Come Play review: Is it worth renting or wait until it’s free?

I’m torn on whether or not to recommend spending $20 on renting Come Play. However, before I delve into the Come Play review and why I’m conflicted, let’s first get acquainted with some of the basics about the movie. Then I’ll share my thoughts on who might find this worth renting and who may prefer to skip it until it streams somewhere for free.

Come Play release date

Come Play released in theaters on October 30, 2020.

But if you were neither lucky enough to have a theater open near you nor brave enough to venture into one even if you did, Come Play‘s streaming release was on November 20, 2020. You can now rent it on Prime Video and Fandango Now for $19.99.

Which, let me get sidetracked for a moment. Wow. A $20 rental. Remember when we thought $5 Blockbuster video rentals were steep? Heck, for that matter, do you remember renting movies in-person from Blockbuster?

Come Play storyline

Other than being autistic and non-verbal, Oliver (Azhy Robertson) is pretty much a normal little boy…except for one other thing: he’s friendless and lonely. His mom (Gillian Jacobs) does the best she can to care for him, get him to speech lessons, and try to acclimate him, but she’s struggling and would like Oliver’s dad (John Gallagher Jr.) to help out more. They’re on the brink of divorce until Oliver’s phone summons a friend for him: Larry the Monster.

Larry is rather scary, but he understands Oliver’s pain. If he can just get Oliver to take his hand, they can be friends forever. In order to encourage Oliver to come with him, that may require getting Oliver’s parents out of the way first though. Obviously, none of that is appealing to them at all.

Come Play trailer

Come Play ratings

Come Play‘s ratings justify my conflict about whether to recommend this movie or not. It’s getting okay reception from both audiences and critics, but it also isn’t provoking either glowing reviews or venomous ones.

It’s got a 55% Tomatometer score, and a 65% Audience Score in the Critics Consensus on Rotten Tomatoes.

IMDB ranks it 5.8 out of 10 stars, and 84% of Google users liked it.

So far it’s got 3.5 out of five stars on Amazon.

Come Play review

Azhy Robertson’s soulful, big brown eyes and quiet, awkward demeanor as Oliver steal every scene he’s in. However, I couldn’t help but think of, and draw comparisons to, two other horror movies with little boys: Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining (Robertson really reminded me of Danny Lloyd as Danny Torrance) and The Babadook.

Oliver doesn’t have “the shine” like Danny did, though. But like Samuel (Noah Wiseman) in The Babadook, a book about a mysterious creature comes to haunt him.

Larry the lonely monster is a spindly, gangly, creepy CGI creature. He reminded me a bit of Dobby from Harry Potter, just all stretched out, no clothes and minus the elf ears.

Oliver can see Larry through any electronic device. Speaking of, electricity is what Larry uses to manifest. Oliver uses a cell phone with a special app to speak. He points to pictures that create words and sentences. He also uses his phone to watch his favorite cartoon, SpongeBob SquarePants.

One night after he’s put his phone down, it dings backs on and there’s a cover of a book on the screen: Misunderstood Monsters, A Children’s Story. That’s how Oliver first comes to meet Larry, who seems harmless at first. Maybe even like someone who understands him.

After some boys at school bully Oliver and throw his phone into a field, he’s stuck using his mom’s phone. Until his dad brings home a new tablet from the lost and found at his work.

Even with a cracked screen, Oliver is psyched. Especially when he discovers a face-changing filter app. But as he’s using it, the app detects another face behind him. That’s how he realizes he can see Larry through the device’s camera.

The best part of the movie is probably how some of the special effects enhance the terror, but is Come Play the “terrifying new vision in horror” the trailer promotes it to be?

Eh.

It’s got a couple of creepy scenes, but they’re PG-13-appropriate scares. Not too intense or startling.

Skull rating

Because Come Play ends up more of a sweet, sad story about the power of a mother’s love, I found it less a horror movie and more one about the sacrifices some parents make to protect their kids and ensure the best for them.

I give it a solid three out of five skulls.

Rent it or skip it?

I’m glad I rented it. It was an entertaining way to spend part of an evening.

Come Play has some original elements, but basically is very similar to The Babadook. If you liked that movie, you probably wouldn’t be too put off shelling out $20 to rent it.

Watch Come Play on Amazon

You can rent Come Play on Prime Video for $19.99

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