SnoReptilePlenty Memorable, crazy movie

AshUnow This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

Siflutter It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

Rio Hayward All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Reno Rangan This was Michael Shannon's show as Frank, but the plot developed mysteries surrounded by character Lola that played by Imogen Poots. Basically the entire film is about these two and after the halfway mark, another character joins them to add more suspense. Well, it was the story of a decently succeeded chef and his new girlfriend. Their relationship strengthens in a short period of time. They think they know each other enough, but one day a new secret revealed from Lola's past. That's the beginning of everything in this film, following many turns in the narration, the story reaches its end.The major issue was too much suspense. The writing should have been simplified. So not everybody easily understands the film or the purposes of film scenes/events. But it is more revenge based than psychological thriller-drama. That does not mean you can rule out everything else possibilities. Lola is the key and till the final scene she frequently diverts the story developments to give a new perspective on where the film is heading. So definitely not predictable film, particularly not the conclusion. This is exclusively for neo-noir fans. But for others it is one time watchable film.5/10

bjarias ..it's not a box-office 'must-see' by any stretch.. but being a fan of both Imogen Poots, and Michael Nyqvist, it pretty much was an easy choice... she's one of those individuals that a decade will add little age to her appearance.. at 27, she has been acting for the past thirteen years, and she'll have a very long career should she so choose.. the story is nothing new, but all the leads, and the entire ensemble for that matter, are well cast, and their portrayals are true.. and there are a couple of scenes where you see just how good at their craft they all are.. it's not one that 'must-be'.. but it can be viewed again with some measure of pleasure

Joshua H. "Frank and Lola" is a an independent romance drama thriller directed by Matthew Ross, and starring Michael Shannon (Frank), Imogen Poots (Lola), and Justin Long (Keith). The film follows the characters of Frank and Lola. Frank is an uptight chef who takes pride in his cooking and the culinary arts, and Lola is a young eccentric woman who makes dress designs. The film starts with the two in their relationship and as the film goes on explains how the two actually met. One night Lola comes home crying telling Frank that she "made a mistake." This is where the film takes a dark turn and gives us an eerily disturbing look at what a dysfunctional relationship can be like.Right off the bat the acting is great. Shannon was perfect as the character of Frank, this obsessed, uptight and disturbing individual. Shannon was on fire in 2016 with "Midnight Special", "Elvis & Nixon", and "Nocturnal Animals", and this film just shows how much of a great actor he really is. Poots was great as Lola, her performance really sold the role and was done very well. Justin Long was good in the movie too as this obnoxious, wealthy, charismatic douche. The cinematography in the film was beautiful. In a way the film looked very much like a Nicolas Winding Refn film (specifically "Only God Forgives" and "The Neon Demon") There was a lot of bright reds, yellows, and blues, it was gorgeous to look at and never took me out of the film.Matthew Ross proves to be a very stylized director with great vision and execution. He makes time to develop every character in the film no matter how big or small their role was, and justifies the characters actions.A few issues I had was the relationship between the two characters of Frank and Lola. Their relationship is never really explored on why they "love" each other so much and how they're still able to be together when all these awful things start happening to them. Another issue is that the film gets a little repetitive during the halfway mark which made me question the believability of "that" happening twice.Overall "Frank and Lola" is a well executed film with great performances by Michael Shannon and Imogen Poots, and a great directorial debut for Matthew Ross.

Amari-Sali Trigger Warning(s): Conversations about RapeReview (with Spoilers)Noted Actor(s)Lola (Imogen Poots) | Frank (Michael Shannon)StorylineIn essence, it is a love story. A young girl, a college student at the time, named Lola meets this chef named Frank. He cooks for her and while they say the quickest way to a man's heart is through his stomach, the same seems to apply to women too. But what about the head? The brain can easily express thoughts and feelings, but sometimes it is hard to explain its actions. So when Lola's past comes back to haunt her, so comes the question if Frank is willing to work with Lola or if her issues are too much for what he makes out to be a lonely but simple life.HighlightsA Dynamic DuoWhat I loved about this movie the most was Poots and Shannon's chemistry. It isn't heavily sexual, despite them dating, but it still has all the intimacy that is expected with two characters or people having sex. It's the way they look at each other, trying to figure out the other's thoughts, trying to see if what they are saying will be taken well, rejected, or admired. It is this back and forth of never really being able to leave the other person no matter what is said and done for they got a hold on you. One which, no matter how much time passes, and how long you have been absent from each other's company, it takes one glance and all those old feelings come back and you are back in their lives again. That chemistry between these two is such a driving force that it pushes Poots to seem like she can be more than just the cute blonde romantic interest and makes Shannon seem like he can be more than this guy you would imagine as the perfect movie villain.Poots SpecificallyAdmittedly, when it comes to young actresses there is always this question of were they hired because they were pretty or hired because they are talented. As we all know, Hollywood is a superficial industry and a cute face and being likable on set can keep a woman working for a hell of a long time. However, for those like me who have become sort of numb to physical allure, it makes you very skeptical.With Poots, however, she continues to prove that when you think of actresses who are hired because they can perform, the ones who will make you feel something, her name deserves to be on that list. For Lola, with Poots charm and look of innocence, it is difficult to not understand how even a sort of recluse like Frank didn't get snagged. Yet, then we meet her mom, hear about her past, and we are reminded that as much as she is Frank's girlfriend, she has a life of her own and has had a life before meeting him. One which is on the up and up thanks to her ability to socialize, but it hasn't been all daisies and macaroons.Shannon SpecificallyThere is always this appearance of suffering when it comes to Shannon, and that looks is used well here. Frank, though not necessarily said to us, is alone and lonely. All he has is his work and while he gets invites from his co-workers to go out and hang, that isn't strongly his interest. Based off the life we see him have, his enjoyment doesn't necessarily come from people. It is cooking, so with Lola entering his life there is this change. One perhaps hard to deal with, or even recognize, for now, he has to adjust his life to accommodate this young girl who he loves but brings up all these insecurities.On The FenceThey Don't Stay With YouDid I enjoy the performances of this movie? Yes. However, neither of their performances I feel stay with you. They don't hit you hard emotionally, these aren't the go-to characters for when you praise these actors or when you have a need to defend them. Is it part of the case you build to say these two are perhaps underrated? Yes. But that is only if you saw the film around the time you had the argument. Otherwise, you may one day be going through their IMDb filmography and question if you saw this movie and only realize you did once you read the synopsis or after rewatching the first few minutes.Overall: Mixed (Home Viewing)As just noted, the main issue is there isn't a grade A performance from this movie. It could be because the script isn't top gear, but considering how they made it work despite that, there lies the reason for this being mixed. What could have been a bad movie if others were in their roles became something adequate. Maybe not the most memorable, but a decent way to spend an hour and a half.