| |
|
|
Acclaimed Irish director Lenny Abrahamson follows up his award-winning films Adam & Paul, Garage, and What Richard Did with an offbeat comedy about a young wannabe musician, Jon (Domhnall Gleeson), who 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).
Written by Jon Ronson (The Men Who Stare At Goats) and Peter Straughan (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Men Who Stare At Goats), FRANK is based on the memoir by Jon Ronson. It is a fictional story loosely inspired by Frank Sidebottom, the persona of cult musician and comedy legend Chris Sievey, as well as other outsider musicians like Daniel Johnston and Captain Beefheart.
 
Directed by Lenny Abrahamson
Written by Jon Ronson and Peter Straughan
Based on the original newspaper article by Jon Ronson
Produced by Ed Guiney
David Barron
Stevie Lee
Executive Producers Tessa Ross
Katherine Butler
Andrew Lowe
Nigel Williams
Line Producers Noëlette Buckley
Brent Morris
Director of Photography James Mather
Production Designer Richard Bullock
Editor Nathan Nugent
Music by Stephen Rennicks
Costume Designer Suzie Harman
Casting by Fiona Weir
Domhnall Gleeson
Maggie Gyllenhaal
Scoot McNairy
and Michael Fassbender
François Civil
Carla Azar
Tess Harper
Bruce McIntosh
Haley Derryberry
Lauren Poole
|
|
“CAPTIVATING. It’s like an album made up of B sides and lost demo tracks that you stumble across and can’t stop replaying.” – A.O. Scott, NY Times
“A GENUINE ORIGINAL IN A SUMMER SEA OF SAMENESS. A profound examination of what constitutes creativity and genius. A story about the perpetual tension between vision and mediocrity, integrity and celebrity. IT COULDN'T BE MORE CLASSIC, OR OF THE MOMENT.” – John Anderson, Wall Street Journal
“YOU'RE IN FOR SOMETHING FUNNY, TOUCHING AND VITAL. A hymn to the healing power of art.” – Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
“HONEST AND AFFECTING. Best of all, we get to witness Fassbender at full tilt.” – Anthony Lane, The New Yorker
“A FINE FILM. Offbeat and somehow endearing.” – Kenneth Turan, LA Times
“Give the film's premise the required inch, and "Frank" will hand you a mile of eccentric rewards. A funny, weirdly touching fable.” – Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune
“***1/2. A DELIGHTFUL ODDBALL SURPRISE.” – Stephen Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer
“AN ACQUIRED TASTE. BUT THE TASTE SURE STICKS WITH YOU.” – Thomas Lee, SF Chronicle
“IMPROBABLY, DISARMINGLY HONEST. A complex, even moving meditation on authenticity and self-knowledge.” Ann Hornaday, Washington Post
“An utterly engaging film that manages to be amusing, dark, surprising and poignant without wasting a single one of its 95 minutes.” – Kristin Tillotson, Minneapolis Star-Tribune
“ GRADE A-. Provocative, amusing and quite moving.” – Jeff Baker, The Oregonian
“What started out as an ingratiating indie-music comedy becomes a more complex, even moving meditation on authenticity.” – Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
“****1/2. A TRUE ORIGINAL. Fassbender is, quite simply, amazing.” – Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic
“A RARITY – A GENUINE POP TRAGICOMEDY. Director Abrahamson turns out to be the ideal filmmaker for this tricky material.” – Michael Sragow, Orange County Register
“A SURPRISING RIDE AND TRULY TOUCHING. A delightfully odd dark comedy. FASSBENDER IS MESMERIZING.” – Sara Stewart, NY Post
“Fassbender gives a beautiful performance, and it makes this weirdly sincere and gentle film memorable.” – Bilge Ebiri, Vulture/New York Magazine
“GRADE A-. The film never loses its acerbic edge or its oversized heart.” – Kyle Anderson, Entertainment Weekly
“Frank takes time to wrap your own cranium around, faults and all, and that's a wonderful thing. Fassbender delivers moments of heartbreaking fragility.” – Joshua Rothkopf, Time Out New York
“A COMEDY THAT MAKES THE MOST OF ITS CRACKED PREMISE — and proves that Fassbender may be the only working actor who can effectively emote from beneath a Mardi Gras-parade worthy noggin.” – David Fear, Rolling Stone
“Study Fassbender's limbs and see one of the best physical performances of the decade.” – Amy Nicholson, Village Voice
“DAZZLINGLY STRANGE. It’s too loaded with provocative ideas to be dismissed as mere indiedom.” – Joshua Rothkopf, Time Out NY
“Its characters are so unique, its story so visually arresting, the film can't help but hit an emotional chord.” – Scott Bowles, USA Today
“A MOVIE THAT SURPRISES AND CHARMS. Fassbender is magnetic.” – Dan Gliatto, People
"THIS TERRIFIC AND SUBLIME EXPERIENCE, AND STRIKINGLY ORIGINAL FILM, IS MANDATORY WATCHING FOR THE ADVENTUROUS VIEWER. Unlike anything you’ve seen in recent memory." – Rodrigo Perez, The Playlist on Indiewire
“You’ll have Frank in your head long after the movie’s motives have been unmasked. It will charm viewers who appreciate rough gems.” – Elizabeth Weitzman, NY Daily News
“A NOVEL SPIN ON THE ROCK AND ROLL HEAD CASE. An ultimately moving portrait of an artist conflicted about fielding an audience, and an impressively sustained look through the keyhole at how genius works.” – Benjamin Mercer, L Magazine
“A FILM THAT WILL GRAB YOU. A masterful performance by Michael Fassbender who provides an astounding and uplifting portrait. GRADE 9 OUT OF 10.” – Brandon Worley, Austin American-Statesman
“A WONDERFULLY ECCENTRIC BLACK COMEDY. ‘Frank’ creates an indelible world that lingers long after the film has ended.” – Caryn James, James On Screens
“A WEIRD AND WONDERFUL MUSICAL COMEDY. Director Abrahamson lures in skeptics with jokey surrealism and delivering them to a profoundly moving place.” – Peter DeBruge, Variety
“POSSIBLY ONE OF THE MOST CHARMING MOVIES I’VE SEEN IN A LONG TIME. It’s best if you just watch and experience.” – Kyle Anderson, Nerdist
“A DELIGHTFULLY ABSURD COMEDY anchored by Fassbender’s virtuoso comedic act.” – Daniel Schindel, Los Angeles Magazine
“Darkly funny, whip-smart, impressively original and boasting one of Michael Fassbender's most towering performances to date, Frank just about has it all. YOU WON’T WANT TO MISS FRANK. Never less than mesmerizing even when it’s swimming in deep waters, and never lets its big questions get in the way of subversively black comedy, compelling drama and great music. It all leads to one of the most profoundly touching and tear-jerkingly beautiful endings I’ve seen on screen in a long time.” – Isaac Feldberg, We Got This Covered
|
|