In Berlin, an archeology professor and confirmed bachelorette named Alma (Maren Eggert) reluctantly agrees to "test drive" a new android (Dan Stevens – yes, the British actor, here speaking fluent German) for a couple of weeks. The catch: this android, named Tom, is programmed to fulfill the romantic desires of whoever he is assigned to. Why the contentedly single Alma, of all people, is chosen for the job, and why she says yes to it, are explained rather shakily. But you look past its implausibility – this is a movie about a German-speaking android who looks like Dan Stevens, after all – and get on with the story.
I'm Your Man starts off as a blend of science fiction and romantic comedy, a riff on the 1987 Susan Seidelman romcom Making Mr. Right (the wonderful Ann Magnuson's only big screen vehicle; John Malkovich played the android). It threatens to be too cute for its own good, especially with Stevens's innocent, tilted-head curiosities about us illogical humans. But as we get to know the characters a bit better, the film becomes more of an examination of the meaning of love, the quest for perfectionism, and whether it's possible to be happy and fulfilled without a partner. It ends on an unexpected moment of wistfulness and ambiguity.
In spite of these existential musings, director Maria Schrader, who cowrote the script with Jan Schomburg, keeps the tone extremely light. I'm Your Man is breezy yet thoughtful entertainment, and it's certainly fun to watch Dan Stevens, a ready-for-anything actor if ever there was one, rattling off dialogue in flawless German. It's no classic, but it's a pleasant escape.