SummarySeventeen-year old Philip (Logan Miller) longs to leave his small town for music school in The Big Apple. His dreams are dashed when his overbearing father, Frank (Jim Gaffigan) forbids it. In retaliation to his father's dictatorial parenting, he sneaks away in search of a wild spring break. However, when he crosses state lines, he instead finds ... Read More
Directed By:Miranda Bailey
Written By:Glen Lakin
Being Frank
Metascore
Mixed or Average
41
User score
Generally Favorable
6.8
My Score
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Top Cast
Metascore
Mixed or Average
41
17% Positive
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
42% Mixed
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
42% Negative
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
Jun 19, 2019
60
Even if slightly overwrought, the storyline functions as an amusing dual coming-of-ager.
Jun 18, 2019
50
Lakin’s screenplay veers so wildly between sitcom antics, pitch black comedy and heartwarming family drama that it leaves you feeling whiplashed. The film never quite merges its divergent tones, leaving Being Frank a frustrating mix of promising elements and appealing performances shackled to an unwieldy central premise that dispenses with joy the way a black hole dispenses with light.
Jun 13, 2019
50
Even as the film’s scenes begin stacking into an unstable Jenga tower of contrivances, the turbulent father-son dynamic continues to hold strong.
Jun 10, 2019
38
The film sends the curious message that that any time an abusive parent spends with a child is time well spent.
Jun 13, 2019
30
It’s a period movie with little style and a family flick wholly lacking in charm or warmth.
Jun 13, 2019
20
Being Frank isn’t very amusing, which normally would be the most damning thing one might say about an ostensible comedy. But that really isn’t the worst thing about it. There is something ineffably creepy about this contrived and mirthless farce.
User score
Generally Favorable
6.8
50% Positive
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
50% Mixed
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
0% Negative
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
Jun 27, 2019
5
Despite a fine lead performance by Jim Gaffigan, this dark comedy about the misadventures of a philandering middle-aged dad with two families often falls flat thanks to a screenplay that misses opportunities for wicked laughs, attempts to make light of situations that aren't funny and tries too hard to generate sympathy for a protagonist undeserving of it. What's more, the film at times verges on becoming too complicated for its own good, mistakenly confusing excessive complexity with screwball pacing. This picture's premise had a lot of potential but, regrettably, just can't pull it off successfully.
Production Company:
- Cold Iron Pictures
- Imagine Entertainment
- Reliance Big Entertainment
Release Date:Jun 14, 2019
Duration:1 h 49 m
Rating:R
Tagline:You Can Choose Your Family
Awards
Rhode Island International Film Festival
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
Napa Valley Film Festival
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
Vail Film Festival
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
