show up in his future works, including Thunderbolts*, Beef, and Star Wars: Skeleton Crew. Robot & Frank takes place in the distant future, where Frank Ward (Frank Langella) is struggling with isolation and the fact that he’s been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Frank’s son Hunter (James Marsden) winds up buying a robot (voiced by Peter Sarsgaard) to help keep him company, and the two wind up bonding…but not in the way Hunter thinks. In his youth, Frank was a skilled thief, and he winds up seeking the robot’s help in committing a series of heists.
Jake Schreier Showed His Gift for Unlikely Friendships with ‘Robot & Frank’
The fun of watching Robot & Frank is seeing the budding bond of friendship between the two characters. Frank hates the robot at first, constantly insulting it; when it tells him that the cereal he likes to eat is more suited for children, he mutters, “You’re for children, stupid.” But as time goes by, the two start to bond, whether it’s through arm-wrestling to see if Frank will get to enjoy a cheeseburger or Frank teaching the robot the finer points of pulling off a heist. In one of the film’s best moments, Frank tells the robot to pretend it has a self-destruct mechanism to scare off a group of children taunting it. It’s at once a familiar setup, since plenty of sci-fi stories explore the bond between man and machine, but that setup takes some unexpected turns. Unlike The Terminator or Ex Machina, the robot isn’t out to kill Frank or steal his life. Schrier was insistent that he didn’t want to demonize technology, telling the New York Times: “It’s not bad or good, but it will change the way we relate to each other…There’s no stopping it.”
Frank’s friendship with the robot does draw protests from Hunter and his daughter Madison (Liv Tyler), but he refuses to give it up. Schrierer has explored similar setups in his other works, particularly Beef — though in the case of that series, it’s less about the bond between two people and more the lengths to which they’ll go to screw each other over. Even Thunderbolts* is dealing with the unlikely bonds that its characters share, whether it’s the father/daughter relationship between Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) and the Red Guardian (David Harbour) or the fact that Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) and John Walker (Wyatt Russell) are working together despite fighting each other in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
‘Robot & Frank’ Will Hit You Emotionally When You Least Expect It
Throughout Robot & Frank, Frank’s dementia is given serious focus, showcasing why his friendship with the robot is so important. A good example of this involves Frank’s efforts to woo librarian Jennifer (Susan Sarandon); in fact, the heists he pulls involve stealing a rare copy of Don Quixote from the library to impress her, and lifting jewels from arrogant developer Jake (Jeremy Strong), who’s planning to renovate the library. Throughout Robot and Frank, it’s hinted that Jennifer has a past connection to Frank, but he can’t remember it. When that connection is eventually revealed, it results in an emotional upheaval and showcases just how much Frank has lost to Alzheimer’s. The robot’s plight also mirrors its best friend, as due to its cutting-edge tech, it recalls every interaction it’s ever had — meaning that if Frank is caught, it could be a witness. Frank resists erasing the robot’s memory until the very end, but when the time comes, it will once again stab deep into the viewer’s heart. And the ending is as bittersweet as they come.
Jake Schreier might be hitting the blockbuster scene with Thunderbolts, but Robot & Frank is more than worth a watch. It’s funny, it’s a clever take on a sci-fi staple, and it takes some unexpected turns, much like Thunderbolts*.
Robot & Frank is available to stream on Hulu.
