Director: Lenny Abrahamson
Writers: Jon Ronson (screenplay), Peter Straughan (screenplay)
Stars: Michael Fassbender, Domhnall Gleeson, Maggie Gyllenhaal
Synopsis: Jon, a young wanna-be musician, discovers he’s bitten off more than he can chew when he joins an eccentric pop band led by the mysterious and enigmatic Frank.
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INTRO
“Frank is the most sane person I have ever known.” This phrase is uttered early on in the film by Scoot McNairy’s character, and it presents the most ironic yet true statement about this film. For the most part, Frank is anything but a sane film, and certainly among the most bizarre films of 2014. Yet at the same time, when it ends, you realize its poignancy, its beauty, and even its ultimate sanity. The film speaks to the struggle for artistic acceptance, and the mental instability that struggle can lead to, specifically the fear it creates with the outside world and that world’s perception of you. And while the film doesn’t always flow as smoothly as it should, this theme is ever-so present, and always engrossing.
DIRECTION
Lenny Abrahamson’s eye for simplicity and raw honesty is an interesting contrast with the film’s sheer awkwardness and pitch black humor. This is not an easy combination to seamlessly achieve, but Abrahamson does quite a good job creating a consistent tone throughout most the film. For the most part the film feels balanced, it’s both funny and poignant when and where it needs to be, and the story of artistic struggle (for both Frank and Jon) encapsulates the film’s themes quite nicely. There are moments when the balance doesn’t quite gel, especially toward the film’s final act, and some of the supporting characters do get lost in the shuffle, but when you look at the film strictly from Frank’s perspective, the poignancy still rings true.
Grade: B
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SCRIPT
The script is the real star of this show. Ronson and Straughan’s quirky dialogue and bizarre plot directions perfectly set the tone for this film, and that quirkiness is consistent all the way through. It’s a script that doesn’t pander, it knows what it wants to convey but doesn’t spoon-feed the audience with its themes, and there’s a level of respect to be had there. While Abrahamson’s direction drives home the thesis of artistic ambition and its fine line between genius and insanity, he could not have gotten there without this script to perfectly set the groundwork, and it’s a beautiful foundation with seamless heart and weirdness; just watch the scene with Frank trying to emulate the most “perfect” sounds while the band records their album and you’ll get it. On top of that, the dialogue, oh that dialogue! Just listening to Frank’s explanation of human faces, comparing them to science fiction, is enough to put a grin on your face.
Grade: A
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PERFORMANCES
This film is really about Domhall Gleeson’s Jon and Michael Fassbender’s Frank, the struggle for artistic acceptance and dreams surrounds them both, and they are really the only actors worth singling out. Despite spending over 90% of the film wearing this huge fake head, Michael Fassbender is fantastic in this film, and is somehow able to emulate laughter and heart without facial expression. There’s a great scene where he asks if he should just say his facial expressions out loud, but the ironic thing is that he doesn’t even need to do that, his body language is that good. Fassbender is one of the best actors working today, and Frank is another great character to add to that resume. And then there’s Domhall Gleeson, a young man with striving ambitions of musical stardom, struggles for that acceptance in his simple attempts just to write songs; he perfect embodies the typical “starving artist”, and we sympathize with him. The remaining actors are fine in their roles, but they are either overshadowed by Fassbender and Gleeson or just don’t bring much to the story. Gyllenhaal especially, who essentially plays an obnoxious bitch who cares deeply for Frank, doesn’t add much to the film’s drama unfortunately. And maybe she isn’t supposed to, but the fact remains that Fassbender and Gleeson take all the glory, and its glory worth noting.
Grade: A-
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SCORE
In order to properly review Stephen Rennick’s score, the focus needs to be on what’s important. Sure, the musical score for this film is fine and dandy, but it’s not the focus here. Instead, that focus belongs on the songs, also contributed by Rennick, and performed by Frank’s band. And to be blunt, never has there been a band that created music of such abnormality and beauty. It’s interesting when you hear one of the band’s songs and think, “That was the worst piece of trash I’ve ever heard,” then hear the next one and think, “That was downright beautiful,” (just listen to the film’s closing song I Love You All and you’ll hear for yourself). There is an obvious influence to the classic psychedelic and acid rock of the late ‘60s (you can just watch Frank channel the late Jim Morrison from The Doors), but with a modern alternative edge, most reminiscent of the band Animal Collective. This juxtaposition of the bizarre and the beautiful makes the music almost bipolar, but interesting enough, it actually adds to the film’s blend of dark humor and drama. So while it serves the film quite well, the music itself is quite difficult to wrap your head around.
Grade: B
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FINAL THOUGHTS
Frank is bizarre, awkward, funny, beautiful, poignant, and then some, and it’s that seamless blend of all those ingredients that make it worth recognizing. It’s a film that is not for everyone, and some of the poignancy is somewhat lost in the film’s slightly more convoluted third act, but when it works, dare I say, it works! The script is top notch, Fassbender and Gleeson are a revelation, and the music will stay with you (good or bad, depending on how you perceive it). Frank probably won’t end up as one of the best films of 2014, but it is among the most ambitious and daring, and for that reason alone it is worth seeing. Frank himself would love for you to see it, but most importantly he would love for you to enjoy it, and he would have nothing but kind words for you if you did walk out loving this film. In the words of Frank, “I love you all.” Let’s hope you love him too.
Overall Grade: B+
