An "Almost Famous" for the art-rock crowd?

Rating: 8/10 (30 November 2015)

An office worker with pop dreams, Jon (Domhnall Gleeson), joins a touring band with an unpronounceable name. Turns out the charismatic frontman, Frank (Michael Fassbender—though you may not recognize him at first), is very, very good at doing what Jon's been doing badly—improvising hooky songs about the little things in life, including a ragged tuft in a carpet and a smelly bathroom in a bar. After a year of woodshedding at a remote spot in Ireland, Jon thinks the band's ready for some exposure
Not-so-hilarious complications ensue, and the film really comes together in the final scenes, which are unexpectedly poignant. Even if you're put off by all the indie shenanigans—my wife thought the big papier-mâché head was creepy; I thought it was a therapeutic prop, like David Byrne's big suit—I urge you to hang around for Frank's last song. Good work by Maggie Gyllenhaal as the temperamental Theremin player and François Civil as the disdainful French guitarist. Fans of musical savants like Captain Beefheart and Daniel Johnston, even Wild Man Fischer (if any), should definitely watch!