The Summer movie season is over, and it's time for me to catch up on movies that will never have a $50 million opening weekend. I still need to see Snowpiercer and The Zero Theorem, and I will hopefully have writings on those in the near-future. For now, you'll just have to read my thoughts on Frank.
The film is based in part on Chris Sievey's comedic persona, Frank Sidebottom. I'm not very familiar with this subject matter, so there's not much I can offer in that department. Domhnall Gleeson is Jon, a young composer who joins an obscure band with an unpronounceable name, with a mascot in the form of the mysterious and strangely likable Frank (Michael Fassbender).
I initially expected Frank to be a typical indie-comedy, and it certainly plays like one in its first half. One of my favorite scenes has Jon trying to compose songs out of his walk home, with the lyrics playing in his mind. In the second half, things get a bit darker, particularly when it is revealed that Jon has made the band popular via social media. The "Soronprfbs" are used to playing for virtually no one, and are terrified at the prospect of becoming known to the general public.
The biggest surprise for me was discovering that Jon is not just an audience surrogate character. Sure, that is Jon's function at the start of the movie, but he uses the band as a means of becoming known. Jon wants the big gig in the second act more than any of the band members do. I appreciate that the filmmakers decided not to make Jon a completely likable character, and made him a bit vague.
Other recognizable faces populate the film; Maggie Gyllenhaal plays Clara, a band member with a romantic attachment to Frank, and delivers a fine supporting performance. Same goes for Scoot McNairy who plays the band's manager, Don.
Of course, Michael Fassbender steals the show as the masked titular character. Despite his face being covered throughout the film, Fassbender gives an incredibly vulnerable performance. Fassbender's voice alone provides enough support to create a memorable character, and makes me want the actor to star in other intelligent comedies. Many of the film's jokes come from Frank's mask and how others can't make-out his facial expressions, and are quite humorous.
Frank was a movie that I was eagerly awaiting for some time, and I can say with ease that Frank is one of my favorite movies of 2014. If you wish to watch Frank, it is available on VOD through services like iTunes and Amazon Instant Video.
-Joey DeAngelis
