Dir. Dave Franco | Now Streaming On: Netflix | Rating: 2/5

The Rental is one of those films that I’m honestly surprised has done so well critically. Usually if I dislike a film, I can still get behind or understand why other audiences love it. With The Rental, this storyline and characters were so surface level I’m struggling to even fill the space for this review. ⁠
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Let’s get this out of the way – Dave Franco tries to address racism with Mina’s character in the first act of the film. “Tries” is a very generous word here since Mina is racially profiled and then nothing critical is ever said or done about it. It was shoehorned in as if to say “Racism is real!” – yes, Dave, we know. ⁠
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The premise of The Rental is palatable to many audiences, especially following the success of The Strangers franchise. But the bulk of this film really feels like more of a relationship drama than a horror film. The kills are very tame for this subgenre and the horror elements rely heavily on the premise of the intruder existing than anything else. ⁠
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Overall, The Rental feels bland and the ending leaves you feeling unsatisfied. It makes an attempt to speak to the power of fear and possibly an antidrug narrative, but nothing critically impressive happens here. You’re not missing much here, take it or leave it. ⁠
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Know Before You Watch: Features drug use, death, blood, sex. ⁠