Frances Ha

(2012) Frances Ha COMEDY DRAMA

Greta Gerwig's equivalent updated version of "1978 Girlfriends", except that in this movie her character plays a struggling dancer as opposed to a struggling photographer. Gerwig who was also credited as co-writer along with Noah Baumbach second of her four movies with him. Greta Gerwig stars as title character "Frances Ha", once her best friend, Sophie (Mickey Sumner) and long time live-in roommate decides to move out of their apartment, so that Sophie can live closer to her new boyfriend, Frances begins to struggle to find another roommate or to find another place.

Again, the positive rating is the result of the unique moments, improvised dialogue exchanges from director Noah Baumbach and his main star actress Greta Gerwig.

I'm at a phase in my life where I generally have little patience for stories about adults who refuse to grow up. So I had some frustration with "Frances Ha," in which Greta Gerwig plays a woman child who crashes with friends and sticks to her increasing unrealistic dream of being a dancer. But what saved "Frances Ha" for me was that I suspect Gerwig (who co-wrote the script with director Noah Baumbach) and Baumbach intend for us to be frustrated with Frances too. Life is a lot about compromise, and that's something that Frances won't accept until the film's end -- it's not all or nothing, and life can be satisfying without being a dream come true.

One of the things that did irk me about the movie was its implication that anyone who does seem to have his/her life together is either faking it, skating by on rich parents or vapid. It is actually possible to be both responsible and happy, something that movies, particularly a certain kind of indie movie (of which "Frances Ha" is an example), is reluctant to accept. But I still liked the movie despite its decision to perpetuate that message.

I can't decide whether or not I like Greta Gerwig, which makes her perfect casting for this role. Something about Frances is warm and winning, but something else is just as annoying. You understand both why people are drawn to her and turned off by her, because that's how I feel about her as an actress.

Grade: A-

Can't really decide how I feel about this film. It was somewhat intriguing, beautifully shot (in black and white), and the lead character was perfectly cast. I love quirky characters in independent movies, but most of the time I couldn't decide if Frances was incredibly endearing or incredibly annoying. Immature, yes. Quirky, yes. Childlike, yes.

I didn't by any means hate this movie, but I did not love it as much as others. It is a film like no other, and worth a watch, but it left me feeling ambivalent. There was really no plot, which made sense because Frances didn't really seem to have any clearcut goals or ambitions (other than being a dancer, which wasn't ever going to happen). She lived moment by moment and the film took us on her journeys even though I am not sure they served much of a purpose.

Being called "undateable" is sort of like a team player being labeled "uncoachable," not a strong recommendation. This label tags maturity-challenged Frances (Greta Gerwig) in Noah Baumbach's warm-hearted comedy Frances Ha, a film that has genuine affection for its characters. Co-written by Baumbach and Gerwig and supported by an eclectic soundtrack that includes music by French film composer Georges Delerue and the songs of David Bowie, Frances Ha (the title is explained in the film's final shot) is a film in which people talk and act like real human beings, not cardboard caricatures manipulated by a self-conscious script that "strives for reality." Though the film is full of light-hearted energy, it does not strain to be quirky or "in your face." It is clever because that's the way it is.

Shot in black and white by cinematographer Sam Levy, 27-year-old Frances lives in a Brooklyn apartment with her girl friend Sophie (Mickey Sumner). She wants to be a dancer, and apprentices for a small dance company, but seems to lack the determination to really develop her talent. Though the exact nature of their relationship is not spelled out (what you see is what you get), they are at the very least good buddies who are tight. Frances says her relationship with Sophie is "like a lesbian couple that doesn't have sex anymore," but Sophie is not quite as attached and tells Frances that she has decided to move in with her upscale boyfriend Patch (Patrick Heusinger).

Refreshingly however, the story is not about relationships being the necessary ingredient of a woman's self-esteem, but simply one component of an internal growth process. Frances goes out with Lev (Adam Driver), another under-achieving New Yorker, but her economic needs trump her physical ones and she moves in with Lev and his roommate Benji (Michael Zegen) on a strictly platonic basis to save on the rent, although Benji develops a real connection with her (which Frances is blind to). She stumbles through relationships, not making a terrific impression. One woman tells her in talking about her friend, "You look a lot older, but you seem far less mature." Frances does not have the kind of job prospects that she alludes to with her friends and her overall veracity is questionable, but she makes up for it with tons of charm. She actually makes some stabs at shaking things up, going home to Sacramento to visit her parents (Gordon and Christine Gerwig, her real parents), impulsively flying to Paris for a weekend to prove to a friend that she can, and, upon returning after a joyless weekend, taking a job as a "drink pourer" at Vassar where she had gone to school. Unfortunately, the more things change, the more they stay the same.

Although Frances Ha is about young New Yorkers living on the margins, it is not and does not aspire to be a commentary on the current economic situation or the plight of young people. The film is about talented folks who have not quite gotten it together and whose level of responsibility lags somewhere below the norm. The characters have their flaws and are not always self aware, but Baumbach recognizes that the process of growth does not happen suddenly and refuses to judge his characters, or make snide commentaries about New Yorkers.

Frances Ha does not rely on formula or relationship clichés to make its points, but only on the performances to bring the characters to life. Baumbach and Gerwig take us on a wild ride without any clear signposts, yet the trip is poignant and even beautiful and we can joyously sense the light around the next turn. Unlike the angry, unpleasant Roger in Baumbach's previous film Greenberg, the more you hang around Frances (Greta Gerwig), the more you grow to like her insanely. Though Frances may be undateable, the film is unmissable.

Frances Ha (2012)

I liked this film in a kind of interested, warm way as it got going. Its black and white simplicity and its regular people both appeal on the most normal level.

The more I watched, however, and the more I absorbed the brilliance of the performance by leading actress playing Frances (Greta Gerwig), I became entranced and stunned. This is a great film. A great independent film, without production pretensions, but held together perfectly within its means.

This is worth making clear—the film makes a virtue of its simple approach. You'll never feel like it's technically compromised. The photography is a subtle, smart black and white. There's even one scene near the end where two people are talking in bed and they chose to use the very minimum of light, so you just barely see their faces. For a long deep conversation. Gorgeous, and effective.

It's Gerwig who steals the movie, for sure. And she helped write the really sparkling, believable, clever but never too-clever script. It's brilliant stuff. Brilliant. She hits a note of fast transparency, a totally "right" dialog and delivery. Way harder than it seems.

And the character she plays, Frances, is one of those lovable types where things don't go quite right even with all the best intentions. Most of us identify with that all too well. We have our better selves and we have the reality of where those good intentions have gotten us. And yet she perseveres. She puts up with strange but not unfriendly people around her in one apartment after another, and we get a glimpse of young New Yorkers with all their minor pretensions. Searing and funny and touching.

Don't be put off by the weird title (the one mistake in making the film) or by the beginning and its slow, restrained monochrome. The film makes the most of it all and is terrific.