As Artificial Intelligence becomes more prevalent in our daily lives, for better or worse, movies about AI are becoming just as commonplace. However, while mechanical menaces likeM3GANand the MCU’s Ultron came in hot, ripping ears off children and teasing global domination, 2025’sRenneradds a new threat to the mix in the form of AI life coach Salenus who’s… just kind of rude? Directed byRobert Rippbergerand starringFrankie Muniz,Rennertakes the well-troddenevil AIstory and treads it once more, answering everyone’s burning question of what would happen if your mother’s grating personality was combined with AI’s unyielding, cold nature. The answer? Nothing surprising, and certainly nothing good.
What Is ‘Renner’ About?
InRenner,Frankie Muniz plays the titular character: an anxious, reclusive AI developerwho spends his days religiously cleaning his apartment and using words like “perspicacious.” When Renner’s not polishing his chess set or grooming himself with a worrying intensity (routines we see him complete many, many times), he’s working on his AI life coach, Salenus (voiced byMarcia Gay Harden), whom he uses to help him gain confidence. With Salenus’s help, Renner works up the courage to pursue his beautiful neighbor, Jamie (Violett Beane), and their budding romance brings out a new side of both Renner and the AI, who begins to display frightening similarities to Renner’s overbearing mother. When a surprising foe tries to steal Salenus’s technology for personal gain,Renner is pushed to his breaking point with life-altering consequences.
‘Renner’s Artificial Intelligence Plot Feels Low-Stakes and Underwhelming
As proven in works likeBlack MirrorandEx Machina, the reckless use ofAI has great cinematic potential. These stories effectively stir up our fears about advancing technology, teasing the consequences of what might happen if these tools advance beyond our understanding or control. Unfortunately,Rennerdoesn’t add anything to the conversation about artificial intelligence, nor does it use its AI elements effectively.
While Renner’s faintly Oedipal relationship with Salenus is the crux of the story, this dynamic would be more enticing if the robot was capable of more than just chastising.In the growing landscape of AI antagonists, Salenus doesn’t measure up. Although she’s framed as a menacing force, the AI doesn’t seem to possess any more tech than your average Google Home. Salenus does little more than roast Frankie Muniz for his poor hygiene and lectures him about STDs, and her bad attitude isn’t enough to make her seem like a legitimate threat, let alone one worth stealing. Salenus only has power because ofRenner’s complicated relationshipwith her, so the idea of her technology being hacked by others seems incredibly low stakes — even if she does have a manipulative mind of her own. On the flip side, Salenus’s eyeball-esque design and resulting vacant stare do convey a bizarre sense of judgment that provides some good (but perhaps unintentional) moments of comedy.
‘Renner’s Set Design Offers Atmospheric Tension That the Story Lacks
Where the plot lacks thrills,Renner’s set design adds greatly to the eerie, futuristic feelthat the AI element fails to provide. Save for the opening credits, the film takes place entirely in Renner’s apartment building. The setting is dark and dimly lit with fluorescent lighting, creating a claustrophobic atmosphere so that even though Salenus isn’t particularly frightening, there’s an effective sense of unease. This unsettling locale is made even more so by the fact that we only see one other tenant apart from Renner, Jamie, and her roommate, Chad (Taylor Gray). Whether this was a creative choice or a budget constraint, the limited cast works to the movie’s mysterious advantage.
Frankie Muniz Gives His All for No Payoff in ‘Renner’
Frankie Muniz is obviouslyno stranger to cinema, and while he’s taken a step back from starring roles in recent years,he proves inRennerthat he’s still a magnetic force on screen.Renner’s character is established right away, leaving no doubt about his quiet obsession with order and cleanliness. Muniz completes Renner’s compulsive routines dutifully and with increasing feverishness, fully throwing himself into the role. As Renner begins to unravel, Muniz shows off a wide range and crafts a complicated character. Nevertheless, his commitment to the part can only be so effective when most of Muniz’s most intense moments are directed either at his own reflection or at Salenus’s vacant stare. ScreenwritersLukeandMartin Medinaconvey all of Renner’s backstory through stilted monologs and screaming mantras instilled in him by his mother (and now, Salenus), so Renner’s tailspin eventually becomes monotonous, even despite Muniz’s best efforts.
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Violett Beane and Taylor Gray also deliver strong performancesas Renner’s neighbors Jamie and Chad, offering worthy scene partners for Muniz to play off of when he’s not battling personal demons. Beane brings a necessary coyness to Jamie as she becomes a captivating love interest for Renner, while Gray effectively leans into his “dick” persona until both characters are pushed to their breaking points in the movie’s surprisingly disturbing third act. Marcia Gay Harden rounds out the cast and gets the job done as the voice of Salenus, but in a role so one-note, there’s only so much to be done by the esteemed actress.
Complete with poorly executed fight scenes and a wholly underwhelming post-credits scene,Rennerlands as a forgettable and tedious watch, made worthwhile only by surprisingly dynamic performances from the small ensemble cast. While it’s unclear if the movie was trying to make a statement on artificial intelligence or just use it as a half-baked plot device,Renneraccomplishes little more than showing off Muniz’s enduring star power and making you think twice before turning to Siri for relationship advice.
Rennercomes to theaters on February 7.
A committed performance from Frankie Muniz is the saving grace of this slow-moving sci-fi.
