Movie Review: Frances Ha.

If you want to see the best movie made in the last ten years, go see “Frances Ha.” Directed by Noah Baumbach ("The Squid and the Whale") and starring and co-written by emerging indie actress Greta Gerwig* as a 20-something dancer who drifts through life as she tries to figure out her career, this black and white film is engrossing from beginning to end. Frances never stays still for a moment, moving from one friend’s pad to another’s, as her life never seems to be stable enough to pay rent or stick to one situation for very long. Although evocative of Woody Allen’s Annie character in his classic 70s film “Annie Hall,” the character is really nothing like Annie, except that both characters are charming and different from others. Gerwig** has some mad charisma that is a big part of the charm of the movie, the realistic dialogue is another, and the cast of interesting characters with whom she intersects, all of whom are flawed and loveable also add to the overall interestingness. The black and white film is also played to great effect, with each scene being picture-postcardably gorgeous. The rapid fire scenes, which seem to leave various characters in her life behind with each camera change, are somewhat evocative of the movie "Slackers," which followed a series of characters in turn, leaving each one behind as  the next one was introduced, although Frances is never left behind. Ultimately, the writing is what puts this movie over the top: it’s simply an excellent look into the life of a person who might be you or I, a person whose story began before the movie started, and continues on after the movie ends, with not much being solved during the time the movie is on. Kind of like real life.

Posted by: GMan

*Totally used as wallpaper on the shit-storm on arrival that was Russell Brand in the remake of "Arthur."

**The thinking person's Lena Dunham.