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.
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.
