Companion
Some “nice guys” deserve to finish last
Sophie Thatcher finds out some relationships shouldn't be tested in this drama.
Iris (Sophie Thatcher) has been in a dream of a relationship with Josh (Jack Quaid) since they met at a grocery store. They’re finally progressing to more serious territory, with Josh inviting her to a friend’s lake house to meet all of his pals. Iris is nervous, but excited.
… She should be nervous.
As with most films about groups of people venturing to isolated lake houses in the middle of nowhere, things go pear-shaped fast. When a massive secret is revealed, Iris not only questions her whole relationship, but whether or not she’ll make it out alive.
Trust me, the less you know, the better. Companion works best if you watch it completely blank. Writer/Director Drew Hancock deftly blends humor and horror into this satire about Nice Guy culture and our growing dependence on technology. Think of it as Ex Machina for the TikTok generation.
That may sound dismissive, but it’s not. This is a clever modernization that digs into the problems with depending on technology to fulfill all your needs and how relationships have evolved (or devolved) thanks to this new dependence. Hancock’s only misstep, in my opinion, is not holding all of the people accountable. There is one couple that Hancock seemingly lets off the hook, posing them as a true love match. By the parameters he sets in the film, that would be impossible.
But making up for a slight faltering in the script are two excellent performances from Thatcher and Quaid. As Iris, Thatcher has to do a lot of the emotional work of the film. She’s a sweet, accommodating girlfriend who is desperate to be liked by Josh’s friends. When things start going wrong, Iris immediately tries to find solutions for them as a couple. But as she sees the truth, Thatcher transforms Iris from a naïve doormat to a vengeful force. It’s a great performance, and one that makes the movie.
As for Quaid, he believably plays the Nice Guy every woman has had to deal with at least once in her life. He seems great at the start. Says all the right things. He even throws in a few therapy terms so you know he’s “done the work”. But the second he encounters any sort of friction or resistance, he loses it. Josh melts down when he doesn’t get his way like a toddler. He stamps his feet, yells, and makes himself the victim of every situation. Then, when Iris questions him, he acts affronted and shocked as if she were the one displaying deplorable behavior. It’s fantastic work and brave for Quaid to make himself so totally unlikeable.
If you’re in the market for a twisting sci-fi that’s funnier than it should be, Companion is a fun and interesting romp. Though it lacks a bit of bite when they wrap the story up, it’s still a great watch and sure to spark some interesting conversations.
Verdict: Great performances anchor this fun and topical flick.
Companion is rated R and available in theaters January 31.
