Arguably the weakest film in the Main Competition at the 2019 Cannes Film Fest, Frankie, Ira Sachs’s serio comedy, is a minor, pointless film, whoe sole raison d’etre is the presence of French and international star Isabelle Huppert.
Grade C: 11/2* out of *****)
Talk about a waste of major talent. The screenplay, by Sachs and regular contributor, Mauricio Zacharias, meanders atound, going from one pointless interaction to another.
The slim, formulaic tale centers on Frankie, a terminally ill actress, who gather her family members and friends for one last vacation.
The film co-stars Greg Kinnear, Marisa Tomei, Jérémie Renier.
A director of limited skills and range, Sachs is at his best when he handles gay-themed stories situated in his hometown of New York City.
The new film benefits slightly from the picaresque vistas of Sintra, Portugal.
Mean to be an intimate exploration of a woman at a self-reflexive moment of crisis, the movie comes across as a love letter to fantastic actress Huppert, who the director clearly admires, and whose fans can watch and enjoy even when she reads the phone book.
It’s major step down for Sachs, who previously helmed the moderately engaging “Love Is Strange” and “Little Men.”
Cast
Isabelle Huppert as Frankie
Greg Kinnear as Gary
Marisa Tomei as Ilene
Jérémie Renier as Paul
Brendan Gleeson as Jimmy
Vinette Robinson as Sylvia
Ariyon Bakare as Ian
Pascal Greggory as Michel
Carloto Cotta as Tiago
Sennia Nanua as Maya
End Note:
The movie was a commercial flop both in France and in the U.S.
