Film Review: Frankie Muniz in ‘Renner’

Renner (Muniz) is a shy computer whiz who lives alone in a small, futuristic apartment. Salenus (voiced by Marcia Gay Harden) is a smart device that he’s constructed. It resembles a giant eyeball and is always ready to dole out advice, encouraging him to keep clean and neat, with his life perfectly organized. Its goal (and Renner’s) is to make him the best version of himself.

Although there never seem to be any other tenants in his building, Renner meets attractive neighbor Jamie (Violett Beane) and is immediately smitten. His cleaning rituals become more intense, and he’s determined to invite Jamie over for dinner. Salenus is all for it, encouraging Renner to climb out of his shell. But when Jamie arrives on his doorstep, she comes with baggage in the form of her uninvited (and obnoxious) roommate, Chad (Taylor Gray).

Disappointed, Renner assumes that Chad is the boyfriend, but Jamie introduces him as her brother. Or is he her half-brother? After they survive an awkward, evening, Renner continues to see Jamie, still encouraged by the seemingly helpful AI.

As time passes, Renner reveals more of his past life to Jamie. He’d been dominated by his late mother, who’d expected him to always be perfect, hence his obsession with order. In fact, he’s programmed Salenus to have aspects of mother’s personality, so it’s not surprising that the AI becomes jealous of their relationship. Soon, Salenus starts dropping bombs of suspicion. She suspects betrayal in Jamie’s voice and warns Renner to keep his guard up.

As he is being yanked in two different directions, Renner’s behavior becomes more and more erratic. Is he falling in love with Jamie or starting to distrust her big time? She seems to already know more about him than she first revealed. And what are she and Chad really up to? It doesn’t take long for all these feelings to get the better of him, and everything begins to fall apart.

Clocking in at a brief 90 minutes, Renner is a claustrophobic, three-character drama that’s nevertheless an entertaining watch. Reminiscent of a more sinister Her (2013), it has enough plot twists to keep viewers guessing. All the actors are fine in their roles, and Muniz especially does a good job. As Renner’s personality falls apart, he delivers an effective performance that’s more than just “Malcolm goes nuts.” Harden is also fun as the duplicitous AI.

Renner is currently playing in Los Angeles at select Regal Theaters and Laemmle NoHo 7.

Feature photo (l-r): Taylor Gray, Frankie Muniz and Violett Beane in Renner.