Then there’s her partner – and Charlie’s brother – Josh (Jeremy Allen White). While she’s been a positive influence on the Lyft driver with a chequered past, trouble still seems to follow him everywhere. This time, it’s his decision to bring his beloved pooch Reggie, despite the express instructions of no pets. So when the houseowner’s brother Taylor (Toby Huss) arrives to welcome them, they ensure Reggie is nowhere to be seen. His demeanour and a creepy door with an electronic code again place Mina on edge, something which Charlie and wife Michelle (Alison Brie) aim to blunt with a walk along the beach and a night of fun. But, after producing a surprise bag of ecstasy, she decides to opt out, keen to have a clear head for the long hike she has planned the next morning. The other three though are keen to party on and, as the night progresses, a growing sexual tension between Mina and Charlie begins to develop, especially as Josh starts to fade.
Remember holidays with friends?
The Rental wants to make sure we never book another Airbnb again, even when we’re allowed to. Dave Franco (
21 Jump Street,
Bad Neighbours, little brother of James) makes his directorial debut with a nasty little indie co-written with Joe Swanberg (Netflix‘s
Easy) – part tightly wrought drama, part predictable slasher, it’s a patchy but fun horror that makes great use of a stellar cast and a single set.
Charlie (Dan Stevens) is married to Michelle (Alison Brie) while having an affair with his business partner, Mina (Sheila Vand,
Argo and
Snowpiercer), who also happens to be going out with his brother, Josh (
Horror movie will make you paranoid If you think you’ll walk into an Airbnb or holiday rental ready to relax and have fun, think again.
Movies by Wenlei Ma 21st Jan 2021 3:53 PM Delivering solid thrills and an ugly portrait of disintegrating relationships, The Rental is a clever meld of drama and horror. The directorial debut of actor Dave Franco, with a screenplay by Franco and indie filmmaker Joe Swanberg,
The Rental is a taut 90-minute movie that will make you squirm. A generally by-the-book affair, its lasting effect will be to make you paranoid about every Airbnb you ever step into in the future - or rethink the ones where you ve stayed in the past. Was someone watching the whole time?
In the wickedly cruel The Rental, Dan Stevens and co shack up in a deadly Airbnb
4/5
Dave Franco’s smart film doubles as slasher flick and character study, with the tension ratcheted up and bloody thrills to spare
Alison Brie, writes Tim Robie, gives Dave Franco s The Rental its wittiest turn
Credit: IFC
Dir: Dave Franco. Cast: Dan Stevens, Alison Brie, Sheila Vand, Jeremy Allen White, Toby Huss, Anthony Molinari. 15 cert, 89 mins
Dave Franco’s Airbnb chiller The Rental has a great poster – remember those? It’s an upside-down shot of a holiday home, invitingly warm inside, but with a silhouetted figure falling out of it into the night, or maybe the Pacific Ocean. “Secluded getaway. Killer views.”