Frank

Let me tell you something: I can admit that there are (too) many things I do because of cute boys. I watched Marmaduke because Lee Pace was one in it - but I watched Soldier's Girl for the same reason, and The Fall, and that worked out.  I took an interest in the recent Alvin and the Chipmunks films because Zachary Levi was to be in the Squeakquel. My latest choice had less to do with abandoning my critical standards for a cute boy, and more to do with abandoning my comfort zone.

The week after the 2013 Academy Awards, five people asked me if I had seen the picture of Benedict Cumberbatch (well-known object of my well-known affections) dancing with Michael Fassbender at an after-party. The last person to ask me about said picture surprised me by talking not about Cumberbatch, but by elaborating on his fascination with one of Fassbender's forthcoming projects. It was news to me, but Fassbender had recently been working on a little film called Frank, based loosely on the pop culture icon Frank Sidebottom. It's difficult to explain Frank and his cultural significance, especially to someone who is half-listening to you at karaoke night, but something must have stuck, because I went home and Googled the film. Once I learned Domhnall Gleeson would be playing opposite Fassbender, I was sold. My mission: follow Frank.

My friend directed me to Jon Ronson's first-hand account of his experience with the real Frank Sidebottom. The incredible story makes for excellent film fodder, something Ronson and screenwriter Peter Straughan recognized, and Lenny Abrahamson understood. By taking Frank Sidebottom and combining the iconic aspects of his career with some absurd, avant-garde music trends, and then adding a dash of YouTube and Twitter - Ronson and Straughan had created one hell of a riff. Abrahamson collected topnotch talent - not only Fassbender and Gleeson, but Maggie Gyllenhaal, Scoot McNairy, François Civil, and drummer Clara Azar - for what ends up being a quirky but poignant film. 

The trailer for the film does exactly what it needs to do to attract an audience: highlights the funny, stops just short of the serious moments of a scene, and omits the uncomfortable. This is how we market. The thing is, there's so much more to Frank than the trailer would have you believe - but you have to be prepared to abandon the familiar and venture into some dark territory. It's not just "look at these crazy music-makers." Frank examines ambition, mental illness, and what it truly means to care about someone with the same sincerity Frank exhibits when he writes a song about a tuft of carpet. 

Frank never reaches the fever pitch of the trailer [disappointed look], but it does deliver on the frequently touted soundbite: Fassbender delivers a masterclass of performance. His masked man is captivating, evocative, emotive, intelligent, and above all, interesting. I don't think anyone was surprised so much as impressed by the genius of his performance. There is no doubt that without Fassbender's Frank, the film would be lost at sea. But Frank is an ensemble piece. It wouldn't work without the band. Gleeson's character Jon joins the Soronprfbs as a last-minute substitute keyboard player, and it is through his eyes that we come to meet and understand the band dynamic and its members. He's the odd man out, having fallen into the gig, bringing his ambition to the band. It may be that Gleeson's got the biggest challenge of all, as Jon enters the band as our "Everyman," the normal Joe amongst madmen, desperate to fit in among misfits, only to try to bring them back from the edges and into the spotlight. The role calls for physical comedy and a clarity of objective that ties the entire film together. Gleeson seems to think Abrahamson is responsible for the fact that he pulls it off, but Abrahamson is certainly aware of the importance of casting, and that when you cast the right performer, you do a disservice to them by providing too much direction. Especially with such an off-the-wall character as Frank and the situations he and his bandmates find themselves in; improvisation is as important to acting as it is to music. 

As band member/manager Don, Scoot McNairy brings a grounded core to a troubled man, and provides a lot of laughs while doing it. Drummer Carla Azar (of Autolux, and collaborator with Jack White) makes her feature film debut as Nana, the bands nearly-silent drummer. Thankfully, her silence isn't her gimmick, merely circumstance, and her one speaking scene is quite good. More often, François Civil will provide commentary - albeit in French. Azar and Civil are perfectly paired throughout the film, sharing in their distaste for new band member Jon. That's not to say that Clara (Maggie Gyllenhaal) welcomed Jon to the band at all - quite the opposite. Clara is aggressively antagonistic toward Jon, despite Frank's "welcoming smile." I want to say that I dislike Clara, but that's rather the point; clearly, the Gyllenhaal's performance convincing. What's less apparent is Frank's connection to Clara, and his reliance on her - until it's too late - and that may be a fault of the writing. I can think only of one scene that I can only imagine was written as wish fulfillment for the writers, as it provides nothing valuable to the plot or the characters.

Otherwise, what Frank accomplishes is quite remarkable. Few films, if any, have attempted to capture outlier musicians in such an engaging and sympathetic manner - nevermind having a requirement for the actors to play their own instruments on unusual, original songs by Stephen Rennicks, and then perform those songs during the publicity campaign and at one of the film's premiere events. (Seriously click on that link. Picture of Domhnall Gleeson dancing. [Smitten grin.]) What begins as a fascinating fairy tale set to experimental music evolves into something entirely different - but if there's one thing Frank teaches us, it's that being different isn't always a bad thing.


Notes:
- Connections: Scoot McNairy was in 12 Years a Slave with Fassbender and Cumberbatch, and costars in AMC's Halt and Catch Fire with Lee Pace.
- See The Soronprfbs perform "I Love You All" on The Colbert Report.
- Extraordinary interviews with Domhnall Gleeson, Michael Fassbender, Lenny Abrahamson, and Jon Ronson.
- Apple Talk with Fassbender, Domhnall Gleeson, and Carla Azar. Seriously, could they be any more charming?