Robot and Frank

Well worth 89 minutes of your day spending time with Robot & Frank...Langella
I looked up yesterday at my AA in-flight movie and saw that they were screening 'Robot & Frank.' I immediately began buttonholing my seatmates: "This is a really good movie." I had the good fortune of catching it during its August 2012 big screen debut and thoroughly enjoyed it.

We sought it out for two reasons. First, my wife and I love Frank Langella. [Pro tip: Check out the vastly underrated Starting Out In The Evening.]

Second, I'd caught Mr. Langella talking most informatively about the film - and about his career on stage and screen - in an interview with Fresh Air's Dave Davies. The best part: when asked why he chose to participate in the film, Langella told a fascinating story about getting sent the script, liking it, but feeling it didn't fully depict the challenges facing a man in his eighth decade. He said that he asked for a meeting with director Jake Schreier and writer...

Bitter-sweet family drama, character study and buddy movie all at once
I saw the movie "Robot & Frank" in the theatre here in Cincinnati in early September. It's taken quite a long time for the DVD release to get listed on Amazon, but here we are finally.

"Robot & Frank" (2012 release, 89 min.) brings the story, set in upstate NY "in the near future" of Frank (played by Frank Langella) who is an ex-con (a "cat burglar" as Frank puts it) in the latter stage of his life when his memory fails him at times. Living alone has become a challenge and one day Frank's son buys him a robot who can be a do-it-all butler for Frank. Then a strange thing happens: after initially resisting the robot as much as possible, Frank discovers he actually likes the robot's help and, even more important, its companionship. Soon thereafter, Frank concots a plan to commit one last heist, with the help of the robot. At that point we are not even half-way into the movie, and to reveal more would certainly ruin your viewing experience. You'll just have to see for yourself...

HUMANITY IN THE MACHINE
Frank Langella is an actor whose talents are rarely noted it seems. Some folks don't even know who you're talking about when his name is mentioned and that's a shame. Those of us old enough to remember will think of him as Dracula. A younger generation might consider him Nixon. The thing is he's been around turning out great performances for years and doesn't get the recognition that he deserves. His latest out on DVD proves that.

In ROBOT & FRANK Langella stars as Frank, an ex-jewel thief in the near future when things are changing as they always do. A cantankerous sort, Frank has been left by his kids to fend for himself away from family. They still try to make his life as comfortable as possible but at the same time have little to do with him. Case in point is the new item Frank's son Hunter (James Marsden) has brought to him.

To make sure that he's taken care of Hunter has just purchased a robot to be Frank's companion and caretaker. The robot has numerous...

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