When we (the creative ramblers) think of a companion, one thing that comes to mind is our trusty pooch, Fifi. Here she is. Ain’t she a doll? But for others, the simple love
(and judgment) of a lil pup isn’t quite enough, and they seek something more: A human friend, a human lover, or maybe something a little more dangerous.
Speaking of danger, this isn’t quite your normal review. It’s what I’m going to coin a ‘Plus/Minus Review’ and it *will contain spoilers*. This is your only warning: stop now, or forever hold your peace.
Plus/Minus Review rules are simple: It starts at 0. It does something good, it gets +1 point, it does something I don’t like, it gets -1. Hopefully, you have fun reading along.
The cast…
Ok, before we start, let’s see if this film gets any bonus cast points….
Companion was directed by Drew Hancock. While technically his third credited work, one doesn’t have a picture on Letterboxd, while the other is some sort of Jack Black (no thanks… sorry Jack Black lovers) comedy Sci Fi from 2006 called Tenacious D: Time Fixers. This isn’t screaming ‘me’, but if any of you try it, tell us what it’s like! Or maybe I’ll ask one of the other Ramblers. Do they like Tenacious D? *shrug*.
(*Editor’s Note* Jack tells me he has, in fact, never heard of Tenacious D: Time Fixers.)
Anyway, no points there. I don’t yet know Mr Hancock (not the Will Smith character), so I’m excited to see what he brings to the table.
Lead actress, we’ve got Sophie Thatcher. She was one of the girls in that Hugh Grant religious thriller, Heretic? Maybe you saw the trailer? He smiled creepily. I also knew her in a small supporting role in Maxxine (Oh my god, check out the X trilogy if you haven’t, please!), playing an FX artist working on Maxine’s prosthetic. These were decent performances, but I’m not mega in love yet. I’ll stay neutral for now.
Lead actor is Jack Quaid. Love, love, LOVE The Boys. It’s like superheroes but nasty. You’ll love it, I’m sure. Do check that out if you liked him in Companion. He sorta plays the ‘bad boyfriend’ in that, too, but in different ways. You know, I didn’t know he was in so much. Oppenheimer?! He was in Oppenheimer? Spider-Verse 2, Hunger Games? Ok, maybe most people know him from Hunger Games. The new Scream Movie (not seen that yet). Rampage (white gorilla movie, which was… not as fun as it could have been if I remember rightly…?). Anyway.. Jack Quaid. Worth checking out. We’ll award that a +1.
Plus/Minus Rating Action…
What is a Plus/Minus rating review? We start on 0. It does something good, it gets +1 point, it does something I don’t like, it’s -1. Hopefully, you have fun reading along.
Exploring the director and leads, that got me to +1 for Jack Quaid.
So… here we go!
*Spoiler Alert! Spoiler Alert! Spoiler Alert! Spoiler Alert! Spoiler Alert! Spoiler Alert!*
- +1 Cute Outfit!
Is it bad that I immediately notice a woman’s outfit as soon as she is on screen? Yes, but omg, cute shoes with the little ankle ties. And the 60s/70s aesthetic. Nice.
- +1 Oranges!
Do we know Oranges = death? Yes. Are we bored of that trope? No.
- +1 “I killed him” *mic drop*
I read a lot of Stephen King, and he does this all the time. Little did he know that this would be his last day on Earth. How??? When?? Where?? Why?? Oh, you know you got me… (and you love it!).
- +1 ‘sexy times’
No sexy times yet (there are some, don’t fret, you horn dog, you!) but Jack Quaid’s character calls it ‘sexy times’ and that just tickles me.
- +1 “Kat called this place a ‘little rustic cabin in the woods'”
This was a fun joke. You know, I didn’t expect it to be so funny. I’m getting Megan vibes. Do you think Megan’s success paved the way for more comedy-horror vibes in mainstream films? No? That’s cool, we don’t have to agree.
- -1 Beep Boop
Jack Quaid’s character… wait, I should really name him, cause later on, it gets dicey and involving poor Jack Q’s name next to that kind of behavior wouldn’t be nice. Josh! His name is Josh (of course it is… sorry to the Josh’s out there, but it can be a bit creepy. It is what it is. You go show them how good a Josh can be). Anyhoo, Josh nicknames Sophie Thatcher’s character, Iris, ‘Beep Boop’, and it’s got to be one of the most super icky pet names I’ve heard. He doesn’t just use it once either; he uses it *often*. I mean, yes, I know it’s thematically relevant (all revealed later…), but *shudders*.
- +1 Anxiety Girlie
Here’s a girl who’s not afraid to voice her anxieties, and we applaud that.
- +2 Mullet!! (and Moustache)
Hellooooo, Mr Mullet and Moustache. I’m not /into/ it, but I do love to see it. You rock that beaut. Don’t let the haters hate. You work it.
- -1 “act happy”
Small gripe for me, but here Iris looks in the mirror and says “Act Happy” to herself. I feel that might have worked better if she had just practiced smiling or something. No words. Silent, stares into the mirror, we can all relate to. Right…. right?!
- +1 Directness “Do you like me?”
Yet again, a lovely demonstration of someone just saying it how it is. You think someone doesn’t like you, ask ’em why (in a non-hostile way, come on guys, we can all be friends). I appreciate a good bit of directness.
- -1 Oversharing
Ok, she didn’t ask for your deepest, darkest heart’s secrets. Or do I like that because it’s honest?.. ahh, go with the gut. Too much.
- +3 Gay dancing
Yes queens! These two are so cute… shout out to Lucas Gage (the actor portraying Patrick… I’ve not seen any of his others films, but Smile 2 I’ve heard of but not seen yet, and I think Road House is popular?) and Harvey Guillen (who plays Eli… hah! what a wonderful collection of movies I’ve not yet seen: Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, The Garfield Movie, that Strays talking dog comedy film I might check out, and Wish (I know.. I know… the animation puts me off though), plus more.
- +1 Sex Cut
Ok, I said there’d be some sexy times. A sudden jump cut to Josh’s orgasm face, not what you expected? Me neither, made it funny.
- +2 Building up tension
I like the tension the film is building up around the women. There are a few little moments: Iris dragging Josh away from the other woman in this movie Megan Suri (yeah, I don’t know any of these… Valentine’s Day? Missing?), the conversation between the pair I mentioned earlier where Megan’s character, Kat, made a really interesting comparison with her life living with Mr. Mullet, where she was expected to do what he wanted, wear what he wanted, do sexy time when he wanted, Verses Iris’s life, and how she felt like she was being replaced.
- -1 Girl, he’s cheating on you
The dude’s obviously acting shifty, don’t go down to that beach alone.
- +1 Cool scar
Mr Mullet has a moustache AND a cool scar? Oh! I never mentioned Mr Mullet’s actor. That’s Rupert Friend (another one I need to catch up with.. he was in Pride & Prejudice, the latest Jurassic World film, and The Boy in Striped Pyjamas (… what? haha)).
- +1 Good cut (again)
Not a sex cut this time, but a blooood cut. She’s there looking all Carrie. Fun Stuff
- +3 Hoooooly shit, she’s a robot
Yes, I missed the trailers, and no, I did not know she was a robot. Jack and I (Jack, fellow Rambler, not Jack Quaid) stopped the film and found all the cute little giveaways they threaded in. I like a good twist I don’t spot.
- +3 Themes
I’ll get all serious for a moment and give credit here to what the film has to say about abusive, controlling relationships. I’m not like a film analyser or anything, but I feel it. It’s worth a watch for the commentary.
- +1 Iris (The Song)
We flashback to when they really met, and oh my god, if he didn’t name her after the best song ever, Goo Goo Dolls – Iris.
- +1 Sex Cut
Gotta appreciate a smart, repeated gag (… I didn’t mean it like that)
- +1 It’s a set up, it’s a set up, it’s a set up
At Uni, one of my friends, Sam, went through a habit of singing the GTA song ‘It’s a Set Up’ by Favoured Nations. When it’s revealed that maybe Iris was in fact set up, of course, that played in my mind.
- +3 Revert Expectation
One thing I love a film to do is revert my expectations. I like to think I’ll know where a plot is going, but when it doesn’t go that way, you got me, sugar. Here, you think Iris has killed Josh (especially as it was hinted at earlier… the mic drop?) But hey, he lives (for now….)
- +1 Stalin’s Birthday
Fun joke. Russians sure do love Stalin.
- +3 Ohhhhh shit, there’s a second robot?
Ohhh, I’m loving this script. Who we got? Ohh, the director was the writer. I’ll watch out for you, Drew. You’ve kept me guessing.
- +1 Eye colour change
Cool little special effects feature here, where she fiddles with her own controls (Oy oy…..!) and changes her eye colour.
- -1 Robot has a mind’s eye
There is a cute little bit where she is deciding what to do next, and she goes over a few scenarios in her head. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a cute little bit. It’s funny. But, see, I have this thing called aphantasia where I can’t see images in my head. And now this robot can, and I can’t?! One second, I have a tear in my eye.
- +1 Command Voice Dial
This is fun. Fun robot things.
- +1 Hand Crunch
Ooooof, that got me.
- +1 Re-do love scene as Josh
There was a love scene earlier where we saw Patrick and Eli’s meet-cute, and now Josh is re-programming Patrick, and we see the same scene but with him. Good stuff.
- +1 Sergey, not a gangster
Got me again, Drew. Playing with my biased judgements. Russian guy in movie: criminal. Well, not here!
- -1 He didn’t change Patrick’s aggression down from 100% after he caught Iris?
Maybe I missed something, but he left Patrick on 100% aggression for way too long… no wonder he went and knifed his lover.
- +2 Candle scene
Poor Iris. That arm got pretty scorched!
- -1 Sucky breaths
It was a nice touch, but Josh’s little sucky breaths (quick in and out) before talking to the police so he’d sound scared? Fun but oh so annoying. That’d give me the ick.
- -1 Silly to reboot her in the truck
If I come and find an edited, killer robot in a house, I’m sure not re-booting her in the back of my truck on the way back to the office. She can be rebooted safely in the warehouse, thank you, where there’s security or something.
- +1 Lovers save the day
So sweet that the true love between man and his robot is the one that helps save the day, of course showing us that sometimes this whole robot companion situation does work, it’s just the weird narcissistic, controlling Josh types who spoil it for everyone (not you, real Josh reader!). It’s a little twee, but I’m here for it.
- +1 True self comes out
After seeing this little weasel constantly try and say what a nice guy he is, it’s satisfying to see him show his true colours.
- +2 Corkscrew death
Did you notice the corkscrew? I didn’t, but Jack (Rambler) did! I guess Jack (Quaid)’s character did, too, as it got rammed into his brain. Love a bit of gore. Check out Weapons for more kitchen-appliance-based gore (the director of Weapons actually produced Companion, funnily enough).
- +1 Cool Jacket
We started with a fashion, we’ll (nearly) end with a fashion. I love the cutesy shoes, and I love the cool-ass jacket. Better than Drive? Maybe not, but it’s got that Kill Bill yellow.
- +1 Credit Song
I’ve not heard Emotion by Samantha Sang in ageeees, and what a tune! I always thought it was the beejees, though. Turns out it’s just produced by the Bee Gees, and features Barry Gibb’s vocals in the background.
The Score…
Drumroll, please…. we have a total score of 40! What does that mean? I don’t know… wait until I do another one, I guess?
Overall
Overall, Companion is a surprisingly funny horror-thriller that has smart writing, is well-acted, has a beautiful setting, and keeps you guessing with twists and turns. I gave it 5 stars on my Letterboxd account.
What did you think? Did you love it? Hate it? What would be your pluses and minuses? Tell us below (or don’t, you do you!).
By Rebecca Bumby
MyCreativeRamblings 