The Place For The Latest Movie Reviews
Cast: Lin Shaye, Oliver Rayon, Valeska Miller, Ryan Ochoa
Lonely widow Joyce rents out a room to make easy money. She meets mysterious drifter Bob and takes him in as a long-term tenant. She becomes obsessed with her much younger guest, making him the object of her deepest romantic fantasies. When a friend’s betrayal derails Joyce’s fantasy world, she seizes control of her own destiny with a deadly mission to finally get what she deserves.
When Joyce's husband suddenly dies she is left alone and with no money. Desperate she decides to open a bead and breakfast but when that doesn't go well she decides instead to rent out the few rooms she has. While out shopping she sees a young man looking at an ad for rooms so she decides to take a gamble and approaches the young man and tells him about the room she has for rent. Lucky for Joyce the young man, Bob likes the room and decides to rent from her. Joyce who hasn't been the same since a tragedy that happened in her life many years before looks at Bob in an unhealthy attraction kind of way that ends up leading Joyce off the deep end.
'Room for Rent’ is a slow moving, character-driven drama/thriller about an older woman who suddenly has her life turned upside down on her. The story itself is a bit above average, it is predictable and there is no mystery to it but what it does have going for it is Lin Shaye who is best known for the Insidious franchise. She has been in the business a long time and her experience playing a crazy pays off here in spades. She takes the film and carries it forward on her shoulders. From a frail elderly woman, to a delusional one and then on to a full on crazy woman Lin gives a fantastic performance here. The rest of the cast members are all very good as well including, Oliver Rayon who plays Bob and Valeska Miller who plays Sarah, a young woman who befriends Joyce after staying at her bed and breakfast.
In the end 'Room for Rent' was an entertaining thriller and has a lead character with lots of history which makes the character developed enough to care about her even with the vile things she does. Credit Lin Shaye for a lot of the film's success. She takes control of the screen with her performance of Joyce, enough so that it leaves you thinking about the frail yet deranged Joyce long after the movie is over. If you like a good thriller then I highly recommend checking Lin Shaye in this little Indie gem. 'Room for Rent' is in select theaters now and will be on VOD May 7th so be sure to check it out.
Released by Uncork'd Entertainment
**** Out Of *****