Frances

Given its high rating on FilmBooster, I was properly tuned in and maybe that's why the result was quite disappointing for me. It's not necessarily a bad movie, but if I compare it to the thematically similar film One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Forman's film overwhelmingly triumphs. While One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is a timeless film that can still be revisited, Frances is good for a one-time watch. The screenplay is far more shallow and the only thing that lifts the film is Jessica Lange's presence in the leading role. I have known for a long time that she's an excellent actress, at least since I watched A Streetcar Named Desire, and here she got an opportunity that she fully took advantage of. Granted, I didn't believe in her as a sixteen-year-old girl - after all, not even makeup artists can perform miracles. Where One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest managed to depict society's intolerance, repression, and manipulation through the example of the destruction of one nonconformist individual, Frances slips into the box of family drama and portrays the conflict between a daughter and a dominant mother. Overall impression: 60%. (16.04.2009)

I admit that I've never heard of the classic Hollywood actress Frances Farmer. But American Horror Story made me understand the phenomenon of Jessica Lange's acting orgies. So why not combine the pleasant with the useful? What was going on at Paramount in its day is worthy of note. (05.03.2014)