schnook: noun – informal – def: a person easily duped, a fool – “Don’t be a schnook! It’s a scam!”
I love comedies about schnooks. From the intrepid duo at the heart of American Movie, Beavis And Butt-head, Dumb And Dumber and Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for goofballs making their way in the world. I also love Richard Linklater’s films, especially those set in Austin, Texas, such as Dazed And Confused, Boyhood, and Slacker. Consider it catnip for me when a friend suggested Rent Free to me, a wonderfully schnookie movie set in Austin, Texas, and made in the style of Linklater. Oh! It’s also gay as f*ck! Call it the Queer Slacker!
The film, directed by Fernando Andrés (Three Headed Beast) from a script co-written by Tyler Rugh, follows Ben (Jacob Roberts), a short-fused, gay Gen-Z’er, who squats at a friend’s apartment in Manhattan while entertaining his best friend Jordan (David Treviño), a bisexual sad puppy who’s visiting from Austin. With both strapped for cash and Jordan’s visit coming to an end, Ben suggests they spend their last day together touring the city without spending a dime. When Ben gets caught in a compromising position with his host, he’s left with little alternative but to return to Austin with Jordan. Short on prospects and that day-long experiment in frugality under their belt, they agree to extend it by living rent free for an entire year. What could possibly go wrong?
Like Slacker, the film employs a shaggy, episodic structure, moving from one unstable housing situation and low-paying job to another. At first, they move in with Jordan’s girlfriend, Anna (Molly Edelman), but when she ends their relationship, our BFFs move in with a large group of friends where chaos is a perennial menu item. It’s not long before they find themselves relying on one-night stands, their car, and at one point with Jordan’s father (an excellent Bill Wise) and his two brothers. One of my favorite interludes has Ben and Jordan staying with Neil (Neal Mulani) and Gio (Carson Barwinkel), perhaps the world’s most toxic gay couple ever! Mulani nearly steals the entire film as the dom, hyper-controlling twink to Barwinkel’s hunky, obedient labrador. The film’s easy way with sex and sexuality (code for: unapologetically queer), allows our characters to be equal parts horny and clumsy in a believably frank way.
Through it all, Ben and Jordan fight, lean on each other, and go their separate ways, but somehow always find their way back to each other. It’s a lovely look at the power of friendship in this tough, gig economy. While both actors do excellent work, Roberts really breaks out with his unpredictable, hot-tempered portrayal of a guy who can’t seem to get out of his own way. What a tricky high wire act Roberts has in navigating a character who somehow remains lovable despite his immature jerk of a personality.
Acting as his own cinematographer and editor, Andrés keeps things low key and grounded, yet he shows a real knack for framing and for shooting big clusters of people in small rooms. Like Linklater, he fills out his cast with non-actors, utilizing them to add a delightful naturalism. Still, his showmanship as a storyteller really shines with every outburst, every bad decision, every “Why me?!!” coming from Roberts.
Sly, unpretentious, and expert at weaving current issues into a modest narrative, the film feels like a breath of fresh air in a landscape littered with “important” or “tentpole” offerings. Though small by design, Rent Free feels big in the ways that count.
By Glenn Gaylord, Senior Film Critic
Rent Free is available on VOD and digital from Friday, June 27th.
For more film reviews by Glenn Gaylord subscribe to his new YouTube channel here ——> GLENN HATES EVERYTHING
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