By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4.9
Director: Noah Baumbach
Starring: Adam Driver | Grace Gummer | Greta Gerwig | Michael Zegen | Mickey Sumner | Patrick Heusinger
Country: united_states
Year: 2013
Running time: 86
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2347569/
Thom says: “After KICKING & SCREAMING, MR. JEALOUSY, THE SQUID & THE WHALE, GREENBERG, & MARGOT AT THE WEDDING all cineastes are aware of Baumbach and except for the misstep GREENBERG he’s always interested me but this is far-and-away his best effort yet. That he co-wrote the script with current sweetie Gerwig and that they’ve written such a brilliant screenplay is a great affirmation of talent. Gerwig plays Frances, an addled, would-be choreographer who consistently makes the wrong choices in her life. She lies to everybody she comes in contact with but is peculiarly adorable. She lives with her BFF Sophie and Greta believes that they will be together always. But when Sophie inherits another apartment and leaves Frances to fend for herself, what follows is one inspired scene after another that takes us to Sacramento, Paris, and other environs with our dear Frances bumbling her way through life situations that are filled with pathos and truth. Gerwig, after an early career of less than memorable mumblecore fare, has transformed herself into one of our greatest film comediennes with DAMSELS IN DISTRESS, TO ROME WITH LOVE, & now this total charmer. She is accompanied by first-rate performances from a largely unknown cast. 5 cats”
Bruce says: “Frances (Greta Gerwig) and Sophie (Mickey Summer) live together and are truly best friends, or so Frances thought. Frances turns down an offer to move in with her boyfriend because she loves Sophie more. Sophie is not exactly on the same page. How can two people love each other with such imbalance? That is the underlying perplexity of FRANCES HA, a bittersweet quest for one woman to find her place in the world.
“Frances is in New York to pursue her dancing career but cannot make it past the second string. She lives in a fantasy world, one fueled by the success of peripheral friends in a city that does not coddle failure. Frances prevaricates just a bit by telling people what they want to hear or, worse, what she thinks they want to hear. She is a lost soul. She also is a self-sabotaging wizard. One can hardly blame her, though. She learns that Sophie is moving out of their apartment from another friend. She learns that Sophie has a fabulous new job from someone else. And then she hears that Sophie is getting married. She labels herself ‘undateable’ because she knows she cannot give any man what she has given Sophie.
“FRANCES HA moves through chapters of Frances’ life by labeling them according to addresses she habituates, in duration both long and short. The film starts out in Brooklyn, moves to Manhattan, Paris, Sacramento and Poughkeepsie before returning to Washington Heights. By the end of the film we learn what her friends truly think of her and we suspect that we know how her future might pan out.
“The smart script was written by Baumbach and Gerwig. On screen Gerwig shines; she has star quality. Comparisons might be made to ANNIE HALL; Frances has a similar free spirit. Other viewers might see a resemblance to Lena Dunham’s ‘Girls.’ True, there is a fuzzy similarity; FRANCES HA is more character driven, however. Not since THE LOST LANGUAGE OF CRANES have I been so horrified to find a character making such bad choices. ‘Don’t say that!’ ‘Don’t do that!’ The urge to help Frances is irrepressible. Frances is a reminder that many people have to march through life to their own cadence, not the one we might choose for them. 5 cats
“(FRANCES HA screened at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival.)”
Chris says: “Greta Gerwig’s often the best thing about any film she’s in—she provided the arch DAMSELS IN DISTRESS with a relatable center and she nearly made GREENBERG bearable, her sweetness leavening out the encompassing misanthropy. Reuniting with the latter film’s director Noah Baumbach, it appears that she’s stumbled across the perfect vehicle for her talents, though perhaps ‘stumbled’ is inaccurate since she co-wrote the screenplay with him.
“FRANCES HA shouldn’t work. It’s chock full of precious anachronisms like black-and-white cinematography, deliberately old-fashioned opening titles and a jarring soundtrack that swerves between classical pieces, whimsical instrumentals and non-period pop songs both iconic (Bowie’s ‘Modern Love’) and half-forgotten (Hot Chocolate’s ‘Every 1’s A Winner’). Making blatant references to MANHATTAN-era Woody Allen and Anna Karina-era Godard, the whole thing covers roughly the same ground as Lena Dunham’s ‘Girls’; some viewers will convincingly argue that the world did not need another tale of a single 27-year-old in New York.
“And yet, Gerwig and Baumbach’s collaboration is more often than not an utter delight (it’s certainly his best film since THE SQUID AND THE WHALE), with its own peculiar yet compelling rhythms. Undeniably beautiful yet noticeably gawky, affable but occasionally this close to being exasperating, her impulsiveness both an attribute and a crutch, Frances/Gerwig is, on her own, a winning, unconventional heroine. When she’s paired with Sophie (Mickey Sumner), however, the film gains considerable traction as a closely observed study of female friendship. Roommates at the start, their relationship changes organically and significantly as they come to live in different apartments and eventually, on different continents. Sumner not only provides a nice contrast to Gerwig but their chemistry is such that you immediately accept their longtime friendship and you’re completely invested in it as it ebbs and flows throughout the film. In comparison, the scenes where Frances becomes roommates with two trust fund kids (Michael Zegen and ‘Girls’s’ Adam Driver) ring a little hollow in their clumsy exploration of platonic male-female dynamics, although they’re gentler than Baumbach’s past satires of navel-gazing hubris.
“Still, for a New York story with unexpected sojourns to Sacramento, Poughkeepsie and even Paris, FRANCES HA never flags in momentum. Although Frances herself follows a recognizable trajectory, Gerwig and Baumbach relay her journey with many memorable little quirks, such as her quick-to-the-draw dismissive reaction to Driver placing his hand on her shoulder or her hilariously awkward attempt at dinner party conversation or even how well that Hot Chocolate song scores and suffuses the Paris scenes. Nimbly placed within in a solid, character-driven framework, these little details go a long way into rendering FRANCES HA an indie gem. 4.5 cats”
Julie says: “Just saw FRANCES HA. Finally, a non-mumble core movie with Greta Gerwig that I loved! I didn’t realize she wrote this (with Noah Baumbach) who also directed and for the first time ever used digital AND black and white which created an incredible being young in New York feeling/look.
“It had some very funny and moving moments and seems a movie we can all relate to on some level at least. The cinematography was incredibly well done! I ended up watching it twice! 5 cats”