A Regular Frankie Fan

I saw the docu-drama Regular Frankie Fan a few weeks ago. It reminded me of something from the Leslie (I am NOT related to Frank) Miller body of work with the exception that this dealt with truth. Truth of what it is like to be a fan of the RHPS. I feel that for under two hours, including credits, I was a part of a world often spoken of but never seen. Once again, director Mabbutt (Hell Bent for Leather, Dixon Mason and the Temple of Doom, Dixon Mason and the Fantabulous Flying Contraption of Professor Huffenagel)captures on film what most film makers can't: True Americana with humor. If you have more fun watching a studio high concept comedy over this, you weren't watching A Regular Frankie Fan my friend. Oh no, you were not! You MUST check out the Japanese language of Time Warp by a band calling itself Red Eye. I have no idea what they are saying, but in my heart I know it's a party and we are all invited, no matter who we are for those two hours.

I went to a screening of this documentary, and I've never been so frightened in all my life. It seems to draw the crowd in and drive them into a frenzy. By the end of the film, I felt like I knew not just the people on-screen, but a little bit about the people around me.

The production is a little choppy, but I think it works in the film's favor. It's like a happy version of Blair Witch.

I haven't seen a film like this before. It was full of things I had never seen. Actually, it was shot on hi-end video, so it was "lensed," not "filmed," but you know what I mean! Chock full of freaks- what more could anyone ask for?

A well crafted, highly watchable documentary, "A Regular Frankie Fan" is enjoyable for both fans and non-fans of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. The audience for the screening I attended was made up mostly of hard-core RH fans and they loved it, turning the evening into an audience participation event - much like one would expect at a midnight show. They delighted in seeing their efforts on screen, and shouting back at the documentary's subjects who either met with their approval or disapproval. My guess is that all the RH fans will appreciate the way director/fan Scott Mabbutt has sympathetically presented them and their particular "obsession."

Although I briefly participated in the Rocky Horror experience some 20+ years ago, I would, today, place myself in the non-fan category. Nevertheless, I enjoyed "Frankie Fan." I think it presented the fans in a very positive, human, and dignified manner. Although some of the interviewees did have a tendency to go on at length or move on to off-subject tangents (which slowed the pacing a bit), what they had to say was very much of interest. They talked about feeling like outcasts, what the "Rocky" experience meant to them socially, and how it gave them a sense of being a part of something. This, to me, is the most interesting aspect of the documentary because it transcends the surface trappings of a movie and touches on something that is important to all of us - the desire to belong. Of course, the overt sexuality of the phenomenon definitely appealing, and this aspect is well represented too. It's worth your time. Catch it if you can.

This movie was great. Imagine Trekkies but not as pompous and snarky! This film needs to be given to the masses so they can realize what a gem the ORIGINAL audience participation movie is! If you get a chance, you MUST see this film.