Quirky Fun Mixed With Dramatic Flair

Rating: 7/10 (7 September 2014)

The film marvelously commences as a stultified, young aspiring musician named Jon (Domhnall Gleeson) treads the streets of England, struggling to brainstorm ideas for a song. (I'm sure many of us—at some time in our lives—were randomly struck with a terrific idea for a song on a relaxed stroll or during a nice dinner.) This man tries to make something up from every observation. ♫"Lady in the red coat, what you doing with that bag? Lady in the blue coat, do you know the lady in the red coat?"♫ And finally, a less transparent and more obscure idea for a song suddenly pops into the mind as he nears his home—a song about "little boxes." The ridiculous songs will never end! He skips past the dinner and casual conversation with the parents to quickly jut down his ideas (the lyrics with the exact tune/pitch) before they're forever forgotten.
Soon thereafter, he serendipitously runs into a band that's performing that same night. With their insane keyboardist, Lucas, trying to drown himself in the ocean in the background as cops circle around, the band manager hires Jon on the spot. And from there, he meets the band's peculiar, yet utterly genial, vocalist who invariably wears a large toy head, Frank (Michael Fassbender). After becoming familiar with the atmosphere and folk, Jon escapes his monotonous life for a short period with the band for an apparent gig in Ireland, but he soon realizes that they're all going to be staying in a cabin to record their next album. For how long, exactly? The band doesn't care to clarify even though Jon is expected back at his regular job come the following Monday.
What follows is an unexpected series of days that reveal the bizarre characters of these people to their new member; he discovers that Don (Scoot McNairy), the band's manager, was once admitted into a mental hospital for his obsessive attraction to mannequins. Another member, Clara (Maggie Gyllenhall), is overly possessive and dismissive. So, he then stands by every night as Frank and the crew drunkenly wrestle and fling sticks at each other. What has he signed up for—the ultimate hippy clan? But his thoughts are conflicting because, at the same time, he finally feels free in the deepest parts of this forest, secluded from conformity and culture, and now at liberty to truly express his innermost artistic spirit—allow his mind to go wild like his fellow members clearly have.
Alas, this means spending months producing cringe-worthy music and laughable lyrics that cause even the members to squirm at each other's disappointing compositions. Jon isn't allowed the time to shine while the naïve Frank excitedly presents his newest creations to awkward silence. It's going to take a while for their talent to seriously emerge and for the work to garner real attention.
Undeniably, the most compelling aspect of the picture is this enigmatic presence that is Frank—finding out more about his background and personality, as well as witnessing Fassbender's amazing charm and charisma exude from behind a mere mask. His intriguing and equally amusing diction, next to his eccentric, child-like personality, certainly creates one of the most memorable characters of the year. The film does get considerably more gloomy and poignant as it progresses, focusing more on the impact of creative failure and mental instability rather than the heavy concentration on music which pervaded the first half.
Suddenly, we begin to see different facets of Frank, other than the occasional quirky freak-out's and pensive postures. He becomes more of an adorable child that's in frightful need of consolation and encouragement. Frank, while not the most even/consistent of plots and indelible of stories, is primarily fueled by the sheer energy and versatility of Fassbender's astonishing performance. Will he finally reveal his actual face? What's behind there? Who really is Frank? The narrative gradually begins to tell us that he's actually filled with much more humanity and internal trouble than the early cartoonish figure seemed to indicate.
If you're entering this film and expecting some "kick-ass" rock music, Frank is definitely not that kind of hip movie, but you'll still be pleasantly surprised by the hilarity that ensues from parodying the beginning of a garage band. Nearly every track you hear will make you cringe with its painfully dull and uninspired lyrics, which is exactly what brilliantly makes it so darn hysterical.