Jack Quaid and Sophie Thatcher looking at each other in 'Companion'
(Warner Bros.)

‘Companion’ review: A thrilling look at the nonsense of the male loneliness epidemic

4/5 pretty pink outfits

You think a movie with a romantic subplot starring Jack Quaid would be your dream love situation. Companion tells you to think again.

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Josh (Quaid) is a man who seems like the perfect package to Iris (Sophie Thatcher). The two “meet” in a grocery store when Josh accidentally knocks over an entire shelf of oranges and the rest is history. Sort of. It is hard to talk about Companion without slight spoilers so later, I will talk about a bit of the plot. For now, there are aspects of this film that really aid the overall themes being presented to us by writer and director Drew Hancock.

Iris is presented as a young woman with an affinity for the late 60s aesthetic. A cloth headband matching her outfit, a cute button up with a patterned short look. It brings a wholesome vibe to her. One that Josh’s friend Kat (Megan Suri) is uneasy with. Josh’s friends, which consist of Kat, Eli (Harvey Guillén), Patrick (Lukas Gage), and Kat’s boyfriend (Rupert Friend), are all at a lake house together and things go haywire while they are all together.

**Spoilers for Companion lie ahead**

In the film, one of the biggest issues for these characters is a program that allows rich people to buy “companion” robots. It allows them to live out their romantic dreams and fantasies without those pesky problems where the other person can have freewill. Great, right? (I’m kidding. It’s terrifying.)

But the film really does shine a spotlight into this idea of male loneliness and the darkness surrounding it and what happens when we feed into that loneliness. Basically, nothing good can come out of it.

A warning with some pretty great twists

sophie thatcher crying
(Warner Bros.)

It’d be easy to dismiss Companion as a fun sci-fi flick. But the reality is that it has a deeper messaging that I think is important to unpack. There are “good” men who use the companion robots to find love and happiness but they are still using this program as a way to love someone who has no choice but to love them in return.

That is what is the most terrifying bit of this “epidemic.” These men want to fall in love and not be questioned about their lives. If someone is there to sleep with you when you want it and not ask questions, isn’t that the dream?

Quaid’s natural charm helps to build out the darker parts of Josh as a character and with each new twist, turn, and frightening action sequence, Companion really highlights how terrifying this male psyche can be. We live in a world that is catering to these boys who think everyone should like them. If someone doesn’t, it is on that person and not them.

What really works about Companion‘s commentary on it is that we get to see the lengths that delusion in men like this will go and how those around them suffer as a result. Drew Hancock brought us a nearly perfect thriller that will make you question your ideas of love, a partner, and loneliness. And really does highlight why both Quaid and Thatcher are two of our best actors working today.

I feel like we’re going to be talking about this one for a while and I cannot wait.


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