Rich man’s Network: I feel the underpinnings of Frank is dissatisfaction with social media. Network screams this same dissatisfaction from the rooftops. Literally.
★★★★☆
Frank is a weird movie. It stars Domhnall Gleeson as a wannabe musician named Jon who gets pulled into an avant-garde art rock band led by the titular Frank. Frank is played by Michael Fassbender, but since he wears a paper-mache mask for 90% of the movie, you don’t find out it’s Fassbender until nearly the end of the film. A word about the mask: it’s ridiculous and cartoony and you cannot help but gape at it when he’s first onscreen. If this character walked down the street in real life, children would point. Other notable actors are Maggie Gyllenhaal and Scoot McNairy as Frank’s bandmates.
The characterization and acting in this film was great, and is what really kept me interested. Each character is able to epitomize a well-known trope without being defined by it. Frank is the child-like, genius frontman, but plays it with an eccentricity that makes him feel real and unique. Maggie Gyllenhaal plays Frank’s protector and musical collaborator, but with a crazy streak that makes her unpredictable and so much fun on screen. Scoot McNairy is the band’s producer who worships Frank, but with a tendency toward mental illness that makes you worry for our window into this band, Jon. Domhnall Gleeson’s portrayal of Jon the wannabe songwriter reminds you of every jackass with an acoustic guitar who thinks he’s the next Bob Dylan, but with a hopefulness that can keep the viewer from immediately wanting to punch him in the face.
At the opening of the film Jon’s a social media butterfly, constantly posting and hoping it makes him famous. The movie does an excellent job capturing the pointlessness of most of Twitter, since his posts are typically the boring shit posted by you and me. The band goes to practice and write an album in the seclusion of a Scottish cabin, with Jon secretly posting their practices online. The remainder of the film plays out the conflict between Jon’s desire for fame and success versus Frank’s desire to stay true to his craft. The film is all tied together by Jon’s embodiment of the effect the pressure of social media puts on people. His biggest desire is to be popular, now. He doesn’t want to put in the work to get there or make any sacrifices, nor does he really seem passionate about his chosen path, music. I think how he changes and warps the band is analogous to how social media can shape the world by giving voices to the voiceless. The net impact may be good. But sometimes the voiceless have nothing of importance to say, and worse, sometimes the voiceless have horrible things to say.
I really enjoyed watching this and I will be watching it again, as I am sure there are things that I missed. The characters are fun and I was happy to spend time with them. It’s only 90 minutes, so definitely worth sitting down to watch if you’re on the fence. Plus, the song Frank writes at the conclusion of the movie is fantastic!
Frank is available for streaming on Netflix.
Next week, Josh will be reviewing The Great Escape, which is great. I mean seriously, it’s in the title. Also, a classic movie that everyone needs to watch. Starring Steve McQueen, Richard Attenborough, James Garner, Charles Bronson, Donald Pleasence, and a bunch of other actors, it’s a fun movie.
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