Robot & Frank

46 votes and 11 Reviews

Rotten Tomatoes® Score
86% 75%

Release Date: August 24, 2012 (limited)

On DVD/VOD: February 12, 2013

1h 29m | Comedy

Set in the near future, Robot & Frank is a story about memory and identity, family and friendship. Frank Weld, an aging dad and a retired jewel thief, is losing his memory. His only friend, Jennifer, the town librarian, enjoys his company while sadly indulging his memory slips. His grown-up children, Hunter and Madison, are having trouble taking care of their dad, so Hunter does what any caring son does in the near future: installs a caretaker robot in his home.

Unfortunately, Frank is none too pleased by his new helper, finding his presence unnerving and alien. At 70, Frank is uncomfortable with most technology; the robot's presence is, at first, annoying, and surreal. And yet, the robot quickly proves himself to be more than a machine or appliance. His programming is sophisticated; his demeanor is kind. He is, for all intents and purposes, a rational, caring friend. His advice and requirements that Frank eat healthier and exercise more, gradually succeed at improving Frank's health and well-being.

But as Frank's health improves, so do his ambitions. And above all else, the caretaker Robot is programmed to find an activity to keep its elderly charges active and engaged in their lives. Of course, the only activity that Frank has ever been truly engaged in is stealing things. He soon learns that the Robot will allow such pursuits as long as the risk/reward ratio is kept in balance. And so a new heist duo is born.