Frances Ha (2012)

A story that follows a New York woman (who doesn't really have an apartment), apprentices for a dance company (though she's not really a dancer), and throws herself headlong into her dreams, even as their possible reality dwindles.

Director:

Noah Baumbach

Writers:

Noah Baumbach (screenplay), Greta Gerwig (screenplay)

Stars:

Greta Gerwig, Mickey Sumner, Adam Driver

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Greta Gerwig	...	Frances
Mickey Sumner	...	Sophie
Michael Esper	...	Dan
Adam Driver	...	Lev
Michael Zegen	...	Benji
Charlotte d'Amboise	...	Colleen
Grace Gummer	...	Rachel
Daiva Deupree	...	Waitress
Isabelle McNally	...	Random Girl #1
Justine Lupe	...	Nessa
Lindsay Burdge	...	Dark Haired Girl
Patrick Heusinger	...	Patch
Marina Squerciati	...	Waitress at Club
Christine Gerwig	...	Mom
Gordon Gerwig	...	Dad

Storyline

Frances lives in New York, but she doesn't really have an apartment. Frances is an apprentice for a dance company, but she's not really a dancer. Frances has a best friend named Sophie, but they aren't really speaking anymore. Frances throws herself headlong into her dreams, even as their possible reality dwindles. Frances wants so much more than she has but lives her life with unaccountable joy and lightness.

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Plot Keywords:

apprentice | dance company | new yorker | female protagonist | character name in title

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sexual references and language

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 June 2013 (Belgium)

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$137,398 (USA) (17 May 2013)

Gross:

$2,876,732 (USA) (14 June 2013)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Pine District Pictures, RT Features, Scott Rudin Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

86 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Was shot as low-key and covertly as possible on New York City streets, and was officially known as 'Untitled Digital Workshop'.

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Connections

References Bed & Board (1970)

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Soundtracks

"Falling off a Horse"
Written and Performed by Felix Laband
Courtesy of Compost Records
By arrangement with Universal Music Publishing

User Reviews

The Unbearable Lightness of Frances

Greetings again from the darkness. All the critics are raving about it. Love abounds for the latest from director Noah Baumbach and his co-writer and leading lady Greta Gerwig. What makes my ambivalence even more confounding is that I'm a fan of Baumbach (The Squid and the Whale) and Gerwig (Greenberg). The expert level of filmmaking and acting is obvious, the script details and dialogue are exceptional, and the situations and setting are realistic. So why aren't I more excited about this one? That's what I've spent the past few days wondering.

It seems Frances Ha delivers everything I look for in an indie film. The problem is that I find almost every character to be annoying and self-absorbed. The first act finds Frances (Gerwig) sitting on top of the world. She has a boyfriend, a BFF/roomie, and is a dance company apprentice with the expectation of a dance career. Soon enough she watches Strike Three go by and her world is in a tailspin. We then watch Frances trudge on through uncertainty and instability in living arrangements, personal relationships and career path. It plays like a road trip that really never hits the highway.

Frances moves in with Lev (Adam Driver) and Ben (Michael Zegen) and she is oblivious to Ben's interest as she obsesses about her former BFF Sophie (Mickey Sumner). See, Sophie is trying to grow up while Frances wants to stay in her dream land where she and Sophie remain "the same person with different hair". Frances then crashes at the apartment of a fellow dancer played with all seriousness by Grace Gummer (Meryl Streep's daughter). The two dancing opposites attend an awkward dinner party at which Frances manages to spew an endless stream of absurd remarks that advertise her lack of maturity. Her response to this is to take a spontaneous trip to Paris ... charged to a new credit card.

Make no mistake. Frances is a very energetic and sincere free-spirited twenty-seven year old. The kind that is only charming in the movies. If her quirk wins you over, you will find yourself rooting for her to get her life together. That would put you in the same corner as most other film critics. On the other hand, if you recognize the optimism, but are unmoved by the immaturity and self-absorption, then you are banished to the corner of those who "just don't get it". And I'll be right there with you.