Frank & Lola

I've heard of this film but never decided to check it out. Now that I sometimes go the library (who even does this?) to rent movies I saw it and picked it up. The first intriguing thing about this film were all the very positive reviews for the director, the cast, the style and the deliver of the plot. I don't see Imogen Poots in many things but there is definitely talent there. Don't get me started on Michael Shannon. He blows you away in Take Shelter, and did a fantastic job on Boardwalk Empire. The pairing seemed a little odd at first but you soon realize how greatly they are able to complement each other.

This film is about a jealous and possessive man and a damaged and lonely girl who fall for each other and their oft volatile relationship when its being tested. Frank (Shannon) starts suspecting Lola of an affair and it starts to consume him, while Lola (Poots) tries to cover what she's doing by not being straight up with Frank. Problems ensue, and we are in for a pretty riveting time. I'm not going to praise Shannon anymore but I do have to say he is great in a inquisitive and jealous lover role. Lies are exposed and you can't help but feel a connection with both leads despite their very overt flaws.

Director Matthew Ross is clearly influenced by a few directors works and it shows. I got a few Brian De Palma and Hitchcock feels although many others would probably claim different influences. The films is slightly erotic, moody, and makes you question what the truth is. Ross never really outwardly lays the plot in front of you and let it marinate. Each minute that goes by you can't help but second guess what you previously thought.

Its a really promising debut for someone that I've previously never heard of. The film is quite short but a satisfying portrayal of a relationship that is marred by jealousy, paranoia, and angst. It's not exactly what I expected but I did really enjoy this outlook. Relationships are not always easy peasy and sometimes its nice to get a take of a film that revolves around sex and the possibility of cheating, Seek this one out and watch it, its worth your time.

7.5/10

Michael Shannon, one of my favorite actors, works a lot and takes chances with inexperienced directors so there are bound to be some misfires. Frank and Lola is definitely one of the misfires.

Director and writer Matthew Ross blew the beginning and tried to compensate for this early mishap in the editing room. The first twenty minutes, improperly composed, distract from essential character and relationship development necessary to the story's foundation. It is as though a slingshot is never quite pulled back and so the stone simply dribbles to the ground, missing its target.

The actors can not be faulted, the premise is intriguing and the potential for an unusual, impactful film exists here. It is just a disappointment that it never comes together despite the great actors involved.

I do not recommend this film. The theme of trust in relationships in a story involving jealousy and sexual intrigue should be much more compelling.

This film tells the story of a Las Vegas chef, who has a beautiful girlfriend. One day, he discovers that she is cheating on him. She explains the unfortunate truth, and he decides to sell revenge from the perpetrator.

"Frank & Lola" shows interesting characters who are real and relevant to daily lives. Frank wants to protect his girlfriend from harm, and would do anything to achieve that. The girlfriend Lola, on the other hard, appears to be vulnerable and victimised. As the story goes on, more truth is unveiled, but viewers are left to wonder what exactly is the truth. I sympathise with Frank, but don't understand him.

"Beware, my Lord, of jealousy, it is the green-eyed monster that doth mock the meat it feeds on." Iago in Othello

Frank (Michael Shannon), a top-rated chef in Vegas, falls for young fashion designer Lola (Imogen Poots) and that's the beginning and end. That is, his uneventful life just became upended by a girl he needs to trust but doesn't appear to merit it. Such is the conflict and drama of this small, tense, and satisfying drama with just a hint of thriller.

While Frank & Lola is a modern romance fraught with uncertainty because the principals orbit by themselves hoping to collide with love rather than let it ripen. The not-so-likely love between this older man and younger lost soul doesn't so much move on lust as it does on the couple's passion to do the right thing in the face of their defaults.

Lola's one-night stand and her admission to Frank start him into a spell of mistrust that propels the film thereafter. The film's center is in Shannon's believably smart man tossed in jealousy and mistrust that leads to violence and uncertain rapprochement with her.

Poots is marvelous as a lost soul looking in the wrong places--her eyes are the most soulful and vulnerable in cinema today. Shannon's minimalistic acting relays the perfect hard-boiled hero of few words. But be careful, he can see into your heart and with a word or two tell the whole sordid details of your innocence lost.

Frank & Lola is heavy on engaging dialogue and light on thriller action. Its strength is relaying how little we know about the ones closest to us.

I'm a fan of Michael Shannon, but he is nobody's idea of a sex symbol. While a fantastic character actor, he doesn't do well in leading roles.

This film is full of cliche's yet manages to go exactly nowhere -- and slowly.