REVIEW: COMPANION

• Director: Drew Hancock
• Writer: Drew Hancock
• Stars: Jack Quaid, Sophie Thatcher, Harvey Guillén, Lukas Gage

REVIEW

January and February are especially lovely times to be a horror fan because this is when the studios dump their non-Oscar worthy fare on us, (ie) horror films. This week gifts us with Companion, written and directed by Drew Hancock, it’s a sweet and sour Valentine that has a lot to say about various topical issues, but mostly, it’s a glossy looking reminder of how painfully weak and dull the modern day straight, white male is.

The idea of a robotic companion is certainly nothing new and, if anything, the concept has seen a bit of a resurgence with the current state of technology. As we continue to accept the rapid pace at which robots are replacing people, it’s frighteningly easy to get comfortable in the world of Companion. Josh (Jack Quaid, because of course it’s Jack Quaid) is just a regular guy with a self driving car, an unremarkable apartment, really cool friends and a robot for a girlfriend. Iris, the girlfriend in question, is accompanying Josh on a weekend retreat with his friends at a secluded lake house. Iris is nervous about spending the weekend with Josh’s friends, but it’s for all of the wrong reasons and as the various duplicitous intentions Josh harbors come to the surface in a bloody moment that has Iris facing her true identity, this is where we venture into the all too familiar, “What if robots became sentient?” territory.

Sophie Thatcher (Yellowjackets, Heretic) is incredible inhabiting a body that is this close to being human. She makes outstanding choices with her mannerisms, cadence of speech, and even the way she walks a shopping cart down an aisle. She has not missed a beat, and her performance is a lot of why Companion is so charming and engaging. Quaid is reliable as the innocuous looking boy next door and there is a deep cut joke in the soundtrack for anyone old enough to remember the days when Meg Ryan (Quaid’s mom) and the Goo Goo Dolls were impossible to ignore. Look, I get why Jack Quaid is in everything, but I’d like to see a bit more range from him: especially when Josh shows us, and Iris, his true colors. Hancock has a few tricks up his storytelling sleeve and while the literal robot has a personality that rolls with everything seamlessly, Quaid just doesn’t pull off the same tricks as Thatcher and it’s distracting.

Harvey Guillén (What We Do In The Shadows) is quirky and charming as ever, Lukas Gage (The White Lotus) proves that he’s more than just a pretty face and Rupert Friend (Asteroid City) is excellent as a slimy Russian guy. Hancock’s background in sitcoms shows through in all of the very best ways when it comes to balancing comedy and allowing Thatcher to own the screen. While it’s debatable how much weight we should put into his commentary on how a guy like Josh perceives himself as a loser and always on the short end of the stick in today’s society, it is amusing to watch a film where every token straight, white guy is a piece or garbage.

A bit too timely and on the nose, but also a welcome comedic reprieve in our current climate, Companion veers dangerously into navel gazing territory, but ultimately, it’s a fun and fresh cat and mouse game with a Final Girl you want to root for.

Companion is in cinemas now.

Lisa Fremont