When I first sat down to watch Lenny Abrahamson’s dramedy Frank, the only thing I knew about it was that Michael Fassbender was a musician that would be wearing a giant head the entire film (the same one you see in the poster). I didn’t have high expectations but I figured I was in for something mildly entertaining. When I finished the film, my first reaction was, “I liked it.” Two days later I thought back on the film and said to myself, “I really liked that film.” After a week had gone by I realized I absolutely loved it! The following is a review for Frank, a film that will likely end up on my Top 10 Movies of 2014 list and a film that you must see when it’s released on August 22nd.
Jon (Domhnall Gleeson) is a young musician who dreams about writing a hit song and playing in a band. After continuously failing to come up with any good material, he’s offered an opportunity to play keyboard for an eccentric band with a name no one can pronounce. The band is led by the mysterious and complex Frank, a guy who just loves to make music for the sake of making music but also a guy who wears a giant fake head and never takes it off (don’t worry, he has a note). The co-leader of the band is Frank’s intense and scary sidekick, Clara (Maggie Gyllenhall), who has it in for Jon and makes his life miserable whenever she gets the chance. After being invited to help record their new album in a remote cabin, Jon eventually assimilates into the band and their unorthodox recording style but he slowly begins to influence Frank, attempting to get their music heard and to have a sound that people would want to listen to. As this beings to happen, tension among the band members begins to heighten and the purpose of their very existence is on the brink of being shattered.
How does one begin to describe Frank? Odd, weird, funny, touching, poignant, witty, obscure, brilliant? The answer: all of the above. Frank is a wacky film but one that presses all the right buttons so to not deter the audience from thinking it’s beyond their comprehension or, rather, too obscure, instead, it hones in on the emotional complexities of a group of misfits who refuse to conform to the “normal” standards of society as they are infiltrated by a random keyboardist looking to make it as a musician, one that cares about what others think rather than what he thinks of his own work. It’s this idea of how people perceive art that clearly defines the two types of characters in the film and when Frank begins to fall prey to the grey zone in between, we find a man that’s either very emotionally complex or simply a man with a few screws loose.
As far as performances go, everyone does an excellent job, but the name of the film is Frank so there is really only one that matters and that’s the man underneath the fake head, Michael Fassbender. To say Mr. Fassbender is great is an understatement. Playing a character vastly different from his roles in Shame, 12 Years a Slave and the X-Men films, Fassbender exhibits not only humor and fun, which his other roles are rarely ever meant to be, but his ability to portray a brilliant and unconventional musician while somehow managing to lead a group of even more unstable and equally odd musicians is phenomenal and applaud worthy. All of his roles have required his amazing ability to portray emotion on his face, but the fact that he is able to do the same and be equally convincing without ever seeing his face is simply astounding. It’s the main reason why this man should get some serious consideration come awards time.
While at times Frank does feel familiar to other dramedies simply due to the story structure and parts of the narrative, it doesn’t diminish the quality of the film. It’s quirky and odd nature may not work for everyone, but for those that appreciate fine storytelling and originality, it’s almost guaranteed to win you over. With a great script from Jon Ronson and Peter Straughan and a fine directorial hand courtesy of Lenny Abrahamson, Frank manages to be become a very memorable and distinctive film and, what is likely, one of the best films we’ll see from the 2014 Sundance Film Festival that actually gets a theatrical release.
Rating: An odd yet comical drama about a guy wearing a giant fake head who also manages to give an award worthy performance without the use of his face (9/10)
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