Robot & Frank

This odd little film, which is partly a buddy movie, partly a romantic comedy, and partly a meditation on mortality, handles heavy material with a light and effective touch. Frank Langella is perfectly cast as Frank, a grumpy old loner who receives a robot butler from a son who has no interest in personally providing the care his aging father needs.  The film takes off in surprising and humorous directions from there, but this entertainingly high-concept character study is far more than a clever (if silly) premise. The themes and narrative through-lines are all explored to their fullest extent, and while the third act may be slightly less deft than the first two, it's still satisfying.  This is the kind of tiny movie that most people will skip, which is too bad as it is well worth seeing.