Movie Review: Rent-A-Pal
A lonely bachelor resigned to being the full-time caretaker for his ailing mother becomes increasingly obsessed by a videotape in writer/director Jon Stevenson’s Rent-A-Pal, an unsettling character study that builds into a full-on thriller in its third act. Wonderfully acted and gripping throughout, Stevenson’s directorial debut is a chilling watch. Set in 1990, Rent-A-Pal stars Brian Landis Folkins as David, a 40-year-old man who lives with his elderly, verbally abusive mother Lucille (Kathleen Brady), who suffers from dementia. With no real outside contact, he seeks a romantic relationship through a video dating service that has questionable practices. One day at the service’s offices, he impulse purchases a videotape called “Rent-A-Pal,” and begins to connect with the character named Andy (Wil Wheaton in a creepy performance), who asks for personal information, suggests drinks and card games, and slowly becomes a heavily influential part of David’s lonely life. Enter Lisa (Amy Rutledge), a fellow caregiver who matches through the dating service with
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