Writer-director Lee Kirk digs himself an enormous robot-sized hole with the dreadful title of his first feature, in which a silver-sprayed street performer (Chris Messina) starts acting the part of a dehumanized, if fairly normal-size, mechanical gent. But a winsome, though clunky, romance mercifully sidelines the obvious symbolism to focus on the lost-soul bond between this would-be man machine and an adrift ex–temp worker (Jenna Fischer) as both find work in a Detroit zoo. Kirk, who wed Fischer in 2010, perfectly captures her all-thumbs charm, and ubiquitous character actor Messina steps into the lead with ease, showing off some impressive mime skills to boot.
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