Set in 1990, a lonely bachelor named David (Brian Landis Folkins) searches for an escape from the day-to-day drudgery of caring for his aging mother (Kathleen Brady). While seeking a partner through a video dating service, he discovers a strange VHS tape called Rent-A-Pal. Hosted by the charming and charismatic Andy (Wil Wheaton), the tape offers him much-needed company, compassion, and friendship. But, Andy's friendship comes at a cost, and David desperately struggles to aff... (Full plot summary below)
Enjoy FREE movies and series with your Prime (USA) subscription or when you start a 30-day free trial!
Sorry, we can't find any suggestions at the moment.
Set in 1990, a lonely bachelor named David (Brian Landis Folkins) searches for an escape from the day-to-day drudgery of caring for his aging mother (Kathleen Brady). While seeking a partner through a video dating service, he discovers a strange VHS tape called Rent-A-Pal. Hosted by the charming and charismatic Andy (Wil Wheaton), the tape offers him much-needed company, compassion, and friendship. But, Andy's friendship comes at a cost, and David desperately struggles to afford the price of admission.
Leave your thoughts about Rent-A-Pal.
| RogerEbert.comNick AllenFor all the nostalgia that comes with seeing David pop in a VHS tape, the movie’s time period allows Stevenson to focus our attention on the horror emitting from just one screen. |
| Paste MagazineAndrew CrumpWheaton is the film’s first exceptional element. The second is Stevenson’s restraint. |
| Film ThreatChris SalceWil Wheaton is the true star of this film. His creepy therapist/creepy children’s TV show host take on his character was exactly what Rent-A-Pal needed. |
| The Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckWhat makes the film work as well as it does, at least up to a point, are the perfectly calibrated performances. Folkins is superb as the socially maladroit Andy, making his character sympathetic in his genuine satisfaction in being a caretaker despite the personal toll it enacts. And Wheaton, whose entire performance consists of sitting in a chair and talking directly to the camera, uses his innate likeability to at first disarming and then chillingly creepy effect. |
| The A.V. ClubDanette ChavezRent-A-Pal goes full-tilt mayhem in its final act, shattering its carefully calibrated dread in a race to make an already belabored point: that technological advancements are to be questioned, and there is no substitute for human connection. |
| The New York TimesGlenn KennyEventually the movie paints itself into a corner then sinks into grisly sludge. Stevenson’s technical skill can’t save him from a trite worldview. |
| The PlaylistAsher LubertoAs the film becomes more of a conventional horror flick, it also leaves unexplored the darker realities of these contemporary fears for easier, gorier thrills. |
| User Reviewbeebo42For once I agree with the critics on this one. The first two thirds of the movie are great. It's creepy, sad, but also comedic. I would almost call it a dark comedy, and you really want to see where it's going to go. Then the movie turns from dark comedy to just...dark. And a really mean sort of dark too. The switch in the main character just doesn't make much sense. It's almost like the writers got to the end and said, "Well, we're billing this as a horror movie, so here ya go... horror!". For the first two thirds I was wondering why no one else was talking about this movie, and then I got to the end and thought "Oh, this is why.. |
