Being Frank

It was a bit of a disappointment for an independent film. The story and the premise is good, very clever but it fall short on the delivery. Actually the first half is pretty boring and dull but the second half is a bit better. Do not expect any laughing moments not even a few chuckles. The way it delivers the story is not perfect and you get the feeling that this cannot be happening, the characters could not react in this way cause this is obviously wrong. It super simplify the things and gives very awkward moments of ethics. The ending is no good or satisfiable

If you go out your way to take offensive at the subject matter this film is not for you. I thought it was funny but let down by the last ten minutes hence only a five.

I really enjoyed this clever comedy about Frank, and its deep dive down the rabbit hole of the life of a creative bigamist. The script and characters are hilarious, and I knew from the moment the plot and cast were revealed in the trailer that this was going to be a riproaring little gem. This is the directorial debut for Miranda, and it's great to see a female director and Skidmore alum step up and excel with such a bold film. Don't miss it!

I wouldn't say this movie primarily is a comedy. The subject matter is approached with enough clarity and depth that you sense the emotional situation family members find themselves in when they find out their father/husband is leading a double life. If it were purely a comedy, they would gloss over the emotions and drama. The delivery nevertheless is entertaining and there are some laughs along the way. The main actor who plays the father mostly carries the movie, with help from the son character - the other actors are mostly just filler or placeholders and don't really add much. The movie introduces the premise in a fairly amusing way, nicely setting up the plot. But then it drifts for quite a while and really you're only watching at that point to see how it ends. Not a great movie but I haven't seen anything else tackle some of the subject matter quite the same way and so it gets some points for originality.

Comedy about a man living a double life with two families for 20 years? Movies with such serious seeming themes are not made for comedies. Walking the line if a tough act which, when accomplished, usually results in classic type black comedies. In this case Frank's writers pull it off in fun and also serious fashion. Son Philip and dad Frank are both likeable and do well acting. The remainder of the cast also does well. The writer(s) win the day crafting a dandy back story and current goings on. Frank's effort to convince his son Philip that he did the 'right' thing, embarking on a double life, given the circumstances. What else was a man to do! The writers missed a final fun twist. They could have had wife #2 announce her first child was not Franks removing a major obstacle to sibling love. That aside, well done!

Being Frank or You Can Choose Your Family, two tiles for one movie. It's not the first time I see that and I honestly don't get the point of that. Just choose one title and that's it. That said it wasn't a bad movie. First of all I love Jim Gaffigan as a stand-up comedian so I was a bit curious about his acting skills. It wasn't bad but even if this movie is supposed to be a comedy (there are some funny moments but I've seen better) his stand-up comedies are just much funnier. The cast was good, the story is entertaining with some good moments, so overall it's a movie worth watching.