Frank

[Wet Blanket]

I know there was another thread back when some production stills were doing the round but after that hoo-hah about thread-starting and what not, thought it could use a fresh one for its release.

Anyway, I've Just seen this and if I was a highbrow film critic, like Mark Cousins, I'd describe it as 'problematic'.
I went in with full knowledge that the film was inspired by Jon Ronson's time in Frank Sidebottom's band, but not a biopic. Yet clearly all that Ronson got out of that experience was that it involved a man wearing a big fake head.

The Frank of this film is a troubled American avant-garde musician, explicitly referred to as mentally ill. He refuses to ever take off the head, only eating liquidised food through a straw. In times of stress he screams and crawls under tables, at other times he talks in profound aphorisms that hold his band, a trio of gloomy prog-rockers he met in a psychiatric hospital, rapt.

Now fair do's you might say, it's explicitly a work of fiction, but there are likely to be very few opportunities to make a film about a man in a big cardboard head, and for that film to take the very interesting life of Chris Sievey, and his sweet, bontempi-organ-playing creation Frank Sidebottom, and use it as springboard for a tale about the tortured ringleader of a group of extremely pompous outcasts seems, at the very least, like a wasted opportunity. It's like a film inspired by Charlie Chuck, following a schizophrenic jazz singer who just happens to carry a big plank of wood.

What's more, the film takes place in the modern day, with Twitter and You Tube playing a key part in proceedings, yet not once does the main character – a British man in his mid-to-late 20s – ever go 'fucking hell, this guy's a dead ringer for Frank Sidebottom'. This suggests the film takes place in a universe in which the real Frank never existed as a pop cultural icon, a universe that I, quite frankly[nb]geddit?[/nb], can't bear to contemplate.

[thugler]

Sidebottom is only one of the influences for the main character, there's also lots of daniel johnston in there.

I think you were expecting a film about frank sidebottom, which he's been quite explicit in saying it's not about, and is just inspired by, along with other outsider musicians.

[Wet Blanket]

Maybe. I think I was expecting a film about a young journalist's life with an eccentric character on the UK alternative comedy circuit in the 1980s certainly.

I think the essentially straightforward damaged-genius plot of this film could have been achieved without co-opting Sidebottom's trademark head.

[clingfilm portent]

The existence of this film, and the odd, jaded manner in which he recalled memories of Frank in the runup to it, have put me right off Jon Ronson. He ostensibly refers to Frank not like a figure of fun, a true eccentric, but as someone he pities for being weird. I find that hard to grasp. I think of Sidebottom/Sievey in legendary terms so I'm somewhat biased, but he really deserved better than this. (I haven't seen it but it looks like bollocks). (Wasn't there a Sidebottom documentary in the works at some point?)

[Wet Blanket]

The existence of this film, and the odd, jaded manner in which he recalled memories of Frank in the runup to it, have put me right off Jon Ronson. He ostensibly refers to Frank not like a figure of fun, a true eccentric, but as someone he pities for being weird.

This pretty much sums up what I took away from the film. I don't think Chris Sievey/Frank Sidebottom was an outsider artist in the same way as Daniel Johnston and doesn't dererve to have his creation subverted to appear like one. His act was in the same tradition of absurd/northern/provincial comedy as John Shuttleworth or Vic Reeves. In the film, much is made of the 'Jon' characters inability to understand these people he's got himself involved with, but the implication is that this is their fault for being weird, and it's topped off with a 'there but for the grace of God go I' sort of conclusion.

[Famous Mortimer]

It seems the majority of the reviews are from people who just see it the "other" way - that it's a film about something completely different that just borrows the name and likeness of someone else. But that's still really weird though, right?

It's like a film inspired by Charlie Chuck, following a schizophrenic jazz singer who just happens to carry a big plank of wood.

Ah, Wet Blanket got there before me. What with this and "The Men Who Stare At Goats", it seems someone in Hollywood is determined to take every bit of Jon Ronson's output, change everything but a few names, and then release it.

[Urinal Cake]

http://www.comedy.co.uk/podcasts/richard_herring_lst_podcast/episode_44_jon_ronson/

He answers some of the criticisms here. Says he avoided making it a biopic since he and Sievey agreed to use 'Frank' but not  Chris. He also says it was on purpose to make a cross between Frank/Daniel Johnston. From the interview he seems like an alright bloke.

[hedgehog90]

On RHLSTP he mentioned that he didn't want to create a musician biopic with big clunky references to waypoints in their life/career.
I haven't seen the film but I've seen trailers, and while it's only loosely based on Sidebottom I get the exact same clunky feeling from it.
It's still going to have the predictable moments like "hey let's form a band!" and "I quit the band, Frank. You're weird!" to name just a couple.
It just seems like any other tiresome biopic, even though it's completely made up.

[Tiny Poster]

I suppose a film about Sievey touring the country alone, taking off his papier mache head in green rooms and not engaging with fefllow performers, instead doing a load of coke and booze and sleeping in galleries which have put on his work (whilst pissing in the corners) wouldn't have been the best way to remember him.

[Phil_A]

It took me an embarrassingly long time to realise Lenny Abrahamson was also the director of "Adam & Paul" and "Garage". Bearing that in mind, this does seem like an odd left turn into whimsy for someone best known for bleak realism. I would've liked to've seen a version of Frank in his earlier style, though.

[Blumf]

It seems the majority of the reviews are from people who just see it the "other" way - that it's a film about something completely different that just borrows the name and likeness of someone else. But that's still really weird though, right?

Been done before.

[BritishHobo]

For anyone who might still be interested, I noticed a very tiny new book (only 80 pages) in Waterstones a few weeks ago, Jon Ronson telling 'the true story that inspired the movie' about his time working with 'Frank'.

Here.

[Paaaaul]

For anyone who might still be interested, I noticed a very tiny new book (only 80 pages) in Waterstones a few weeks ago, Jon Ronson telling 'the true story that inspired the movie' about his time working with 'Frank'.

Here.

It's 59p on Kindle, which is a much more sensible price for what feels like a lengthy magazine article.

[vrailaine]

I really liked Garage but haven't seen anything else by yer man (Moone Boy is basically the only other thing I can think of set near my home area that's at all relatable[nb]is relatable a word? Chrome is correcting it on me[/nb]), might go on a bit of a marathon tonight.

[Mary is not amused]

(Wasn't there a Sidebottom documentary in the works at some point?)

Yep, still being made, right at this moment: http://www.beingfrankmovie.com/info.html

[Mary is not amused]

sleeping in galleries which have put on his work (whilst pissing in the corners)

It's the gallery's fault for not placing Duchamp's work in a location more befitting its importance.

[phantom_power]

I doubt a film about the real Sidebottom would ever get financed so I don't think this film "ruins" any chance of a true biopic. I also think it is a bit odd that people who didn't know him are criticising Ronson for what he says about Sievey when he did actually know him. Who is more likely to have an accurate opinion on the man? I get that people want an idolised vision of someone as legendary as Sidebottom but Ronson has no obligation to service that narrative

[Wayman C. McCreery]

I went to a talk by the director of the Being Frank documentary a few weeks ago and it's still a long way off, mainly because Steve Sullivan's still spending his life working his way through Chris's huge (and often unlabelled) archive of tapes.

Support the documentary if you can by pre-ordering the DVD - they still need tens of thousands of pounds more to afford the rights to reproduce some of Frank's TV appearances, and having seen some of the clips they want to use, it'd be a huge shame if they didn't make it into the finished product.

I've not seen Ronson's film yet, but add me to the list of people who can't really understand why it uses Frank's name and image.

[Funcrusher]

I saw this last night. I resides somewhere on the 'doesn't really work/ 'shit' axis.

[Blue Jam]

I saw this just now after going in not expecting a Frank Sidebottom biopic but thinking "this looks like a pretty weird and unique film, it should at least be interesting" and I was still disappointed. It was diverting enough- I had a free ticket and it was a nice break in a busy day, but would I recommend it? Not really.

For me the biggest problem was the actor playing Jon just being unforgivably shit (and I didn't recognise him from the most depressing episode of Black Mirror- that's another reason not to rewatch it I guess). "Jon" was just utterly devoid of charisma and I spent the first 90 minutes of the film wondering whether he was meant to be a likeable chancer or an unlikeable trustafarian twat, until around the 90 minute mark when it was pointed out that the

Spoiler alert

latter

[close]

applied and I just didn't care because I never liked him anyway.

The shot of his

Spoiler alert

abandoned drink

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had no impact for me, unlike

Spoiler alert

the bit in Velvet Goldmine where Curt Wilde walks off before Christian Bale's character finds he's left Oscar Wilde's brooch in his beer bottle

[close]

, and the fact that it reminded me of that scene was also annoying because for a supposedly original and self-consciously weird film it seemed to contain an awful lot of clichés.

Talking of things which seem a bit too familiar, Maggie Gyllenhall's nasty character also reminded me a lot of Carey Mulligan's nasty character in Inside Llewyn Davis, except there were actually a few justifications for that nastiness so Frank wins there- plus I made it to the end of Frank while I found Inside Llewyn Davis so hateful I switched it off after an hour, even though I was watching it on a plane with few other in-flight entertainment options. I also rather enjoyed the music in Frank while the folk of Inside Llewyn Davis left me cold (Mumford And Sons, wasn't it?).

I thought Michael Fassbender was pretty good and even his singing went beyond the usual stage school standard stuff and had a bit of character, so fair play to him. Still, for me the highlight was the possible callback to

Spoiler alert

Inglourious Basterds

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with him talking to the tourists in fluent German- again, a bit which reminded me of another, better film.

One for the "If I hadn't been to see that I'd probably be thinking 'I really should have gone to see that' so I don't really regret it even if it was a bit crap" pile then, along with Prometheus- maybe Fassbender is just cursed.

[vrailaine]

Immediate reactions before reading thread:
- When you've got the twitter thing in anyway, why do a fucking voiceover?
- The music being almost all shown in a live setting stopped me from having my usual believability issues with it
- Fassbender was riffing off Daniel Johnston a bit? Don't know Sievey too well but that was the vibe I got
- The other head wouldn't have worked in a film, I don't think
- Maggie jake'ssister is still really attractive, for some reason I always feel like she's on the verges of looking really haggard and old and whatnot

[Stoneage Dinosaurs]

- Maggie jake'ssister is still really attractive, for some reason I always feel like she's on the verges of looking really haggard and old and whatnot

It's her name. "Maggie", is not a young woman's name, Simpsons baby notwithstanding. It just screams "I am on the verge of decay and my body will soon be pulpified food for the rodents". You're right about her being attractive though, which is why it's such an irrational but sort of understandable thing to think.

[Wet Blanket]

Maggie Broon's always been a bit of alright

[The Roofdog]

for that film to take the very interesting life of Chris Sievey, and his sweet, bontempi-organ-playing creation Frank Sidebottom, and use it as springboard for a tale about the tortured ringleader of a group of extremely pompous outcasts seems, at the very least, like a wasted opportunity.

I take your point that this is not Frank Sidebottom but the end of the film subverts the bullshit "dark and tortured" romantic view of mental illness pretty effectively, I thought.

[SteveDave]

I've not seen it but I really like this song

https://soundcloud.com/frankfilm/frank-i-love-you-all

[Blue Jam]

The song has been in my head for days. It's by Stephen Rennicks who as far as I can tell has only ever done soundtracks. It's weird to see a film about a band not even having an official release of the (very) original soundtrack out and the main song from it only available to listen to for free on Soundcloud- will the soundtrack be released or is this a wasted opportunity within a wasted opportunity?

Fassbender as a singer- who knew?

[dr beat]

Ahead of seeing this tomorrow I read Ronson's short volume (ooh missus) about Sievey/Sidebottom last night.  Its a good read and it does convey Ronson's relationship with him very well.  I can see why Ronson wanted to avoid doing a cliched biopic but given the people around Sievey/Sidebottom who, for better or worse went on to bigger things (Chris Evans, Caroline Aherne, Ronsons band rival who became a big-time pop manager, and Ronson himself), there could be scope for a 24 Hour Party People-style take on the story.

[dr beat]

To my great surprise I really enjoyed this, mainly because I thought the portrayal of the band was very relatable.  The film also pulled off a key challenge in making the music convincing.  I didn't really have a problem with them taking the Sidebottom character and transplanting him into a different situation, worked really well in fact.  Not that it was perfect, a few bits felt Hollywoodized, particularly the

Spoiler alert

bit where Frank charms the German tourist

[close]

which I didn't care for at all.

I'm guessing the 'Jon' character in the film isn't directly meant to be Ronson but an amalgam of people - certainly the bass player Ronson mentions in his account who usurps him sounds like he could have been an influence.

[Maurice Yeatman]

Does anyone have the Mick Middles biography of him yet?  http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1909360244/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=1CHO14UPVZ6YD&coliid=IRMA4OERBIIO1

Just wondering if a dead tree edition is out yet.  Release in May was delayed, then it appeared to be in stock with a small discount on the RRP, but I had to wait until I had the money for it.  Now it's £1000 or more, which might be an Amazon glitch, or might mean it was released and quickly withdrawn.  (The Amazon reviews seem to refer to the Kindle edition.)

[DukeDeMondo]

Saw this last night and found it utterly beguiling and beautiful, but also profoundly upsetting. I dunno that it's as good as Garage or What Richard Did, insofar as Lenny Abrahamson's work goes, but it's incredibly affecting, very funny in the earlier movements, and it has some of the most on-the-nose "songwriting" scenes that I've ever heard tell of anyone concocting. Plus, the songs are incredible. In any case, the last half hour or so near buckled me. But beautiful songs.

http://youtu.be/lgLPgAnxfJA