Michael Fassbender steals the show as Frank, the music genius while wearing a big fake plastic head for most of the movie.   FRANK is a brilliant and heart warming comedy drama- one of my favorite films of the year.  

 

The movie follows a would-be musician Jon (Domhnall Gleeson) who becomes the new keyboard player for this avant garde indie rock group called The Soronprfbs headed by Frank (Fassbender) who is a music genius who always wears a giant fake plastic head that he never takes off.   Jon thinks more people should hear the Sronprfbs, but one of his obstacles is Clara (Maggie Gyllenhaal) who wants the group to remain artistically pure and not be mainstream.  The band gets their big chance, but you wonder if the band is ready and if everyone else is ready for them.

 

FRANK is a charming film which is one part comedy/ one part drama/ on part music satire which is a bizarre work of genius.  The movie first goes to Ireland and then it goes to Texas.   It is an odd lovable film which Fassbender has managed to turn into a great film with his central performance as the genius hiding behind the plastic head.   You can’t say no to this one where everyone has dreams and everyone is a misfit in their own way.   You also have an understated love story hiding in the movie too with a great movie soundtrack.

 

SPECIAL FEATURES:

Audio commentary with Director Lenny Abrahamson, actor Domhnall Gleeson, and Music Composer Stephen Rennicks

 

11 minutes of deleted scenes

 

BEHIND THE SOUNDS

BEHIND THE MASK

MEET THE BAND- interviews with the cast who play the band

WHAT IS THE NAME OF THE BAND?- watch as two of the cast members and the music composer each pronounce the band’s name differently

INTERVIEW WITH DIRECTOR LENNY ABRAHAMSON as he talks about the film for almost 20 minutes if you don’t want to spend the time to listen to the audio commentary

AXS TV: A LOOK AT FRANK- a promo fluff featurette on the film and another cast member pronouncing the band’s name differently again

Theatrical trailer

 

Previews for other upcoming releases form Magnolia Home Entertainment

 

FINAL ANALYSIS:  FRANK is a brilliant film where Michael Fassbender stealing the show as Frank with the last scene being the best.  One of my favorite films of 2014

 

This review is ©12-6-2014 David Blackwell and cannot be reprinted without permission.  Send all comments to feedback@enterline-media.com

 

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