Fiesty and uptight surgeon Dr. Karen Garrett (a fine performance by Harley Jane Kozak) has to perform heart surgery on charming and jocular android William (an excellent and engaging portrayal by Griffin Dunne). William demands that he be taken out of the medical institute he's spent his whole life in. While in the outside world William and Karen go on the lam and wind up falling in love. Writer/director Richard Kletter mixes elements of the comedy, romance, and thriller genres into a pleasing and entertaining whole. Kozak and Dunne make for appealing leads; their nice natural chemistry makes the central romance both funny and touching in equal measure. Moreover, there are sturdy supporting contributions from Ossie Davis as stern, pragmatic, and demanding medical institute head Dr. Winston, Saul Rubinek as flaky robotics expert Fiedler, Peter Outerbridge as affable renegade android Tomas Benti, Natalie Radford as scrappy punkette Rachel Taylor, Chandra Galasso as tough tracker Alexx, and David Campbell as Alexx's lunkheaded partner Gunther. The story has a few neat twists and turns as well as a certain warm and pleasant quality to it. In addition, we even get a provocative main message about how all living beings yearn to be free and in charge of their own lives. Both Bernard Salzmann's slick cinematography and Simon Boswell's varied score are up to speed. A sweet little flick.
Review of The Android Affair
