Frank (Lenny Abrahamson & Michael Fassbender)

johnny_ultimate

This is one of those films I would love to be sitting here praising to high heavens. But it's one of those infuriating cases where I think it failed to spark for me, and I actually find it hard to describe why. I guess above all I just found it tonally and narratively flat. Its characters are not interesting enough to allow the drama to really creep under the skin (Gleeson and Gyllenhall particularly struggle to bring Jon and Clara to life convincingly), nor is it funny enough to fully justify its many idiosyncrasies. It aims for a potent mix between comedy and something-close-to-tragedy, but it was a mix it simply did not quite pull off. It doesn't help that Abrahamson's direction is flatter than I'd expect, and the script pretty formulaic despite some surface-level eccentricities. I'd agree there was little flow to proceedings in terms of editing, which adds to an overall sense of unevenness.

Nonetheless, it is enjoyable enough, simply in a peculiarly underwhelming sort of way. And credit where credit is due, the film does offer some potent moments. They've been mentioned already: McNairy's arc is one of the more interesting aspects of the film, while happily everything belatedly comes together - including Fassbender's performance - for a rousing and surprisingly emotional conclusion. The final scene in particular is a killer - a moment that is realised with more artistry and passion than anything that came before it. It's nice to end on a high, but it also amplifies how muted and uneven so much of what came before actually was.

As a Bray native, I would praise the film for featuring cameos from local landmarks the Bray Head Inn and Daata Tandoori, even if it does cheekily suggest those iconic establishments are in a different country altogether.

Penn

Gleeson is very good in the film, and Fassbender gives a great performance. But I thought the film was terrible. I just didn't care about any of the characters. I didn't care about the story. The direction and pacing was poor. The ending was well done but by that point, I just wasn't interested in what happened to any of them. They spent about a year making the album but it seems like they never talked to each other bar the little bits we saw. Removed any likability from the characters.

Yeah, very disappointed in the film. Again, Fassbender is terrific in the film, but everything else was pretty poor.

e_e

I actually like how flawed all of the characters are. You start off thinking that Jon is gonna be just a bland cipher for the audience (the trailer definitely gives that sense too) but his lack of talent and selfishness ends up

dragging down the other members of the band as well as Frank, who you could argue Jon was exploiting in the second half of the film.

Both Jon and Frank are at different ends in terms of their talent and the film thoughtfully shows that neither brilliance or lack of talent are ideal for living healthily and happily within the music industry. I think that the film doesn't just go for "haha aren't these people wacky and loveable!" like the trailer suggests is what gives it a bit of an edge.

johnny_ultimate

I'd agree it's always admirable when a film goes with unlikeable characters - there's no prerequisite for a film to feature likeable individuals, after all, as long as they're interesting. However, it does tend to put extra stress on the writers and actors particularly, and that's where IMO Frank falls down. Gyllenhall's character particularly is neither well written enough or acted enough to come across as a credible or interesting screen presence - it's a one-note role, and that neuters the drama she is required to carry later on. Gleeson fares a bit better, and I'd agree the relationship between him and Frank (and how it ties into the film's themes) is one of the film's most unique and engaging aspects. But ultimately I feel the script overplays his musical ineptness to the point of caricature, the voiceover / tweets come across as cheap, and Gleeson's performance lacking the nuances to really keep us intrigued.

By contrast, both Fassbender and McNairy offer significantly more engaging performances, and the script does a better job at establishing them as deeply troubled people: not 'likeable' in the traditional sense, but certainly fascinating.

There's quite a few things I like about the film in hindsight, particularly the way it takes some unexpected turns in terms of relationships and themes. But sadly I'd be lying if I said the actual watching of the film was a rather underwhelming experience. Maybe it'll play better on a revisit somewhere down the line.

evad_lhorg

I hope they release a soundtrack for it. Really enjoyed some of the music in it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zA1Ld2ZnwE

Roar

I thought it was fascinating. The shot of Frank without his mask standing in the garden and then at the radio hit me like a ton of bricks. With the mask on, him fiddling with the radio is a genius trying to find the perfect sound in his pursuit of perfection. Without the mask, you see him for who he really is - a man with severe mental issues. And it was hearbreaking. You kind of forget throughout the movie that he is just a man with mental issues. Such is the fine line between genius and insanity, I guess.

it's not without its faults, but I really enjoyed it and will definitely be giving this a watch again when it comes out on DVD.

NyOmnishambles

Roar wrote: »

I thought it was fascinating. The shot of Frank without his mask standing in the garden and then at the radio hit me like a ton of bricks. With the mask on, him fiddling with the radio is a genius trying to find the perfect sound in his pursuit of perfection. Without the mask, you see him for who he really is - a man with severe mental issues. And it was hearbreaking. You kind of forget throughout the movie that he is just a man with mental issues. Such is the fine line between genius and insanity, I guess.

it's not without its faults, but I really enjoyed it and will definitely be giving this a watch again when it comes out on DVD.

I watched it last night, have to agree with this, the difference is stark but oh so subtle

An enjoyable uneven movie but it is very effective in parts, will ahve to look up the soundtrack as I loved the music in it

FouxDaFaFa

Yeah, I would agree with "fascinating" being a good word for it.

I loved the script.

The bit at the end with Gleeson talking to Frank's parents trying to persuade them that his illness contributed to his genius and them replying "no, it slowed him down". Totally cut Gleeson down.

The end scene was stunning.

Such a strange fiilm but the most interesting film I've seen all year.

poundapunnet

I'm really not sure what to think about this film. The rest of Abrahamson's body of work feels like such a coherent whole, and this really sticks out. That's not necessarily a bad thing in and of itself, but I don't think it's really sticking out for good reasons.

Things That Bugged Me

I know this is a bit petty and subjective, but Domhnall Gleeson has one of the biggest Irishest heads on him of any man alive and it took me about 20 minutes to get used to the bizarre posh sounds coming out of his mouth, same as Out of Time.

The way the tweeting/technology was integrated felt very clumsy and a bit self-conscious and unconfident. It's going to date the film fierce fast and the way it's used isn't plausible (like the guy in the diner "oh you're the chinchilla guy, here let me tell you some things that are on-the-nose relevant to the themes of this film!").

Clara was very underwritten. I actually liked Gyllenhaal's performance, I thought in a couple of scenes she had excellent moments and I feel like she could have risen to the challenge if she was given more to work with. She nailed it in that last scene.

Speaking of which, I appreciate the director's fondness for having a man walking somewhere on his own as the last scene, but that was really cheesy.


Things I Liked

I don't think I've ever seen Fassbender doing anything less than the best someone could do with the material they're given, when he has something this interesting he's just great. And as well as he acquitted himself with the head on, he was even better when it came off. Again this is personal preference because I just love him but screw it.

That music was much better than I expected, the bit working up to the title sequence had me very excited for the rest of the film.

Some really funny bits, Scoot Mc Nairy's song was great.

The way it handled the line between 'ha, look at these wacky characters' and 'oh dear, this is sad' was good. The arrival at SXSw when Frank was talking about 'being in the forest like little squirrels' where it shifted pretty quickly from looking like a believable thing an eccentric artist would do into an uncomfortable encounter is one bit that's really sticking with me.

Jon getting his dickish preconceptions about the links between trauma, mental illness and creativity dismantled was a good arc. It sometimes felt like it was veering between getting lost in the overall madness and then popping up to hammer the message home every once in a while, but overall pretty well handled.

Reading that back it gives the impression that I enjoyed the film far less than I actually did. One of the oddest films I've seen in the cinema in some time-which in my book is a good thing - and plenty to recommend it, it just doesn't feel as tight as the rest of Abrahamson's stuff. I'd certainly watch it again.

candy-gal1

Saw this yesterday, really really enjoyed it!
First time in a long while that an Irish type movie made me laugh out loud a fair few times throughout, very realistic but not in a silly OTT way, all characters were relatable in some way and the soundtrack was excellent!

Would go again!

Warper

Didnt like this at all. Felt like walking out after half an hour but endured the pain until the end. I cant stand Gleeson, he gives off this smarmy sneaky vibe every time i see him. Overall an absolute stonker of a film. The only redeeming scene was the song at the end. Awful stuff

pappyodaniel

at the end we see Frank without his mask. His head has significant scarring and he's missing patches of hair. I haven't come to the conclusion whether the scars/hair are from the accident where he got hit by the car or are they a result of wearing the mask for so long

Just after watching this and kinda loved it. It's one of those off beat, oddball comedic endeavors that manages to be so much more than simply another quirky tale about a bunch of odd balls.

The first hour is very much a satire on how alluring fame is, how it can seduce one so easily. Jon is one of those characters whom it's hard to warm to, at first he comes across as a likeable enough guy but as the film progresses the real Jon comes out and he's not someone you'd like to spend much time with. Concerned more with what Frank can do for him, he manipulates and exploits the obviously ill Frank to his own ends. It's brave to have such a deeply unlikeable character front and center and I do feel that the film could have been far more affecting had they not tacked on the rather uninteresting morality tale ending where Jon learns his lesson.

Without it you wouldn't have those two heartbreaking moments of Frank at his most vulnerable. The image of Frank standing alone in the garden is haunting and heart breaking, here you have this shell of a man whose lost in the world. The subsequent scene of him playing with the radio is a beautiful moment which shows just how subjective we view the world. Alone, tinkering with the radio Frank comes across lost and a more than a little mad yet not an hour earlier the same image was used to showcase the mad genius that is Frank. The final scene with Frank playing once more is striking yet it feels like a cop out. The overtly sentimental moment works only to redeem Jon who really never earns such a mometn.

The films strongest element is the manner in which it transitions from somewhat feel good comedy into a dour and dark parable on how fame corrupts. Abrahamson wonderfully uses the death of Don to accomplish this transition. It's also where the film first falters, Don's death never has the impact it should and there's no sense of loss. It's a monumental moment that should shape the rest of the film but much like Frank's head feels a little hollow.

There's a lot to enjoy about Frank and even a little to love but it loses it's way toward the end. The melodramatic and sentimental finale doesn't jell with what went before, it's too safe and conventional for a film which tried so hard to be a little different, yet it also nearly works. Frank is the kind of film that you'd find hard to recommenced, for everyone who warms to it's off beat nature there's a dozen who will hate it for "it's manufactured quirkiness." Like much of cinemas more off beat fare Frank is a film that will divide audiences down the middle and while it's far from a classic, it remains a damn good film that's hard to dislike.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

Just watched it. I think all the good and less good things about it have already been mentioned so I won't go into them all again.

I will say though that I was astounded by how good Fassbender is even with a giant fake head on. He manages to emote so much with just his body and voice that you almost forget that the face isn't actually expressing anything. An incredible performance from him.

I also loved his Most Likable Song ever that he played at the hotel. I want it as my ringtone

Shiraz 4.99

I'm actually annoyed I didn't like it better considering the quality of acting & potential that is there.
It's a pity, 5/10.

WinnyThePoo

Shiraz 4.99 wrote: »

I'm actually annoyed I didn't like it better considering the quality of acting & potential that is there.
It's a pity, 5/10.

Same.

I liked a lot of the parts, but for me it just didn't stick together well to my liking. I came out not really caring at all.