Greetings,
Okay, let's just get this out of the way. Yes, this movie is a little weird. Actually, when I bring it up to people, their inquiry is concerning whether or not it is. Whilst I'm happy to see that they aren't judging a book by its cover, so to speak, this thing has Micheal Fassbender wearing a Stewie Griffin: Age 30 helmet on his head. Do you think it might be a tad on the odd side? Yeah. But that's not all there is to it. And no, they don't refer to it as a Stewie Griffin helmet, unless I missed that part. That's just how I see it. I can't be the only one. But more on the whole head thing later. So let's talk about Frank.
Frank is a 2014 indie film about a guy who joins a band of misfits, to say the least, but that guy is not Frank. Even though some people may disagree, I do not believe that the titular character is the main character. No, I would give that honor to Jon played by Domhnall Gleeson. He is an aspiring songwriter, who is...well, he's not exactly "good" at it, but he tries really hard. After meeting a guy named Don, played by Scoot McNairy, Jon is invited to play keyboards with a band Don manages. He accepts, but finds out that this band is not your average musical act, and it certainly is not full of your average people.
First, there's Clara, played by Maggie Gyllenhaal, who is not the nicest person in the world, but seems very protective of her band members, almost to a vicious degree. Also, she plays the theremin, because why not? Then, there's Baraque, played by Francois Civil, the french Bass player, who barely speaks English but still manages to find ways to communicate. We have Nana, played by Carla Azar, who barely speaks at all. And finally, there's Frank, played by Michael Fassbender as I mentioned. He's the leader of the band and is thought of by some as a musical genius, though most people just find him strange, possibly frightening. And, again as I said, he wears a huge paper mache head all the time. ALL the time.
Anyway, that first show goes a bit awry, and most of the band is not fond of Jon. But Frank decides to make him a permanent member of the group, which leads to all of them heading off to a cabin in the woods to record an album. They stay there far longer than Jon had expected, and they are forced to go through some difficult, even tragic, times there. All the while, Jon has been sharing their progress with the outside world, hoping to lead them to some real success. He keeps his hopes of being a legitimate songwriter, much like the way that Frank keeps his enthusiasm about their music, despite the problems they encounter.
Once their time in the cabin is over, we follow them as they move on to what the future holds for them, or what it doesn't hold. And things get even crazier, to put it mildly. Eventually, we start to see all the characters for who they really are and learn the truths that they weren't willing to tell anyone, even themselves. But somehow this leads to them finding their way and their place in the world, as out of place as those places may be. Yeah, I just said that.
Okay, so let's talk about Frank and his head, since this is what most likely attracts people to the movie in the first place. It becomes quite clear early on that Frank is not "normal", but you wonder exactly what it is that makes him the way he is. Also, you may start to wonder if he truly is a musical genius and we're all just not smart enough to get it. Turns out that the character was inspired by a few people. First off, a comedian named Chris Sievy, who has an alter ego of sorts called Frank Sidebottom. And if you see the pictures of him, you will definitely see the inspiration. As far as music influence goes, there appears to be some similarities to Captain Beefheart, but also a guy named Daniel Johnston. Out of those three, Johnston is the only one I know about in depth, having seen a great documentary about him. Actually, when I first saw Frank, I was curious if this character was at all based on Daniel Johnston. Mission accomplished, I guess. Come to think of it, I see his music and the music that Frank made as something that forces the listener to be honest in their reaction. It's easy to say what we think when everyone else already has an opinion and we can just take a side based on how popular or unpopular we want to be, rather than saying how we really feel. But with these guys, no one knows what to think, so we have to decide for ourselves. Just a thought.
And some of you may be curious about the casting of Michael Fassbender in this. Like why hire a guy who attracts many women to see his films because of his face and...well...other parts, to play a character who has his face covered for most of the movie? Well, that's easy. If there is one thing we women like more than a hot guy, it's a project. And Frank is kind of a "hug him and make it all better" type of character. That might have something to do with it. Not to say all women are like that. But, admit it, some are. I certainly am. Although, in all seriousness, I will say that this is easily my favorite performance by Michael Fassbender. Probably because I'm strange, too. He manages to balance the drama, the comedy, the sadness and the joy of the character quite flawlessly. I imagine it did not hurt to have such a stellar supporting cast.
Oh, I guess I should talk about the actual music in this thing, since I am referring to it as a Music Movie. Well, it's what you would expect from some experimental band that people just don't get, so I'd say it fits perfectly. Of course, the last song we hear does feel a bit different. More accessible, I suppose. Perhaps, that was a conscious decision, since there was much talk in the story of Frank trying to write a "likable" song.
Anyway, I know I called this movie weird, and I suppose that is true. But maybe a better word is quirky. Mostly because I've always defined quirky as weird plus lovable, and Frank is certainly that. They could have just made this a straight up, bizarre, artsy film, but it's not just that. It really does have a lot of heart to it, especially near the end. So, you might cringe with a "What the neck is up with this thing?" look on your face a bit, but you will also have your heartstrings tugged a little, too. Sounds good to me.
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
