“Companion” Review
Sophie Thatcher stars in “Companion” as Iris, a robot becoming self-aware, in the glorious comedy that fuses action, horror, science fiction and romance.
As fun as Awards Season gets, it can be daunting seeing all the prestige dramas and important films that critics are raving about. Don’t get me wrong, I have enjoyed many of these contenders but it’s sometimes nice to sit back and just watch a goofy film that makes you laugh your ass off but still has plenty of clever storytelling and fun spectacle. “Companion” is that kind of demented fun that I would go so far as to recommend to all of the cool couples on this coming Valentine’s Day.
Josh and Iris (Jack Quaid and Sophie Thatcher) are a couple heading to a remote lakehouse with their friends for the weekend for some good times with friends. However, this idyllic vacation quickly escalates into violence and crazy hijinks when it’s revealed that Iris isn’t human. Instead, she’s a companion robot for Josh and she has found herself roped into a scheme that will cause her to question her autonomy and her own consciousness.
While we’ve seen plenty of stories (including well-known adaptations of the works of Phillip K. Dick and Isaac Asimov) dealing with robots trying to understand their rights as artificial living things that address the concepts of consciousness and free will, I can’t think of one where the robot was fighting off Jack Quaid with cutlery. What “Companion” achieves is taking these common ideas in science fiction and combines them with a biting sense of humor. The film is the directorial debut of Drew Hancock, who also wrote the script, and he excels with this kind of fun genre fusion.
After wonderful performances in “The Boogeyman” and especially in “Heretic”, Sophie Thatcher continues to astound with her performance as Iris which undergoes several drastic changes over the course of the film. At the start of “Companion”, she belongs to Josh and there’s a definite power disparity. But, as the film progresses and she gains more control over her own body and software, Iris proves that she’s a force to be reckoned with and manages to find clever work-arounds to her programming, including the fact that she’s forbidden to lie. Like Mia Goth, Jenna Ortega and Melissa Barrera, Thatcher has been dominating as another triumphant example of a modern “scream queen”.
While Jack Quaid has grown considerable fame for playing the dorky but badass Hughie Campbell in the satire superhero series “The Boys”, a role that he appears to embody in the upcoming film “Novocaine”, he’s also great at playing an asshole that you want to see get his comeuppance. This is a further testament to his power as an actor since, according to everyone who knows him, Quaid is one of the nicest guys you could hope to work with. From finding out the intelligence settings he has Iris initially programmed to to the fact that he uses robots to do his dirty work in the film’s main scheme, it’s clear that he’s a coward with major control issues. To see Jack Quaid in this role is just perfect because he’s great at convincingly playing a nice guy and also a “nice guy” who tries to mask his own insecurities with delusions.
“Companion” has a lot about it that could appeal to the average filmgoer. It feels exceptionally fresh in its premise, could have deeper commentary regarding relationships, is incredibly funny and over-the-top and presents a good dose of action-thriller with some fun gore and practical effects for many of the robotics. After learning just how much of these effects, as well as the apps characters use for robots, were captured on-set, I fell even more deeply in love with this film. While watching the film, it’s clear Drew Hancock has a strong love for the audience and wants them to have as much fun watching the film as he had making it. But he doesn’t want to throw you into the middle of chaos from the get-go. He slowly entices you by showing the dynamics of these characters and some of the funniest scenes of the film are happening during this period of buildup. You wonder how much Iris knows about herself and you can't help but laugh at the lines that hint at what she might be.
At a time of year where the importance of films are discussed and many trophies are awarded to stuffy biopics and whatever you think might be “Oscar-bait”, sometimes a film about a sex robot breaking out of captivity is what you really need. It’s a wickedly good time that I think will appeal to those seeking a really fun vibe at the movies.
