'The Rental' film review: Dave Franco debuts with an indie drama/horror hybrid
One-part relationship drama and one-part indie horror flick, 'The Rental' (now playing in select drive-in theaters and on VOD) is an enjoyable little flick that feels like two, tonally different shorter movies conjoined together.
In short: Two couples rent a vacation home for what should be a celebratory weekend get-away. Stars Dan Stevens, Alison Brie, Sheila Vand and Jeremy Allen White.
"The Rental" is layered with the anxieties and insecurities of four thirtysomethings ostensibly enjoying a carefree weekend on the coast, when their weekend getaway is completely upended into something closer to a nightmare than vacay. And funny enough, that summation would still be totally applicable if the second half was just outright chopped off. The film is front-loaded with character dynamics and backstory - so by the time "The Rental" accelerates from zero to full-on slasher, the movie flips from character-driven to an almost completely plot-driven stalking of young people.
The hook of "Rental" is that it's a horror flick - meaning at some point, blood will be spilled and bodies will pile up. That's just the horror formula. Less conventional is the film's elongated setup, which has more in common with a thoughtful indie relationship drama than a typical slasher. Slow burn doesn't quite describe this film's patient, methodical escalation from weekend jaunt to terrifying nightmare.
This horror flick's short runtime is as much an asset as it is a liability for "The Rental." On one hand, director/co-writer Dave Franco has crafted a lean, tightly-focused slow burn of a horror flick. It doesn't waste time in establishing who the characters are, alluding to their potential conflicts and getting the general plot moving. On the other hand, aside from a few requisite hints of something sinister going on at the remote beach house, "The Rental" isn't an electrifying or energized horror flick. It actually has respect for its audience and asks them to be patient while the script slowly unpacks the imperfections and cracks in the relationships between these four friends.
Almost exactly halfway into the run time, "The Rental" flips a switch and shifts gears from drama to slasher. And this is almost exactly where the film becomes less compelling - even if it's viscerally more "exciting." The first half of the script allows the characters to drive the story forward, as they gently prod each other - while hinting that some relationships that seem strong might be in danger and other relationships that seem innocent might have more to them. It's intriguing to ponder an alternate cut of this film without the horror aspects - because at the end of that film, all four friends would be totally destabilized all the same. It's just that this particular story involves more hyperbolic plot turns and bloodshed.
Final verdict: Franco seamlessly grafts a drama and slasher together into one story without feeling tonally jarring. Yet, "The Rental" is more compelling when it allows all four characters to dynamically affect each other - as opposed to the second half, wherein things just happen to the two couples.
Score: 3/5
'The Rental' opened in select cities and is available as a digital VOD rental starting July 24. This horror film is rated R for some violence, language throughout, drug use and some sexuality and has a running time of 98 minutes.
