Rent-a-Pal

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Rent-a-Pal

Released Sep 11, 2020

1h 48m

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

69%

Tomatometer

52 Reviews

63%

Popcornmeter

100+ Ratings

A strange VHS tape allows a lonely bachelor named David to find companionship with Andy -- its charming and charismatic host. However, Andy's friendship comes at a cost, and David desperately struggles to afford the price of admission.

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Critics Consensus

Rent-A-Pal suffers from untapped thematic potential, but Wil Wheaton's unsettling performance makes this unique horror story worth watching.

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Kimber Myers

Crooked Marquee

While [the] methods for trying to find companionship are all decades-old ... the emotions at the core of Rent-A-Pal don't feel that distant from 2020 and its digital solutions for human connection.

Rated: B

Nov 16, 2020

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Richard Whittaker

Austin Chronicle

Stevenson's script... is smart in the dialog but wavers in its structure, and could have benefited from a leaner edit before shooting.

Rated: 2.5/5

Oct 23, 2020

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Nick Allen

RogerEbert.com

Wil Wheaton plays one of the scariest villains of the year in Jon Stevenson's brilliant Rent-A-Pal.

Rated: 3.5/4

Sep 11, 2020

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Paul Lê

Nightmare on Film Street

Ardent, frank, and downright disturbing.

Rated: 9/10

Jul 20, 2023

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Keith Garlington

Keith & the Movies

Despite its wacky premise, “Rent-A-Pal” works because it doesn’t see its subject matter as a joke.

Rated: 3.5/5

Aug 24, 2022

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Cody Dericks

Next Best Picture

Both an intimate character study and a manic, unpredictable thriller, “Rent-A-Pal” is an unnerving and unexpectedly sad look into a specific world that is no longer active.

Rated: 7/10

Jul 5, 2022

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Melissa L

Weird, unique, crazy, creepy, and unsettling. If you want to watch a different kind of '80s horror...this is it.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

10/14/24

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Chris G

A unique, well acted musing on obsession only fails because it felt like it could have done more with its unsettling premise.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

05/25/24

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Ricardo d

Um bom roteiro, boa interpretação, só acho que peca um pouco na edição e definitivamente não deveria ser colocado como um filme de terror e sim um drama ou suspense.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

05/20/24

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Miche H

I recommend this movie to everyone I really liked it. I thought it was different which is rare nowadays.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/16/24

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Heather H

I thought this movie was amazingly well done. It really showed the build up of resentment and complexity in a care giver/relative dynamic, and the snap a mind can experience due to loneliness and isolation. The lead actor played the part so well - had me in tears for David in the first half of the film with the unfairness of his situation and being such a lovely guy. Wil Wheaton was so good as well - genius casting as he comes across as a friendly pal type of guy, but he snapped into creepy mode so well in this movie. I was expecting a standard "demon/ghost in the video tape" type horror, but instead was pleasantly surprised at how unique and emotionally moving the story was.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/07/24

Full Review

Tyler B

A roller coaster of emotions. Truly driving fear into something as simple as a VHS tape.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

08/12/23

Full Review

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Jon Stevenson

Director

Wil Wheaton

Andy

Brian Landis Folkins

David

Kathleen Brady

Lucille

Amy Rutledge

Lisa

Adrian Egolf

Diane

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Rent-a-Pal: Trailer 1

1:47

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Synopsis

A strange VHS tape allows a lonely bachelor named David to find companionship with Andy -- its charming and charismatic host. However, Andy's friendship comes at a cost, and David desperately struggles to afford the price of admission.

Director: Jon Stevenson
Producer: Annie Baker, Jimmy Weber, Jon Stevenson
Screenwriter: Jon Stevenson
Distributor: IFC Midnight
Production Co: Pretty People Pictures
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 11, 2020, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 11, 2020
Box Office (Gross USA): $29.6K
Runtime: 1h 48m

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