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These days, there are plenty of apps and websites and social media sites to help people connect and meet others. But in the days before smart phones, the options were different—and in the thriller Rent-A-Pal, one lonely man finds a friend in an unlikely place.
Rent-A-Pal takes a step back to a time before the Internet, when lonely people had fewer options for meeting others like them. David (Brian Landis Folkins) would love to meet new people—and maybe even date—but his time is devoted to caring for his ailing mother (Kathleen Brady). When his attempts at a video dating service fail, he tries a new approach: a video called Rent-A-Pal. At first, it feels strange to connect with “Andy” (Wil Wheaton) by watching a video. But he feels a connection with the man on the screen—a connection that soon takes over his life.
Of course, it all starts out innocently enough. David is actually a sweet, patient guy, who hasn’t met the right person because he’s been too busy caring for his mom. He may be a little awkward, a little different, but when he races down to the Video Rendezvous station to update his video message and he opens up about his life and his hopes for the future, you’ll see that he’s not just some weirdo who’s living with his mother; he’s kind and caring and earnest. And you’ll really want him to meet someone.
The someone he meets, however, isn’t what he’s been hoping. Instead of meeting a woman, he meets Andy. At first, the whole thing seems pretty harmless—and, admittedly, a little dull. Andy encourages David to talk about his life while playing Go Fish and having a few drinks. He also starts digging into some deeper, darker topics—like bad relationships or his difficult relationship with his parents. And soon, this harmless VHS tape starts taking over David’s life. He spends his nights with Andy. He cancels plans for Andy. And, like any questionable friend, Andy gets him into trouble.
But that’s just the beginning of the trouble here. And even after David finally meets a good woman, he can’t seem to turn away from Andy—and the film shifts from odd and a little eerie to more disturbing. As David seems to let Andy control more and more, viewers are left to wonder if it’s all in David’s head—or if there’s something more sinister at play here. And that mystery gives the film a kind of slow-building suspense that will keep you wondering what’s really happening.
Rent-A-Pal isn’t a non-stop thrill-ride. It’s a quiet, well-acted film about a quiet, lonely guy that eventually builds in suspense and even action into a dark and disturbing thriller.
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