Frank (15A) ****
Batty, funny, inventive and moving, Frank is one of the most unique experiences you could hope for at the cinema.
It will be simply too eccentric for some filmgoers, but Frank is something to be cherished - a truly original portrait of a band determined to stay on the fringes of music fame.
The story stems from an article well-known writer Jon Ronson wrote about his exploits as a musician with eccentric British performer Frank Sidebottom.
But this is not a biopic, and while the spirit of Sidebottom lives on in the giant head that Michael Fassbender wears throughout, there are shades of other leftfield musicians like Captain Beefheart and Daniel Johnston on display here.
While Fassbender’s gigantic head has grabbed attention, it’s Domhnall Gleeson’s Jon who steals the film.
Jon is a wannabe musician who dreams of fame but has very little musical talent or natural ability.
A chance encounter with the touring rock band Soronprfbs - so leftfield their name is unpronounceable - leads to him joining them in Ireland as they attempt to record an album.
Lead by the wacky Frank, who constantly wears a large fake head, the band also comprises the terrifying Clare (Gyllenhaal), the affable Don (Scoot McNairy) as well as Nana (real life drummer Carla Azar) and Baraque (Francois Civil) who see Jon as a charlatan.
There’s real depth to it too, as the film steers into territory such as mental illness and whether it’s ok as a performer to be defiantly different.
The third act, despite a very moving finale, is more conventional than what goes before. But if you tune in to Frank’s quirky tone, this is a wonderful and richly rewarding film.
Bad Neighbours (16) ***
This story of warring neighbours and the generation gap offered rich ideas for a gross-out comedy. But what we get here is a series of familiar scenarios.
Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne play Mac and Kelly, a couple who play at being young and in touch even though they spend most of their time changing their toddler’s nappies and trying to catch up on sleep.
When a college Frat House is established right next door, they try to be the cool neighbours. But their initial banter with Frat president Teddy (Efron) and his pals quickly turns sour after the police are called due to noise. It’s not long before both students and newlyweds are fighting dirty.
The idea that other neighbours on the road would tolerate the wild partying is just one lazy element of the plotting, while it’s surprising how many overfamiliar scenarios involving dildos, drug taking, etc that we have to sit through.
Even an extended sequence involving a breast pump and Rose Byrne’s dignity comes across as cringy rather than funny - though Byrne, to her credit, is a great sport in the movie.
Rogen and Efron - building a colourful career post High-School Musical - riff off each other well, making the most of the movie’s iffy script.
