Movie Review: "Companion"

I watched the 2025 movie "Companion" on Halloween Eve. It's a fun flick that stars Sophie Thatcher (who I loved in "Heretic") and Jack Quaid (son of Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan, and the latest in a growing trend I've noticed of adult-children of stars following the footsteps of their famous folks).

In "Companion," sweet and idealistic young Iris (Thatcher) travels to the middle of nowhere with her affable beau, Josh (Quaid) to hang out with some of his friends for the weekend. The setting is in an undisclosed but not-so-distant future when not only do we have fully automated self-driving cars, but android companions who can be customized to love and devote themselves singularly to their owners.

During this fateful getaway, Iris discovers to her horror that she's one of these robot "companions," and all her memories of Josh, from the moment of their classic rom-com introduction, have been fabricated as part of her programming. She also discovers that Josh has tampered with that programming, specifically the part that prevents robotic companions from harming humans.

There's a reason he did this, as we discover through the course of the movie. Along the way, as the truth is revealed, Iris gets to know the others they're visiting at the lake, including the owner of the gorgeous mansion they're staying in, Sergey (played to the campy, sleazy max by the always terrific Rupert Friend), Sergey's bitchy girlfriend Kat, and another couple, handsome Patrick and his adoring partner Eli (Harvey Guillen from "What We Do in the Shadows"). Soon they're all in this mess together, and things just keep getting more complicated, building up to the film's predictable but enjoyable conclusion.

"Companion" isn't a bad movie. Thatcher is radiant as Iris, and Quaid successfully channels his father's sleazy turn from "The Substance" to prove himself capable of equally despicable character portrayals. Guillen steals every scene he's in, and while he's the comedic relief for the most part, there are a few scenes with him that are pretty touching and poignant, too.

If I hadn't seen the far-superior "Ex Machina," which explores similar premise and themes, I might have liked "Companion" more. It plays more light-hearted than "Ex Machina," although that's probably not the best descriptive choice since "Companion" does touch on some dark themes. But the over-arching narrative thread isn't as sinister, claustrophobic, or effective as "Ex Machina" (written and directed by Alex Garland). And while it may not be fair to compare the two, it's impossible not to if you've seen them both. Iris, for all of Thatcher's great performance, is no Ava; in comparison, Iris seems little more than the "sex bot" she's accused of being in "Companion" by a surly, jealous Kat, with little emotional or intellectual depth, even when she manages to "hack" herself and increase her intelligence level to 100% capacity.

I guess on a scale of one to five stars, I'd give "Companion" a 3, because like I said, it's a fun time, and the performances make it worth the watch. But I couldn't help but continuously compare it to "Ex Machina," (which I'd give 5 stars), and realize that it just couldn't hit that high an established bar.