Wil Wheaton is one of the most lovable actors and is popular because of his work on Star Trek, but watch him turn into an evils monster of a friend in the thriller ‘Rent-A-Pal’.
While Wil is not known for his dark roles, the show and its premise have gotten critics praising it. The film will put viewers biting their nails as with each turn a new, more disheartening plot point is revealed.
As the title suggests, the events of the film will revolve around the ‘renting’ a friend ut the cost of renting out a friend is the actual plot driver of the film.
Rent-A-Pal Movie Release Date
According to Entertainment Tonight, the film will be released on September 11, 2020, in select theatres and streaming platforms. The movie will be 1 hour 48 minutes long.
Rent-A-Pal Movie Cast
The main antagonist other than the underlying dangers of the digital age is Wil Wheaton’s character, Andy. As mentioned above Wheaton is a fan favorite who has worked extensively in film and TV.
He is a pop-culture icon whose extensive repertoire in sci-fi and teen flicks has made him an icon, people also call affectionately him a geek icon. This is a unique turn for him as he does not do horror thrillers that often.
His counterpart in the film is played by Brian Landis Folkins, he is the protagonist. The California born actor has worked in various positions on a set, he used to be a photographer for films like Standards of Ethical Conduct, The Clearing, True or False, etc.
As of recent times, he has started working more as an actor and has appeared on-screen in more than 30 films.
Amy Marie Rutledge also plays a prominent character in the film, she is an upcoming actress known for her roles on horror movies like Neighbor and Eyes of the Dead.
Plot & Premise
The film is set in the 1990s but deals with the very relevant concept of loneliness, and trying to find companionship. The filmmaker Jon Stevenson’s first picture was inspired after he saw a Rent-A-Friend service on the internet.
The service struck an idea in him that was the whole reason behind the film. Before the internet, people used the VHS service to engage in such services. These services can be compared to modern-day dating apps and sites.
In the film, the 40-year-old lead character David (played by Brian Landis Folkins) is a lonely single bachelor who is fed up with his menial life. The only thing he does is take care of his old mother.
After feeling incredibly lonely and not succeeding to get a partner from dating, he turns to a VHS dating service, there he discovers a strange videotape titled Rent-A-Pal.
The video contains a charismatic Wil Wheaton playing Andy who offers companionship and escapes from the loneliness that David is so dearly craving.
Wil uses his normal nice guy image excellently with just the right amount of creepiness added in to make it a non-cliche horror villain.
Andy becomes his friend but now David fins out the cost of his friendship or rather ‘renting’ the charismatic host.
For the initially naive David, he finds a person who he can express himself to and who will listen to him. He also falls into his trap and starts feeling that he understands his but Andy’s agendas are not revealed initially.
Trailer
The trailer masterfully portrays the film and its premise, the IFC channel released the 5 August 2020 and showed just enough of the film to pull viewers in but not give too many plots points out.
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