Dave Franco has made a solid impression in front of the camera in films as varied as 21 Jump Street and The Disaster Artist, which was directed by his brother James Franco. In his newest project, he follows in the footsteps of his brother and makes his debut behind the camera in a paranoid thriller that positions him as a director to keep an eye on in the future. The Rental takes on the standard genre trope of a group of friends embarking on a remote getaway for a weekend, which will not serve as the relaxing break from society that they envisioned. While the plot is not exactly groundbreaking, the execution elevates this film substantially, especially in the thoughtfully written screenplay that he crafted with indie stalwart Joe Swanberg (Drinking Buddies). The Rental is a film of many stories wrapped into one tightly paced nightmare; what begins as a lusty adult drama with infidelity on the brain transitions into a voyeuristic thriller before going into full-on throwback horror in the anxiety-provoking climax. This could be a messy and unfocused project in less capable hands, but Franco delicately balances plot and tone to offer an examination of the trust that we put into technology.
Charlie (Dan Stevens, Legion) is a tech start-up genius of sorts who works very closely with his business partner, Mina (Sheila Vand, A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night), who happens to be dating his hothead brother, Josh (Jeremy Allen White, Shameless). Compared to Josh, Charlie has his life incredibly put together; his business is thriving and he is married to lovely Michelle (Alison Brie, GLOW). When the company experiences a notable breakthrough, Charlie decides that the four of them should celebrate by heading off to an oceanside house for a weekend of fun. Josh has a bit of a shaky past and does not truly feel like he is worthy of Mina. He also has an underlying concern that Charlie and Mina might have a relationship that stretches the boundaries of professionalism, which Michelle does her best to dissuade him from while likewise clocking some concerning familiarity between the two. When the pair find themselves alone late at night in a hot tub, romantic tension reaches its apex. This chamber piece concerning the relationship dynamics of these four is enough to make for a compelling drama on its own, but this base drama is only the beginning.
Tension is already thick in the air when the group arrives at the house. Mina first attempted to book the house before having her reservation cancelled. Charlie then successfully booked the place a short time later, which Mina sees as a direct result of her ethnic last name. When the group first meets Taylor (Toby Huss, Halt and Catch Fire), the brother of the property owner, things get extremely awkward really fast as allegations are thrown around and coded racism is barely concealed. When it is discovered later that there is a secret recording device in the shower, the paranoia bubbles over into a frantic nightmare. We have become so complacent as a society when it comes to staying in a stranger’s house in the form of an Airbnb, but Franco and Swanberg are primed to make audiences think twice before booking their next trip. When we finally get down to business with the voyeur from the shadows, the film avoids falling into utter cliche. The movie succeeds in conjuring a sense of intense dread from the spry figure antagonizing the group. The genre is not reinvented, but The Rental is a solid addition to the canon.
This movie largely succeeds on the talent of its cast members and their ability to bring something special to these characters. Charlie is inherently kind of off-putting with his mansplaining and dismissiveness, but Stevens brings a charm that keeps the character from being completely detestable. Sheila Vand is transfixing every moment she is on screen, even when she makes your stress levels rise by letting her reckless attitude put her in dangerous situations. Surprisingly, it is Franco’s wife Alison Brie who is given the least to do among the core four. Brie delivers a dependably excellent performance, but you do wish the character was fleshed out a bit more at the end of the day. The highlight of the film is Jeremy Allen White as Josh, a character who could have easily been one note. Instead, White imbues him with a melancholy that is moving in the midst of interpersonal and situational chaos. Many movies in this genre fail to make an impact by not allowing you to get connected to your characters, but Franco understands the necessity of having that emotional link. The Rental is a film that elegantly weaves in and out of tones without ever feeling off-balance or lacking in any respect. The film is not a masterpiece of the genre, but it is pretty great and serves as a winning first feature for the young director.
Video Quality
The Rental debuts on Blu-Ray courtesy of Scream Factory with a gorgeous 1080p presentation in its original aspect ratio that captures the film well. The movie itself has a very dour color palette that was never going to make this a disc you turn to for bursts of color, but there is a great amount of detail and clarity throughout the entire presentation. The fine detail that is detectable on faces is quite remarkable. There are some lovely warm colors in the house that are rendered well. Roaming shots remain stable and avoid any blurring or banding. For a movie that relies on darkness to build tension, it is important to have deep black levels, which this thankfully does. Objects hold up very well in the shadows and retain their depth. There is no damage, black crush or digital noise detectable in this transfer. There is only a minor bit of artifacting and banding in the foggy climax of the film that cannot quite hold together. Otherwise, this is a supremely impressive transfer from Scream Factory that allows this brand new film to thrive at a high bit rate and deliver a lovely viewing experience.
Audio Quality
The film comes to Blu-Ray with an outstanding DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track. The movie is mostly on the quiet side with bursts of activity during the violent climax. The low end of the track is not particularly active throughout the film, but it makes an impression when it counts. The dialogue and sound effects are appropriately balanced with the creepy score where nothing gets lost in the track. Surround channels get some nice activity during the nature scenes featuring the sounds of the ocean waves. The directionality of this track is on point with sounds coming from all of the appropriate places. This track is quite powerful without being too showy. This is a solid audio experience for horror fans.
Special Features
- The Making of The Rental: A nearly six-minute overview of the film with the cast and crew in which the participants discuss the mining horror from the trust that we put in home sharing websites, finding the right house for the shoot and more. Director Dave Franco also talks about taking the leap into directing a feature film and his collaboration with his partner Joe Swanberg on the script.
- Theatrical Trailer: A two-minute trailer that gives a bit too much away in my opinion.
Final Thoughts
The Rental is a rock solid debut from director Dave Franco which sports strong performances and eye for conjuring tension through visuals and pacing. This film packs a lot into the narrative in under ninety minutes in a way that never feels messy or unfocused. The plot may be familiar to horror fans, but the execution brings a certain thrill to this effort. Scream Factory has once again delivered a fantastic Blu-Ray with a strong A/V presentation and a couple of extras to keep things from being completely barebones. Those looking for an effective thrill should give this one a shot. Recommended
The Rental is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray and Digital.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Scream Factory has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
