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Robot & Frank | 2012 | PG-13 | - 2.3.5

In the near-future, the son (James Marsden) and daughter (Liv Tyler) of a retired professional thief (Frank Langella) come to believe that he is no longer able to take care of himself. Rather than placing him in a nursing home, his son purchases a highly advanced health-care robot (voiced by Peter Sarsgaard). The old man and the robot learn to live with each other while developing a unique hobby. Also with Susan Sarandon. Directed by Jake Schreier. [1:30]

SEX/NUDITY 2 - A man and a woman begin to kiss passionately while we see an older man spy on them and sneak past their window, as the man grabs the woman's behind. An older man and an older woman kiss.
 An older man tells a robot that he was "involved" with a woman who was "a real knock-out."

VIOLENCE/GORE 3 - Police surround a car and a man has a gun drawn (he is with the police but he's not a police officer); they shout at another man, telling him to put his hands up (the man is not arrested). A robot begins to countdown after saying "self destruct sequence," causing police officers and a man to panic and run out (the robot does not explode).
 An older man and a robot break into a house, stealing millions of dollars of valuables, and we later see another man shouting accusations at the older man, who dismisses them with a laugh in front of the police. An older man and a robot break into a library and steal a valuable book. An older man appears to be breaking into a house, he drops a frame and the glass shatters; we later learn that the older man was confused and "broke into" his own home.
 Three boys surround a robot, pushing on its chest and the robot announces, "Do not molest me"; an older man appears and shouts at the three boys, chasing them away from the robot. An older man throws a bag of pasta at his adult daughter; she is unharmed and he immediately apologizes. A man angrily flips a tray out of a robot's hand. A man storms away from a woman.
 A man shouts at an older man, accusing him of robbing his home, and the older man distracts the man and a group of police officers and runs away; we later see the older man and a robot coming back to the home as police officers shout. A woman shouts at an older man when he shoplifts a small soap; the woman threatens to call the police if the man returns to the shop. A man shouts at his ailing elderly father, saying that if the elderly man dies that he "will not be responsible." A man shouts at his father, insulting him. An older woman tells an older man that their library had been broken into. An older man sarcastically remarks to his adult son that a robot will "murder him in his sleep." An older man reminisces to a robot that his son or daughter had burned a hole in the carpet when they were younger. An older man has a sarcastic conversation with a robot, saying that he would rather die eating cheeseburgers than live unhappily; the robot responds that it would have failed if the older man were to die. An older man warns a robot that his adult son wants him to go to the "nut house." An older man tells a robot to tell the man's adult son that he is dying (he is physically healthy). An older man makes a comment to his son that implies the older man had been in prison. An older man tells a robot that he had been in prison twice in the past, once for theft and once for tax evasion.
 An older man slips as he is trying to chip a piece of jewelry; we do not see blood but see a robot bandaging the man (he appears unharmed). An older man drops a frame with a crash.
 An older man lies in bed, feigning an illness to make his adult son pity him, and he coughs loudly and the man looks concerned; moments later we see the older man looking perfectly well.
 An older man spits out cereal and milk; he smells the spoiled milk and makes a face. A robot tells an older man, "It is time for your enema."

LANGUAGE 5 - At least 1 F-word, 7 scatological terms, 2 anatomical terms, 15 mild obscenities, name-calling (spoiled brats, death machine, egotistical [anatomical term deleted], pathetic, hunk of [scatological term deleted], little [scatological term deleted], old timer, little [mild obscenity deleted], creepy, crooks, a little [mild obscenity deleted]-raiser, crazy, con-man, rich yuppies, maroon, yuppies, trash, acting like a baby, crazy man, little astronaut [mild obscenity deleted], insurance company crooks), 4 religious profanities, 2 religious exclamations.

SUBSTANCE USE - Men and women drink wine at a gathering, an older man rapidly drinks a glass of champagne and jokes with an older woman that he likes "free booze," an older woman remarks that a party is better "after a few drinks," a robot offers an older man orange juice without alcohol and implies that he gave a woman a glass with alcohol in it, and a robot remarks that an older man drinking alcohol can get gout.

DISCUSSION TOPICS - Elderly care, Alzheimer's disease, artificial intelligence, regret and guilt, cat burglary, finding happiness.

MESSAGE - Alzheimer's can be a debilitating illness, but with proper help people can still lead happy lives.

CAVEATS

Be aware that while we do our best to avoid spoilers it is impossible to disguise all details and some may reveal crucial plot elements.

We've gone through several editorial changes since we started covering films in 1992 and older reviews are not as complete & accurate as recent ones; we plan to revisit and correct older reviews as resources and time permits.

Our ratings and reviews are based on the theatrically-released versions of films; on video there are often Unrated, Special, Director's Cut or Extended versions, (usually accurately labelled but sometimes mislabeled) released that contain additional content, which we did not review.


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