Frank – reviews of ‘weird and wonderful’ musical comedy
Offbeat tale of an outsider band is a surreal but moving study of art and eccentricity, say critics
What you need to know Music comedy drama Frank opens in UK cinemas today. The film by Irish director Lenny Abrahamson stars Michael Fassbender (12 Years a Slave), former Harry Potter actor Domhnall Gleeson and Maggie Gyllenhaal.
In Frank, aspiring singer-songwriter Jon (Gleeson), joins a band called the Soronprfbs that’s run by a mysterious frontman called Frank (Fassbender) who constantly wears a papier-mache head. When they start recording an album, tensions rise and Jon begins to question his role in the band.
The film is loosely based on the story of Frank Sidebottom, the papier-mache head-wearing alter ego of British musician and comedian Chris Sievey.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
What the critics like This is “a weird and wonderful musical comedy about an oddball outsider band”, says Peter Debruge in Variety. Abrahamson lures in skeptics with jokey surrealism but delivers them to a profoundly moving place.
Frank is “an off-beat, punk spirited film” that goes beyond the mask of humour to question ideas of creativity, says Amber Wilkinson in the Daily Telegraph. Michael Fassbender, it turns out, has a good singing voice and doesn't need moving facial features to make an impression.
The film is “a barking-mad but affecting comedy about the side-effects of being a non-conformist genius”, says Damon Wise in Empire. Though it seems on the surface to be a daffy comedy, it is a surreal study of art and eccentricity.
What they don’t like “For a film that champions talent that takes risks, Frank can sometimes feel a little too conventional,” says Henry Barnes in The Guardian. The real Frank's wayward genius would be hard to fit into a traditional story arc, but the film still does a good job of dipping into surrealism and pop in equal measure.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
The potential impact of Trump tariffs for the UK
UK goods exports to the US could be hit with tariffs of up to 20% seriously affecting the British economy
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Shoot to Kill: Terror on the Tube – a 'raw' and 'riveting' docuseries
The Week Recommends Channel 4's 'gripping' two-part show explores the Metropolitan police killing of an innocent man in the aftermath of 7/7
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK Published
-
'Salute to those who served'
Today's Newspapers A roundup of the headlines from the US front pages
By The Week Staff Published
-
The Count of Monte Cristo review: 'indecently spectacular' adaptation
The Week Recommends Dumas's classic 19th-century novel is once again given new life in this 'fast-moving' film
By The Week UK Published
-
Death of England: Closing Time review – 'bold, brash reflection on racism'
The Week Recommends The final part of this trilogy deftly explores rising political tensions across the country
By The Week UK Published
-
Sing Sing review: prison drama bursts with 'charm, energy and optimism'
The Week Recommends Colman Domingo plays a real-life prisoner in a performance likely to be an Oscars shoo-in
By The Week UK Published
-
Kaos review: comic retelling of Greek mythology starring Jeff Goldblum
The Week Recommends The new series captures audiences as it 'never takes itself too seriously'
By The Week UK Published
-
Blink Twice review: a 'stylish and savage' black comedy thriller
The Week Recommends Channing Tatum and Naomi Ackie stun in this film on the hedonistic rich directed by Zoë Kravitz
By The Week UK Published
-
Shifters review: 'beautiful' new romantic comedy offers 'bittersweet tenderness'
The Week Recommends The 'inventive, emotionally astute writing' leaves audiences gripped throughout
By The Week UK Published
-
How to do F1: British Grand Prix 2025
The Week Recommends One of the biggest events of the motorsports calendar is back and better than ever
By Rebekah Evans, The Week UK Published
-
Twisters review: 'warm-blooded' film explores dangerous weather
The Week Recommends The film, focusing on 'tornado wranglers', stars Daisy Edgar-Jones and Glen Powell
By The Week UK Published