“Rent A Pal” is set in an era where videotapes were cool, rollerskating was still an epic idea for a first date, and matchmaking involved awkward recorded introductions rather than apps and algorithms. David is a man living in the basement of his childhood home; his father is long gone, and his mother is slipping deeper into dementia. More often than not, she mistakes David for his father, unable to remember his suicide and offering only brief flashes of clarity. David isn’t just isolated, he’s trapped in a cycle of care, grief, and routine.
David is lonely.
So lonely that a VHS tape in a bargain bin titled Rent-A-Pal feels like the most exciting thing to happen to him in years. Jon Stevenson’s debut feature as writer and director uses that loneliness as the film’s engine, pulling David into a Groundhog Day-style loop with Andy. Played by Wil Wheaton with a strangely magnetic presence, Andy becomes as compelling and unsettling as everything else in this slightly bent psychological thriller.
Skip to a Specific Section
Rent A Pal Review
In the Rent-A-Pal movie, David and Andy bond almost instantly. Running the VHS tape on repeat, David starts to feel as though Andy’s scripted conversations are responding directly to him. The tape seems to evolve, mirroring David’s frustrations, joys, and disappointments. Andy provides support, humour, and camaraderie, and under the illusion of companionship, David starts to thrive in small but meaningful ways. The cinematography leans heavily into its 90s aesthetic, capturing the dated textures and lighting of the time with almost obsessive accuracy. The outside world, drab and washed in grey, feels like an extension of the eerie, manufactured universe inside the television. It’s as if Andy could step out into David’s world at any moment.
Rent A Pal Movie Is a Psycho-Thriller Movie 2020
When David is finally matched with Lisa, his favourite prospect from the dating service, it finally feels like the story might tip toward hope. Lisa is warm, patient, and genuinely interested in David. She listens. She encourages him. She doesn’t recoil from the realities of his life. Their connection provides some of the film’s most endearing moments, particularly the scenes involving David’s mother, where tenderness and exhaustion exist side-by-side. For a brief window, the film becomes a heartfelt character drama about connection, caregiving, and the human need to be seen.
Brian Landis Folkins delivers a standout performance as David. He embodies every overlooked, underappreciated character we’ve ever rooted for, the kind of man who keeps absorbing life’s hits without complaint. Every time he gets the short end of yet another long stick, I’m reminded of Milton from Office Space and find myself waiting for the inevitable breaking point. Even with all his flaws, David remains likable. Achingly likable. Right up until the moment he isn’t.
Because when that internal switch finally flips, the transformation is brutal. The outburst of violence is shocking not because it’s graphic, but because it’s messy, desperate, and painfully human. Thriller fans expecting a slow-burn psychological drama may suddenly find themselves staring down a much darker, more horror-leaning final act.
I want to say the Rent-A-Pal movie ending was a disappointment. But the truth is more complicated. I wasn’t disappointed in the film. I was disappointed in David. He let me down in a way I didn’t anticipate, and the timing of his unraveling was uncomfortably cruel. It’s a finale that lingers not because of its twist, but because of what it says about loneliness, vulnerability, and how easily a person can be pulled into the wrong kind of friendship when they’re desperate enough to accept it.
Rent A Pal is rated
4 Never waste lasagne out of 5
Letcrashthisparade YouTube channel talks about the Rent-a-Pal movie in depth.
Rent A Pal Streaming
- Director: Jon Stevenson
- The Rent-A-Pal movie was in Cinemas in September in the USA in 2020. Now it’s streaming free with ads or with a subscription in so many places, you’d be silly not to watch it immediately. For all your streaming options in whatever country you are in, check our affiliate partner JustWatch.com
- Cast for Rent A Pal: Brian Landis Folkins (HOAX), Wil Wheaton (Stand By Me & Pooka), Kathleen Brady (Breaking Bad), Amy Rutledge (Neighbor)
- Distributor: IFC Midnight
- Runtime: 108 Minutes
Similar Films to Rent-A-Pal
Here are some films with similar themes of loneliness, unconventional companionship, and technology/artificial relationships:
- Lars and the Real Girl (2007) – A lonely man orders a life-size doll and treats her as his girlfriend
- Her (2013) – A man falls in love with an AI operating system
- Ruby Sparks (2012) – A writer’s fictional dream girl comes to life
AI/Technology Companions:
- Ex Machina (2014) – A programmer develops a relationship with an AI robot
- Blade Runner 2049 (2017) – Features a holographic AI girlfriend named Joi
- M3GAN (2022) – An AI doll becomes a companion (horror angle)
- Companion (2025) – Bringing your girlfriend to meet your friends?
- Subservience (2024) – When you fall in love with your maid, and she’s not happy.
Unconventional/Imaginary Companions:
- The Lobster (2015) – Dark comedy about people forced to find romantic partners
- Swiss Army Man (2016) – A man befriends a corpse for companionship
- Dummy (2002) – A man finds solace in a ventriloquist dummy
Dating/Loneliness Themes:
- Amélie (2001) – Quirky exploration of loneliness and connection
- Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) – Memory and relationships
- Punch-Drunk Love (2002) – A socially awkward man seeking connection
- With Love and a Major Organ (2023)- Emotions are a thing of the past. But what if you still feel things?
Rent A Pal Movie Trailer
