Frank

Name: Frank
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Comedy, Music
Released: August 15, 2014
Duration: 95 min
Rating: 75
Cast: Domhnall Gleeson, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Michael Fassbender

2014

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 33 Critics

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 168 Ratings

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7.1	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 168 Ratings

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Frank

Movie Details & Credits

Magnolia Pictures | Release Date: August 15, 2014

Starring: Domhnall Gleeson, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Michael Fassbender

Summary: A young wannabe musician, Jon (Domhnall Gleeson), finds himself out of his depth when he joins an avant-garde pop band led by the mysterious and enigmatic Frank (Michael Fassbender), a musical genius who hides himself inside a large fake head, and his terrifying bandmate Clara (Maggie Gyllenhaal).

Director: Lenny Abrahamson

Genre(s): Drama, Mystery, Comedy, Music

Rating: R

Runtime: 95 min

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Awards & Rankings

90	#90 Most Discussed Movie of 2014

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Critic Reviews

100

The Playlist - Rodrigo Perez

Jan 26, 2014

This terrific and sublime experience, and strikingly original film, is mandatory watching for the adventurous viewer. Read full review

Chicago Tribune - Michael Phillips

Aug 28, 2014

A functioning, funny, weirdly touching fable of artistic angst and aspiration, a meditation on fame and its terrors and the metaphoric usefulness of masks and huge fake heads. Read full review

Variety - Peter Debruge

Jan 26, 2014

Helmer Lenny Abrahamson (“Garage,” “Adam & Paul”) puts the pic’s eccentricity to good use, luring in skeptics with jokey surrealism and delivering them to a profoundly moving place. Read full review

Los Angeles Times - Kenneth Turan

Aug 21, 2014

Odd, offbeat, somehow endearing, the bleakly comic Frank has its own kind of charm as well as some pointed, poignant things to say about the mysterious nature of creativity, where it comes from and where it might all go. Read full review

New York Post - Sara Stewart

Aug 13, 2014

If Michael Fassbender wears a giant papier-mâché head for most of a film, is he still mesmerizing? Happily, yes. Read full review

Slate - Dana Stevens

Aug 18, 2014

Fassbender spending nearly an entire movie obscured by a giant fake head is such a had-me-at-hello idea that it’s disappointing that Frank never plumbs the fascinating questions it raises about performance, group dynamics, and mental health. Read full review

The Hollywood Reporter - Todd McCarthy

Jan 26, 2014

The mash-up of elements combine with a singularly unpleasant roster of characters to create a work of genuinely off-putting quirkiness. Read full review

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User Reviews

Cobe

Jun 1, 2015

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The extra ordinary movie, Frank is the story about the group sound. John is the amatuer keyboard player who want to be a great song writer, but he even can't merge a single lyric with the melody. One day, he met the band 'The Soronprfbs', had a chance to play with. But unlike his expection, the soronprfbs plays mysterious music which was written by Frank. The band became fame for the new keyboard player's youtube video, they got a chance to play at the music festival. However, the comflict between memebers was getting toughed, Frank and John faced critical situation. Although rest of the members didn't play the show, the weird duo go through the stage.
The people who use SNS me included, want to notify how they feel, how they live, how they do, yes they want to tell everyone about themselves. Like John and Frank, even the band's great leader and song writer want to communicate with the others. It drives Frank in to thirst about the public's attention, finally it ruin everything. Same as Frank, all of us want to be loved one, even the genius, but we still feel lonely, while be loved, because humans are lonely island. We pretend to perfect and normal but we don't, humans are twisted and imperfection, so we should dance, sing, love each other for remedy our shortcoming, just like Frank did with the german lady.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

Centrey

Mar 28, 2015

One of those good indie films. Quaint humour, mixed with good music and an odd story. I wouldn't recommend this film to people who shy away from the bizarre, but for those who do indulge the quirkier walks of life, it's a real treat.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

JoshFriesen

Sep 12, 2014

On the surface Frank appears to be the polar opposite of Lenny Abramson’s prior works which were characterised by naturalistic dialogue and settings that emphasized the grey and drab side of Ireland. In contrast Frank sports a bright pallet and contains a group of incredibly eccentricOn the surface Frank appears to be the polar opposite of Lenny Abramson’s prior works which were characterised by naturalistic dialogue and settings that emphasized the grey and drab side of Ireland. In contrast Frank sports a bright pallet and contains a group of incredibly eccentric characters including the titular Frank who wears a paper mache head. However, as the film progresses the eclectic tone and colourful visuals gently falls away to reveal a heartbreaking meditation on mental illness.

We meet our protagonist Jon (Domhall Gleeson) wandering the beach attempting to find inspiration for his music. He is a mediocre keyboard player and vocalist but passionate about his music. Jon is our entry point into the world of Frank as well as our narrator. The voice-over narration, a device which is usually used as a lazy substitute for acting, in this case is used effectively. Jon’s voice provides the chaos with some form of structure and allows him to have a conversation with the only character capable of having a conversation in the film; himself.

Jon meets and quickly falls in with Frank’s band, the Soronprbs (which has a deliberately unpronounceable name). A band whose music is equal parts strange and wonderful. They are in need of a new keyboard player because, when Jon meets them, their current one is trying to drown himself in the ocean. In a darkly comic nod to This is Spinal Tap we later learn than Jon is actually their third keyboard player. The band is managed by Don (Scoot McNairy), an ex-mental patient due to his sexual preference for manikins. There are four members beside Don and Jon but two of them are never fully fleshed out. They are given the clichéd excuse of being foreign and we soon forget about them. The remaining two are Maggie Gyllenhaal in a wonderfully petulant performance as the Theremin playing Clara and Michael Fassbender as Frank.

The gamble of casting Fassbender in a completely masked role pays off as he delivers surely one of the greatest masked performances ever. The range of emotion he is able to express through the paper mache head is outstanding and it goes without saying that this is his most humorous role yet (dark though it be). He benefits from a well written script but still carries the film with his fine physical performance.

The first two-thirds of the film, while refreshingly unique, suffers at times from inconsistent pacing. The editing fails to balance the conflict between the choppy montage sequences and the meandering band practice scenes. Where the film brings itself together is in the final act when the bright mask of the film is removed to reveal something profound underneath. As I hinted to earlier, one of the running themes of the film is mental illness and it deals with this hard subject in a nuanced way.

More interesting questions arise in the film but I feel that to discuss them would take away from the viewing experience. All I can do is encourage you to seek out this film. It’s not a perfect film but in a summer full of blockbuster disappointment it’s a distinctly original treat.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

virginiaproud

Jan 12, 2015

I was so fascinated by what I'd just seen that I had to immediately Google and learn about the true story behind Frank. There's a lot to unravel in this movie, but you can also watch it for the pure ridiculous entertainment of the premise. It's not perfect, there are moments where you areI was so fascinated by what I'd just seen that I had to immediately Google and learn about the true story behind Frank. There's a lot to unravel in this movie, but you can also watch it for the pure ridiculous entertainment of the premise. It's not perfect, there are moments where you are simply waiting for the next thing to happen, but I never stopped waiting anxiously to find out what would happen to Frank.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

BrianMcCritic

Dec 14, 2014

A film about a group of people all damaged in their own way coming together to form a band. The film has a comedic tone at times but it also can very quickly turn rather depressing, occasionally to depressing. Overall the film is well made and acted and kept my attention throughout. B+

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

DukeJon

Jul 5, 2015

I was expecting a lot better than this. For me the film never really figured out what it wanted to be and, other than the mystery of what's under Frank's fake head, never really held my interest. None of the characters were particularly likeable and behaved in ways that never really madeI was expecting a lot better than this. For me the film never really figured out what it wanted to be and, other than the mystery of what's under Frank's fake head, never really held my interest. None of the characters were particularly likeable and behaved in ways that never really made much sense. Ended on quite a flat note as well.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

MikefromAngus

Dec 31, 2014

What a bore of a movie. Half way watching the movie, I expected the story to kick in and get me interested. The movie was so bad, I watched 3/4 of it and couldn't finish it.

0 of 8 users found this helpful08

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