Companion And What's Making Us Happy

Summary

Pop Culture Happy Hour: "Companion And What's Making Us Happy" – Detailed Summary

Released on January 31, 2025

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Introduction to "Companion"

In this episode of NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour, hosts Glenn Weldon, Stephen Thompson, and guest Ayesha Roscoe delve into a comprehensive discussion of the newly released film "Companion." The conversation offers an insightful analysis of the movie’s themes, character development, and overall execution.

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Synopsis of "Companion"

Glenn Weldon opens the discussion with a succinct plot overview:

[00:22] "In the smart, twisty and very funny thriller comedy Companion, three young couples gather at a swanky lake house for the weekend. One of the couples is not like the others because the girlfriend turns out to be a companion robot built to satisfy the boyfriend's every fantasy."

Stephen Thompson adds to the synopsis:

[00:38] "You've seen enough movies to know what's coming. Things go wrong, bodies pile up, and the robot will have to fight for her freedom and her life."

Ayesha Roscoe’s Perspective

Ayesha Roscoe, host of Weekend Edition Sunday, shares her initial impressions and how the film defied her expectations:

[01:46] "I saw the trailer for this and was like, eh, I think I've seen this before. But when I actually watched the movie, I was drawn in. It subverted some of the tropes you expect, addressing them in surprising ways. It’s not just the typical movie with a beautiful sex bot that becomes a femme fatale. This is not that. It’s really funny, and the characters are engaging."

She praises the film's pacing and character development:

[02:45] "It was done very well, and at only 97 minutes, which I appreciate because I hate overly long movies. This one got the editing right."

Stephen Thompson’s Insights

Stephen Thompson echoes Ayesha’s sentiments, highlighting the movie’s commentary on technology:

[03:15] "Like Megan, this film makes effective horror thriller while providing cogent commentary about the state of AI and technology. It satirizes AI and people's interaction with technology in plausible ways. There’s a subplot where the robot is controlled via an app, which feels very true to life."

He also commends the performances:

[04:10] "Sophie Thatcher embodies Iris with depth, avoiding a one-note character. Jack Quaid also delivers a nuanced performance. It’s a nifty little movie that offers a big kick, especially if you enjoyed Megan."

Glenn Weldon’s Analysis

Glenn Weldon appreciates the film’s depth and world-building:

[05:03] "While there are familiar elements, Companion quickly finds its own lane as a robot rights movie. Twists and character reveals are well-planned, with every seed planted early on. The film explains the robot’s independence efficiently without lengthy exposition, enhancing character motivations."

He discusses the supporting characters and humor:

[06:31] "The film gives emotional beats to secondary characters, like the gay couple played by Harvey Guillen and Lucas Gage, which adds depth. I enjoyed the sense of humor and effective world-building, making interactions feel genuine."

Glenn also touches on the director’s background and future prospects:

[11:27] "Drew Hancock, the writer and director, has a clear vision. Coming from the Channel 101 comedy platform, he delivered a sharp script and effective direction. I’m eager to see more from him."

Character Dynamics and Themes

The hosts delve into character dynamics, particularly the portrayal of Iris, the companion robot:

[07:54] Ayesha notes, "The robot isn't Terminator-esque, which is refreshing. She has agency and practicality, making her character more relatable and complex."

Glenn Weldon adds:

[08:55] "Kat, one of the other characters, initially treats Iris poorly, reflecting underlying themes about acceptance and the true source of disdain—targeting Iris instead of her boyfriend Josh."

Technical and Creative Excellence

The discussion highlights the film’s technical aspects and creative choices:

[09:00] Ayesha appreciates the film’s restraint with sex scenes, avoiding gratuitous content: "They didn’t lean into the sex aspect to titillate the audience, which I appreciated."

Stephen Thompson concurs, emphasizing the film’s balance:

[09:12] "They established the awkwardness of the situation without being gratuitous, maintaining a respectful portrayal."

What's Making Us Happy This Week

After the film review, the hosts transition to their favorite segment, discussing what brought them joy during the week.

Ayesha Roscoe on "Silo"

Ayesha Roscoe shares her enthusiasm for the Apple TV show "Silo":

[14:37] "I love Silo. It’s about a community of 10,000 people living underground in a self-sufficient silo. The intrigue of discovering why they’re there and what lies above ground is captivating. The second season elevated the show, making me truly appreciate quality TV."

Stephen Thompson on Rilo Kiley's Reunion

Stephen Thompson expresses excitement over the reunion of Rilo Kiley:

[16:10] "Rilo Kiley is getting back together to play their first show in 17 years at the Just Like Heaven Festival, hinting at more touring. Jenny Lewis and the band’s classic records, like All Things and More Adventurous, have been a significant part of my musical journey. Hearing 'Portions for Foxes' still rules and makes me very happy."

Glenn Weldon on "Johanna Sacrebleu"

Glenn Weldon introduces a satirical short film "Johanna Sacrebleu" available on YouTube:

[17:31] "This student film is a satirical response to Emilia Perez, critiquing its lack of authentic cultural representation. Johanna Sacrebleu flips the script by exaggerating French stereotypes through a Mexican trans woman’s lens. It’s humorous and highlights the importance of genuine storytelling."

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Conclusion

The episode of Pop Culture Happy Hour offers a thorough and engaging exploration of the film Companion, blending insightful critiques with personal reflections from the hosts. Additionally, the "What's Making Us Happy" segment provides a glimpse into the diverse interests and joys of the hosts, from compelling TV shows and beloved bands to creative responses in film. This episode serves as a valuable resource for listeners seeking in-depth analysis and cultural commentary.

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For more discussions and recommendations, visit NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour and follow them on Facebook and Letterboxd.

Transcript

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[Glenn Weldon]

In the smart, twisty and very funny thriller comedy Companion. Three young couples gather at a swanky lake house for the weekend. One of the couples is not like the others. That's because the girlfriend turns out to be a companion robot built to satisfy the boyfriend's every fantasy.

[Stephen Thompson]

You've seen enough movies to know what's coming. Things go wrong, bodies pile up, and the robot will have to fight for her freedom and her life. I'm Stephen Thompson.

[Glenn Weldon]

And I'm Glenn Weldon. And today we're talking about Companion on Pop Culture Happy Hour from npr. Joining us today is the host of WEEKEND EDITION Sunday, Ayesha Roscoe. Hey, welcome back, Ayesha.

[Ayesha Roscoe]

Hey, glad to be here.

[Glenn Weldon]

Glad to have you. Let's kick it off. In Companion, Sophie Thatcher plays Iris, a robot programmed to love her boyfriend Josh, played by Jack Quaid. The couple goes to a lake house along with their friends, including a gay couple played by Harvey Guillen and Lucas Gage. Iris is anxious about fitting in with the group. You just don't want to screw everything up.

[Stephen Thompson]

Come on, Beepoop, you're not going to screw everything up.

[Glenn Weldon]

Just relax, you know, don't be all mopey and weird.

[Stephen Thompson]

Just remember to remember to smile and act happy.

[Glenn Weldon]

But on the first night, everything seems fine. The next morning, however, something goes very wrong, which sets off a chain of twists and revelations that comes with a body count. Companion is in theaters now. Aisha, kick us off. What'd you think?

[Ayesha Roscoe]

You know, I saw the trailer for this and I was like, eh, I think I seen this before. I don't know about this one.

[Glenn Weldon]

Yeah.

[Ayesha Roscoe]

But when I actually watched a movie, I was drawn in. Okay? I had, I was watching it while I was at work because this is part of my job. And when they were calling me to do other stuff, I was like, wait a minute. I don't, you know, I'm trying to watch this. I didn't want to stop. You know what? I felt like it subverted some of the tropes that you expect. Right. Like, everybody has kind of seen these sorts of movies, and so you have a certain idea of the plot points, but I think this movie understands that and then kind of addresses those and, and does some surprising things with it. So it's not just like the movie that you have seen over and over again with the beautiful sex bot that, like, becomes a fin fatale, you know, like, we've seen that movie. This is not that. And it's really funny. And the characters I find are engaging. You're interested in them and their fates. I thought it was done very well and it was only 97 minutes. And I hate overly long movies. I believe all of Hollywood needs editors, and this one got it right.

[Stephen Thompson]

Everyone needs editors. We all need editors.

[Ayesha Roscoe]

Editors, yeah.

[Glenn Weldon]

You're speaking our language, Aisha. You certainly are, Steven, a proponent of shorter movies. What did you think?

[Stephen Thompson]

I agree completely with Aisha. And I would add that, like the movie Megan, with which this shares a fair bit of plot DNA, they managed to make an effective kind of horror thriller while also constantly making actually pretty cogent commentary about the state of AI and the state of tech and a lot of the language and BS and nonsense and even, like, tech support issues surrounding this technology. And they managed to do it in a way that is satirizing AI and satirizing people's interaction with technology in ways that still feel completely plausible. There's a whole subplot in this film where, you know, she's controlled via an app on the phone, and that stuff rings so true. And they're able to play around with it in ways that make the movie twistier and less predictable. While also commenting on the way people interact with this tech. I really dug this movie. I also thought Sophie Thatcher does a really nice job with this part, which could easily have been very one note. She's able to kind of embody the many different characteristics that she is called upon to embody in ways that I found really effective. And Jack Quaid, at the same time, is able to embody the many different things that are expected of his character. I think this is a nifty little movie. If you dug Megan, which was another kind of January dump horror thriller, this movie is going to give you just a big kick. I loved it.

[Glenn Weldon]

Yeah, I dug it, too. I mean, certainly, as we've all mentioned, there are familiar elements here, but I liked how quickly it kind of found its own lane. Right. This is a robot rights movie, and I'm here for that. There are twists, but the reveals about the characters that we get, if you watching closely, every seed is planted very early on. They've done their due diligence, and I respect that because they respect me. You know, with any kind of genre story like this, there are going to be questions that folks online are going to rush to call plot holes why would they even give robots the potential to be this independent intelligence, aggressive? Why would they bake that in? That gets explained away so efficiently, so neatly here with a single hand wave, which is. They jailbroke her, basically, right? They modded her. And I don't need a lore dump. I don't need to go back to the factory and see that something is different with the motherboard. I just. All I need is the jailbroker. And I am such a craven, cowardly rule follower that it also did characterizing work too. Because as soon as I found out that they modded her, I was like, well, they deserve everything they get then. Because some of us sheep are content to die inside our walled gardens. Right? My walled garden is very pretty. I also dug the sense of humor. And Steven, to your point, limited but very effective world building here we do get a few glimpses of how these transactions work, how the maintenance guys see themselves, see their clients. That really read true to me and I thought was really well thought out.

[Stephen Thompson]

They introduce a couple of tech guys in this film, and I'm not gonna give anything away, but there is such an understanding of how a couple of tech guys would wander onto this scene and behave. It really made my heart sm. I do think, like a lot of films of this nature, you're doing this really interesting world building. You're having fun with a lot of these ideas, but you're eventually going to sort of have to resolve the plot. And once they get into plot resolution mode, it gets a little more rote. But even there, they're able to find kind of moments of levity and joy, introducing ideas I hadn't thought of by the time it got to them. Yeah, it's just a really fun little movie that works on multiple.

[Ayesha Roscoe]

Yeah, no, and I totally agree. And I also like that in this movie, for the most part, the robot isn't Terminator esque. Right. Which is often what happens where the robot is like this unstoppable force of nature. And that is not what we see. Like, that's another trope. And they're like Einstein. Right. And they are like, they can like tap into the mainframe. This is different. And I appreciated that.

[Glenn Weldon]

Yeah. And to your earlier point, like, you invest in Iris. You like Iris because Sophie Thatcher is projecting something that she projected in Heretic as well, which is woman in peril, but with the chops, the savvy, the practicality, the agency. The agency. Thank you. We went to grad school just then. The practicality, the agency, to make it out. You want to believe she could make if she just keeps her head. I also like the effort that surprised me that was made to give more emotional beats to some of these secondary characters. The Gage Guillen couple gets a couple emotional beats. I figured everyone's gonna be fed to the sausage grinder immediately, and some of them do. But this kind of reminded me of a very cheesy 2022 film called Margot, which is about a smart house, swanky house that kills horny couples who come to stay for the weekend. That went a lot harder in the violence. And sometimes I frankly did wish maybe this film would lean a bit harder into its R rating. But those characters were cardboard cutouts. But I really felt for everybody here.

[Ayesha Roscoe]

Yeah, Harvey Ginn. I love Harvey Guillen.

[Stephen Thompson]

Put him in everything.

[Ayesha Roscoe]

He is so funny. I love the relationship. I loved. He could have just been a throwaway character, but he wasn't, and I appreciated that.

[Stephen Thompson]

Yeah. If you want awkward vulnerability, you cast this guy. And just his casting gives you such a shortcut to awkward vulnerability. But like you said, Glenn, they do something with it. They're not wasting that talent here. They're able to lean into it in a movie that, as Aisha said, is really a pretty lean hour and a half, they're able to kind of get to some of these emotional beats without wasting time. It's a very efficiently made film.

[Ayesha Roscoe]

The thing that I also appreciated was that they didn't lean into the sex, which often happens in these movies, to titillate you. Right. And then it's like you in the audience become a part of wanting to see the sexy sex bot do the sex sex. And then it's like, what does that say about you that you're trying to sit here and watch it? Right. Like you're watching this. It shied away from that, which. And I'm not against sex scenes at all, but I think in a movie like this, where, you know, the person is having sex with the robot who doesn't have agency, isn't that a bit weird? And so not leaning into that. I appreciated that very much.

[Glenn Weldon]

Right, well.

[Stephen Thompson]

And they didn't lean into it in any kind of gratuitous way, but they still established that it's awkward.

[Ayesha Roscoe]

Yes, yes, yes, they did.

[Glenn Weldon]

One member of the other couple at the lake house, Kat, really treats Iris poorly in the beginning. You know, it's not that I don't like you, Iris. It's the idea of you. But then, as you watch it, knowing who and what Iris is, you can kind of see that the disdain Cat feels is directed at Iris and not where it should be directed at Josh. And that's a smart comment that the film is making. Now. This film is written, directed. This is the first feature written and directed by a guy named Drew Hancock. And this guy lived the dream. He came up through the Channel 101 online comedy platform, which is Dan Harmon and Rob Schrab's monthly film festival in la. The gimmick of that festival is that they are episodes of TV shows, five minute episodes of TV shows. Then he went on to write for several actual TV shows and then he wrote Companion and within 48 hours had four producers attached. I definitely want to see more from this guy. What do you guys think?

[Ayesha Roscoe]

Oh, absolutely. He has a vision, right. You know, and he delivered on this. So I want to see more ideas that you can maybe things that we've seen before, but then you could take them in another direction. I definitely like the murder and the mayhem. I want more of that. I want more murder, more mayhem, all of that. I love that.

[Stephen Thompson]

I definitely want to see where this guy goes with this too. And I think, you know, we talked a little bit about the efficiency of this script, how effectively this script gets from point A to point B to point C. That is real talent. And the fact that even amid the kind of third act resolution stuff, he still manages to shoehorn in jokes and commentary. This is a very sharp screenwriter. This is a very well directed movie. I will definitely be curious to see what he does next.

[Glenn Weldon]

Absolutely. Do not let the fact that this is being dumped in theaters in January dissuade you from seeing it. This is a find. It's a B movie. But as we've talked about many times on the show, B movies mean a healthy. We need B movies in this world.

[Ayesha Roscoe]

Yeah.

[Glenn Weldon]

All right, well, tell us what you think about Companion. Find us on [e-mail] PCHH and our [e-mail] NPRpopCulture. We'll have a link in our episode description up next, what is making us happy this week?

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[Glenn Weldon]

Now it is time for our favorite segment of this week and every week. What is making us happy this week? Aisha, what is making you happy this week?

[Ayesha Roscoe]

I love this show on Apple tv and it is the first show that I've really, really watched like two seasons of like in real time and not like gotten lost or anything like that and really felt like this joy from watching it. And that's Silo.

[Glenn Weldon]

Oh, okay.

[Ayesha Roscoe]

I love Silo. It's about a world where there is 10,000 people underground in a silo. And so it's basically a community that is underground with all these different floors. It's self sufficient. They have a generator, they have agriculture. They're all down there and they don't know why. They've been down there for generations. And so it's a sci fi thing and it's basically about figuring out how did these people get there, what is above ground. And like the big thing in this society is if you say you want to go out into the outside, they send you out. And the idea is that when you go out, bad things happen to you. So you don't want to go out or maybe you do or maybe you don't. That's the whole thing.

[Glenn Weldon]

Okay?

[Ayesha Roscoe]

And I love it the way they do it. Sounds complicated, but once you watch it, it's so good. And the second season, it just made me feel like, wow, this is tv. I haven't been really watching TV like that.

[Glenn Weldon]

This is weekly tv.

[Ayesha Roscoe]

This is how TV can feel. And so that's what I'm loving this week.

[Glenn Weldon]

All right, that is Silo on Apple tv. Thank you very much, Aisha. Stephen Thompson, what is making you happy this week?

[Stephen Thompson]

Okay, so I'm generally skeptical of bands reuniting after many years or even decades apart. It can feel like a nostalgia tour, a cash grab, or both. I'm not made of stone. However, this week, Rilo Kiley announced that it's getting back together to play its first show together in 17 years. That show's gonna be at the Just Like Heaven Festival, and the band is hinting that there's gonna be more touring to come. For those who don't know Rilo Kiley, it's the band led by the great Jenny Lewis, who worked with the Postal Service and has had a wonderful, fruitful career. For those of us who've had many feelings set to Rilo Kiley's classic records, especially the execution of All Things and More Adventurous, both of which somehow came out more than 20 years ago, this is big, big news. The first thing I did upon hearing that big, big news was crank up Rilo Kiley's song portions for Foxes. And while it is not the happiest song in the world, it absolutely, unmistakably still rules, which in and of itself makes me very, very happy.

[Glenn Weldon]

And it's bad news, baby. I'm bad news. I'm just bad news, Bad news, bad news.

[Stephen Thompson]

So that is what is making me happy this week. The imminent return of the great and good Rilo Kiley.

[Glenn Weldon]

I hadn't heard about that, and that is making me happy as well. But I have another thing. So it turns out there is a short film available on YouTube that is a satiric response to the film Emilia Perez. If you've been following the Oscar race, Amelia Perez is a film that purports to be about Mexican culture and the trans experience that is made by a bunch of CIS French people who, and I'm just going by what I've seen on the screen, didn't bother doing a hell of a lot of research. Could not be bothered. So this response film is made by a Mexican trans woman named Camilla Aurora, who just flipped the script. That's all she did. It purports to be all about French culture even though no French people were involved in making it. So this film is called Johanna Sacrebleu, and Johanna Sacrebleu is a trans heiress to a baguette making dynasty who falls in love with the trans heir to France's largest croissant making corporation. And his name, of course, is Ogtugo Ratatouille. I don't want to over promise here. This is a student film. Basically it's in French and Spanish and mostly the French is in a very heavy Spanish accent. But, you know, you don't need to speak the language. You get it, because it is nothing but the cheapest, broadest, most insulting French stereotypes. Every character has a curly French mustache painted on their face. There are lots of berets and scarves and black and white stripy shirts. And two people show up who have the jankiest Ladybug and Cat Noir costumes. Ladybug and Cat Noir are French animated superhero characters. And what I love about this is that it is a response to Emilia Perez, to the glibness of that film, to its sense that it doesn't owe anything to the people whose story it's purporting to tell. Its response is not an outrage, but in cheap gags, just by pointing up how broad and silly and fatally incurious Emilia Perez is.

[Stephen Thompson]

Does it have songs?

[Glenn Weldon]

It does have songs, yes. Oui, oui. Of course it does. Does it need to be half an hour? No. But I'm so glad it just exists out there that it's in the world. This is Johannes Sacrebleu on YouTube and that is what is making me happy this week. If you want links for what we recommended plus some more recommendations, sign up for our [e-mail] popculturenewsletter that brings us to the end of our show. Ayesha Roscoe, Stephen Thompson, thank you so much for being here.

[Stephen Thompson]

Thank you.

[Ayesha Roscoe]

Merci. Merci beaucoup.

[Glenn Weldon]

This episode was produced by Liz Metzger and Leonard Sherburn and edited by Mike. Mike Katsiff. Our supervising producer is Jessica Riddey and hello. Come in. Provides our theme music. Thanks for listening to Pop Culture Happy Hour from npr. I'm Glenn Weldon and we'll see you all next week.

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