So much average

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

FrankAs much as eerie and intriguing the concept is; which draws most of the viewers in, the plotline pushes them far away with the equal force. The script is a scattered mess that may have its trajectory in mind that it does follow, but the forcibly installed sequences to spend its time and distract the audience until the moment arrives, is not only ludicrous but also off putting. Addition to that, it fails on technical aspects too, like background score and the camera work which has never been more unimpressive. The writing is sloppy and tacky around the edges and has the least intriguing conversation among questionable characters (except for the protagonist; irony) that are projected in here. Lenny Abrahamson has done a decent work on executing this sinking script and helps it sail off easily to the shore even though the editing isn't up to the mark. The performance objective is what satisfies the viewers by a great cast like Domhnall Gleeson, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Michael Fassbender as Frank himself. Having said that, it has its moments where the drama and acting is appreciative that is given a satisfying climax where Fassbender steals the show. Frank is a non-rhythmic musical act that is uneven in its self created pathology and the bubble that it all resides in.

Ok, I admit it, I had no idea who Frank Sidebottom was until now. At first this fact kind of made me dislike the film a little bit, since what I thought original really wasn´t, but then it seems the script is based on real experience. In the end, one thing for another, inspiration can arrive from anywhere, it doesn´t really matter if the film borrows or not. It´s not supposed to have anything to do with Sidebottoms and, in any case, it´s not enough for it to be a reasonable criticism and I don´t really care for any of it. Having that little controversy out of the way, it´s got to be said, Frank does for pseudo-intelectual art pop what The Commitments did for soul or Crossroads did for blues. A mediocre kid gets inside a world he doesn´t understand and the audience probably won´t either. There is no need to explain much. The rhythm section is weird cause they´re weird, it´s not important, Maggie Gyllenhaal´s character is detestable, yes, that´s why she´s known as the crazy b**ch, and Frank wears a fake head just because. It´s all a great depiction of this kind of isolated artists who, talented or not, follow their passion with an obnoxious strictness, who don´t hold back any of their follies and emotional imbalances, who might change their minds every second and still be convinced they´re making absolute sense. These misfits exist, and the films honours all the weirdness without judging it, after all, the main character is craving to belong. Domhnall Gleeson´s stiff acting fits the plot, he´s suposed to be lame. He is in no position to ever understand the importance of creative control or edgy integrity. It might not mean anything, it might not even be there to begin with. He has no clue. All of these are complicated, unpopular matters dealt with simplicity and inteligence. More important than that, I found it hilarious right from the first scene. Frank worryingly asking before the big show "so they don´t know us and love us?" had me laughing like Muttley, for real.

Frank follows an aspiring musician who gets recruited by a band led by an eccentric lead singer who wears a paper mache head. For starters this is a very unique movie, much more so than I expected. It seems like everyone is just a little insane, and it gives the movie a cartoonish, somewhat over-the-top vibe that I really enjoyed seeing. And yet it was still realistic. The characters are relatable in some ways, and most all of them are a lot of fun to watch. The way the movie decides to use comedy is always very natural. It never goes out of it's way to make jokes, but rather uses a lot of comedic imagery as it comes. It uses Frank's paper mache head in this way often, and thus it never feels out of place because this guy wears the head everywhere. It knows what it is and uses that fact to it's advantage. And when it isn't imagery, it's from the characters and it still works incredibly well. Probably the best aspect of the movie is the characters. Yes, they're a lot of fun, but there is plenty of emotional investment in them too. Despite their instabilities, I completely fell in love with them. Most of them seem to go deeper than what the audience sees, save for maybe two of them, whom I often forgot about. Regardless, they weren't unlikable characters so it was mostly forgivable. The music is actually pretty good. It all sounds very unique, and it does a great job of selling the motives of the main characters to create different music, or sometimes even use psychology to make great music. Furthermore, the soundtrack is great for the movie, as everything is already so weird that normal music just wouldn't work. Overall Frank is great. The characters, the acting, the comedy, the music, everything is great. It's a blast to watch and I can't wait to see it again. In the end I would definitely recommend this movie.

For the audiences wanting this to be a bio-pic of Frank Sidebottom where his mannerism and characteristics is nailed down to a T will be left disappointed. However if you want to watch a movie that revolve around weird and strange characters and yet intriguing. Or a movie that is influenced by Frank Sidebottom, you just might enjoy this film. This movie sort of reminded me of a more indy version of "Almost Famous" except with weirder characters and scenarios. And unlike "Almost Famous" the narrator isn't the innocent boy who is looking into what being in a real band is like. But the innocent character is actually Frank the lead singer who is this socially awkward guy that is uncomfortable around many people. To my surprise this movie does have few genuinely funny moments as well and doesn't fall too much into the dark and depressing areas when it comes to the human mind. On the exterior it might seem like a movie about a bunch of hipsters. But it also delves into the pretentiousness of what people may call art and how easily some people can fall into a farse by looking for a deeper meaning. And it also adds modern touches when it comes to the influences of the internet, such as sites like Youtube. The music on the other hand is pretty bad to put is plainly, but the movie is not about the music. But the drive of the characters and what makes them tick. As a matter of fact watching this movie was like watching a group that is part of a psych ward. It's about the narrators self realization by delving into reality and seeing things for what it really is. So although the title says Frank, but the movie is not really about Frank. Frank is more of a concept that the narrator is trying to chase after. Overall this is a in-depth movie that is worth checking out.8/10