Director: Matthew Ross
Writer: Matthew Ross (Screenplay)
Starring: Imogen Poots, Michael Shannon, Justin Long, Rosanna Arquette, Michael Nyqvist, Emmanuelle Devos
Plot: A psychosexual noir love story, set in Las Vegas and Paris, about love, obsession, sex, betrayal, revenge and, ultimately, the search for redemption.
Tagline – Love Obsession Betrayal Revenge
Runtime: 1 Hour 28 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Verdict: Blank & Boring
Story: Frank & Lola starts as we meet chef Frank (Shannon) who has started dating college graduate Lola (Poots) as they get involved in a strange relationship in Las Vegas, which sees her mother Patricia (Arquette) as questionable.
When Patricia brings her former partner to town, Lola wants Frank to help get revenge for something that happened between the two, as he has become more of a no nonsense type of person who gets offered a job by her new boss Keith (Long) which could solve his problems because of his brilliance in the kitchen.
Thoughts on Frank & Lola
Characters – Frank is a brilliant chef that has started dating the younger Lola, he gets jealous easily which makes him want to know who every man in Lola’s life is as he starts to look to solve her problems. Lola is a college graduate in fashion that is in Vegas, she is dating Frank and starts working for the charismatic Keith, she knows what will make Frank jealous as she starts to use him to get what she wants. Keith knows people in Vegas, he offers jobs to talent, which will see him follow a strict code of not trying to date them, he will always offer people job if he believes they deserve the change. Patricia is Lola’s mother that hasn’t always been as close with her daughter.
Performances – We have such a great cast here, Michael Shannon gives one of his most average performances of his career, Imogen Poots struggles to make an impact, Justin Long gets his moments, but not enough. Most of this comes from such dull characters they must try to bring to life.
Story – The story is the hardest part to describe because it seems to follow a chef that is trying to do anything to clean up his girlfriends past, only to get caught up in the middle of just what might be true or not. The problem with the story comes from the poor dialog which makes it hard to connect the story together, it seems to create scenes which put Frank’s mind in one direction only for the next one to change it, this happens too often and becomes annoying because we can’t get invested in his story. we did get some heavy themes which do just get glanced over which only confuses in the end.
Crime/Romance – The crime side of the film comes from what Frank will do for Lola, he is driven by his love for her which shows him where to go with his actions.
Settings – The film has two main settings, Las Vegas and Paris, both are used to show the busy side of the lives of the people we are follow.
Scene of the Movie – Job offer.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – The story is too heavy on changing direction too often.
Final Thoughts – This is a dull romantic thriller that just drags along at a snails pace, never using the talent to its strengths.
Overall: Bitterly disappointing.
Rating
