However, these barbs hit her harder, because this is what she’s supposed to want. For instance, when a drunken Alma demands that Tom drop his trousers, her jibes at his nakedness are meant to mock him. This dynamic is funny on its face - a kind of stooge and straight-man chemistry - but it’s troubling on reflection.
By portraying Tom as blithe and inhumanly patient in the face of her wrath, Stevens proves her perfect partner. Eggert embodies this internal conflict with a palpable anxiety and low-boil rage. Meanwhile, Alma struggles with her desire for what Tom could be and the reality of what he is. Whether he’s tidying up in a bathrobe or lounging on a sofa, Tom seems posed yet effortless, like a mannequin masterfully displayed. His movements are a touch too polished to feel natural. Stevens’ performance steadily but subtly reminds us of Tom’s falseness. Actually, Tom’s appearance is so human, so placidly but pleasantly so, that you might begin to suspect that he’ll pull a Short Circuit and reveal he’s been upgraded to having a soul! But co-writer/director Maria Schrader won’t let us off so easy.
#IM YOUR MAN MOVIE#
The movie doesn’t employ noticeable sci-fi spectacle, like sparks or Ex Machina-style metal limbs to make this clear. Even as she swoons, however, I’m Your Man never lets us forget that Tom is not the man of her dreams, but a robot. But even as she loathes what Tom’s existence might mean for mankind, Alma yearns to be held, to be seen, to be told she is loved. He is an advanced app meant to plug a deeply human need and a million complicated wants. Tom insists he wants to be her partner, but also casually mentions he is incapable of wanting anything. But what does it mean if happiness comes through a simulation?Īlma immediately resents the idea that any human - though perhaps her especially - could be so easily sated. His generosity is not a choice, but a command: Make Alma happy. His smarts come from wifi access to the internet. Indeed, his Tom becomes a sly critique of this very concept. Stevens is too daring a performer to play a pat dreamboat. That’s all to say that the moment Stevens shows up with a guileless smile and breezy banter, fans should suspect something stranger is coming.
#IM YOUR MAN SERIES#
However, Stevens fled that wildly popular series to plunge himself into far riskier projects, like the kaiju comedy Colossal, the grisly horror thriller The Guest, the madcap spoof Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga, and the undersung animated fantasy series Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts, (on which he plays a deranged and tyrannical mandrill known as Scarlemagne). Such a Dream Guy seems a throwback casting for Stevens, who first broke through as the romantic hero Matthew Crawley on Downton Abbey. So, his attempts to woo her are met with a clinical side-eye. She’s been asked to test him out for three weeks, then provide an evaluation that could determine whether artificial intelligence automatons might be given the rights to marry, work, and live in the world alongside humans.
#IM YOUR MAN ANDROID#
However, Alma knows from the start that Tom is an android operating on an algorithm aimed to please. He can dance, quote poetry, and literally sweep her off her feet with ease. Besotted Tom (Stevens) is a dashing man who aims to change that and only has eyes for her. Alma (Maren Eggert) is a career-driven single woman, an academic who is not interested in love. With a bot-meets-girl plotline, I’m Your Man begins with a familiar rom-com dynamic. While this critically heralded leading man brings plenty of personality to the role of a robot, this fascinating film’s greatest asset is how it transforms from a cheeky rom-com into something more philosophical but no less fun. Would that be a dealbreaker? That’s the question at the center of the high-concept German comedy I’m Your Man, which stars a perfectly cast Dan Stevens as a dream guy with a few glitches. What if you could design your perfect match from scratch? A person who is customized to be just your type, programmed to shower you with compliments, built to fulfill your every need, be it breakfast in bed, a shoulder to cry on, or great sex.
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