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The Companion
In the near-distant future, a female romance writer is planning to write her next book in a remote mountain cabin. A friend convinces her to bring along a "companion", a nearly-human android to cook and clean. She settles on a male companion named "Geoffrey." Bored with some of Geoffrey's behavior, she tinkers with his programming -- first his personality, then his sexuality. Real trouble comes when she gives his mind access to "random data."
| Release : | 1994 |
| Rating : | 5.5 |
| Studio : | MCA Television Entertainment, USA Network, Michael Phillips Productions, |
| Crew : | Production Design, Director of Photography, |
| Cast : | Kathryn Harrold Bruce Greenwood Talia Balsam Brion James Joely Fisher |
| Genre : | Thriller Science Fiction Romance TV Movie |
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Reviews
Yawn. Poorly Filmed Snooze Fest.
Better Late Then Never
As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.
This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.
Successful romantic novel writer, disillusioned with "love", retreats to the countryside for a while.She takes with her a romantic companion, a life-like robot who can be 'programmed' at different levels.And it is that programming and re-programming which is at the center of this drama.First rate casting, with all the actors giving convincing and watchable performances. My only gripe is that the basic story is hardly original and seems to have been done in similar ways many times. Nonetheless the two leads are excellent and kept me viewing until the end.
I approach these kinds of SF movies with the expectations of, say, an Outer Limits (newer) episode. If the acting is adequate and the effects not too cheesy, then the plot and dialog determine my enjoyment level more than anything. And this film did not dissapoint. OK, it is a 'B' grade film, but there isn't much need for effects, as the android by definition looks and acts pretty much like a human. What effects were there were done fine. The acting was also fine, with both leads and the supporting cast turning in what for me were effective performances. In particular, Bruce Greenwood was competent at portraying the various levels of programmed emotion in his character, as well as the injured mode later in the film.The plot and dialog were what really got me, however. Many elements also found in the blockbuster AI are also to be found in this flick, such as: what is love for / from a robot; does a robot really feel; how should we treat a machine that for all outward appearances is fairly human; etc. For me, these issues are broadly applicable, as they apply to how we treat other humans that seem somewhat "different" from us, and animals as well (pets/slaves/meat). Themes like this should spark debate in the viewer and help reframe issues that have grown worn with time due to their use as political footballs.Real SF to me isn't just a bundle of action and special effects. The best SF explores the human reaction to technology. In this regard (and almost every other) I liked this film more than AI. If you are interested in a good robot flick, and like SF that showcases the interaction of technology and humanity, you might want to check it out.
