Before I watched this movie, I looked up the reviews on IMDb. A few people gave it a good score, but many said it was crap. In fact, the ratings were so bad, I had to see for myself how bad it really was. I'm so glad I did. It was hilarious! Chris O'Dowd, Charlie Hunnam, Ron Perlman & Chris Noth were all excellent! Chris O'Dowd is funny in pretty much any movie I've seen him in, but I actually hadn't seen Charlie Hunnam in anything except Sons of Anarchy before this. I was surprised at how marvellous both he and Ron Perlman were in a comedic role. Please don't be put off by all the negative reviews. If you aren't offended by sex talk or occasional nudity, I thoroughly recommend it. By the way, I'm a 57 year old grandmother! 7.5/10
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purplewombat192327 December 2012
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Julieallee27 June 2013If you watch this as an "art film" instead of a blockbuster, it isn't a bad movie. It isn't a great movie either though. However, for SOA fans, it is worth watching just for Ron Perlman's performance - which was the best part of the film IMHO - and was by far the funniest parts. Charlie is good too, and as another reviewer said, it is good to see him outside his typical bad boy Jax role. I do think he is a relatable character in this movie - probably the only one really - though his character isn't as fully developed as it could have been. It seems like this was a much longer movie and was cut down...with some of the good parts missing. In the end, the movie had much more potential, but just doesn't live up to what I think the actors involved were actually capable of...it may just be that I don't appreciate the directing/editing as it is done.
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thepotatoHasEyes7 April 2013Frankie goes boom, sometimes , to me , seems too "real" to be funny, but at that same moment , it makes you laugh, ...so, ...hard to describe,
It has a real "grittiness" to the humor,...I kept saying to myself, this is not going to be funny"...and then finding myself laughing ...
I am on my third watching, so it has my "re watcher" stamp, but still that feeling remains.
"franky goes boom' has the ability to make you uncomfortable, it also has the ability to make you laugh...
I definitely recommend "franky" as a comedy , but you REALLY need to have a sense of humor--if not , you wont enjoy.
It got a 7 out of ten rating , and a re watcher stamp from me . -
brando6473 August 2013Every so often, you'll find a fun little independent comedy that comes along and blows every mainstream, nation-wide release out of the water for that year. FRANKIE GO BOOM is not one of these movies. It is a comedy and it does have a little bit of fun to it, but for the most part the movie is one of those middle of the road mediocre comedies that will easily find itself forgotten before it's ever really noticed. This is what makes FRANKIE GO BOOM so disappointing: it's not good and it's not bad enough to be fun. Watching this movie, I cracked a few smiles and might have even chuckled a few times but, when I try to remember any particular standout moment from the movie, I only come up with the nightmarish image of Ron Perlman's butt. This is not the response a good comedy wants from its audience. For those unaware, FRANKIE GO BOOM is about a writer (the titular Frankie, played by Charlie Hunnam) and his ex-drug addict, aspiring filmmaker brother Bruce (Chris O'Dowd). Frankie is called home from his isolated trailer in the middle of Death Valley, where he lives after having been humiliated at his own wedding by his brother. Bruce has spent his entire life tormenting his brother on film, and Frankie is horrified to discover that his brother hasn't given up his film obsession. He almost believes that Bruce might've changed his ways but a chance meeting with a beautiful woman (Lizzy Caplan) and a night of problematic loving leads to the realization that Bruce might've caught the entire embarrassing event on tape. And soon that tape makes its to the Internet and the hands of Bruce's unstable fellow recovering addict (Chris Noth) who happens to be that woman's father. Prepare for a forgettable adventure as Frankie and Bruce try to stop that tape from ruining Frankie's budding relationship or, you know, getting them killed at the hands of a violent psychopath.
I needed a second viewing to determine that this movie wasn't just offensively boring. There are a few funny moments here. I don't remember exactly where they were though. The movie is filled with things that expected to be funny, just because. You might need an example to understand what I'm talking about: Jack, Bruce's addict/actor friend, owns a pet pig. Pigs are funny, yes? Not enough? All right, the pig is launched into a pool and proceeds to throw up on Frankie before his date with Lassie (Lizzy Caplan's character, not the collie). There's no real joke. Just a pig nearly drowning and then puking on Frankie. I get the same vibe from Ron Perlman's character, a post-op transgender ex-convict named Phyllis. We're supposed to laugh because it's Rob Perlman, an admittedly rough-looking dude, in drag. Very bad drag. Phyllis goes on to chat about his/her former genitals kept in a jar and becoming very upset when Frankie doesn't want to see them. This is the whole joke: a particularly unattractive transgender person pushing an uncomfortable man into seeing his pickled junk. There are a lot of little moments like this in the movie, and it doesn't make for a real laugh-out-loud sort of comedy.
It's a shame this movie is so tame because the ingredients are all there for a real fun time. Chris O'Dowd is great. I've been catch more and more of his work since first seeing him as the love interest in BRIDESMAIDS (for the record, the BBC's "The IT Crowd" is great). The problem with his character Bruce is that he's, you know, a sociopath. You almost become as frustrated watching him as Frankie does dealing with him. I find it hard to believe that Bruce doesn't understand the problem with what he does. He becomes a caricature. So does Frankie. Frankie (Hunnam) is pretty one-dimensional. He's just the 'frustrated sibling' grumbling, sighing, and throwing his hands into the air in exasperation. He doesn't bring anything interesting to the character, though I imagine that's more the writer/director Jordan Roberts' fault. There is no depth to the characters and the movie plods along from gag to gag while eliciting no more than a few chuckles. FRANKIE GOES BOOM wants to be a comedy in the vein of HAROLD & KUMAR but it doesn't come close. The one element of the film that goes so far as to aggravate me is the nonsensical resolution. We spend the entire movie with these two clowns as they chase down anyone that might be able to help them take the movie off-line and prevent Jack from seeing it, and the ending we're given makes no sense whatsoever. I can tell Roberts must have had some problems coming up with a good ending for his movie, so he had a few drinks to help him finish it and just shot whatever ramblings he woke up to in the morning.
FRANKIE GO BOOM is a movie that has come and gone before most people probably had a chance to realize it existed. There is a lot of potential here and it sucks to see it go nowhere, especially when there are some talent people in the cast. Frankie doesn't go boom because FRANKIE is, well, a dud. -
cosmo_tiger27 April 2013"How is Jack Knowles seeing a movie of a drunken woman hitting me with her bike helping you get your dream Bruce?" Frankie's (Hunnam) brother Bruce (O'Dowd) has just got out of prison and is back in his life. Frankie is not happy about this. His whole life Bruce has been filming Frankie in the worst possible situations. When Frankie has an embarrassing night with a woman he just met his brother films that too. This simple act spirals out of control and ends up affecting everyone involved, and some who aren't. I'm not sure what I expected from this movie but it wasn't this. The movie is funny and I did laugh a few times but it was different then I thought it would be. The cast is funny and the dialog is funny but it is borderline offensive so be warned if you are easily offended. I don't want to say too much because this is the kind of movie that each scene builds on itself and saying something will ruin the flow but it is funny, just different. Overall, not bad and worth seeing unless you are easily offended. I give it a B-.
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rlsalgad1 January 2013In this movie everything is stupid, just everything. Is like Lars Von trier's "the idiots", a sum of over the top characters, just trying to forcing out a laugh out of you, but in this movie the characters are not willingly acting like idiots, they are all real idiots, all of them. Is just unbearable to watch... well, unless you like that kind of thing.
Is just to stupid, it gets uncomfortable, and this is coming from a guy who absolutely loves airplane, top secret, hot shots, police academy, it's always sunny in Philadelphia, Monty python, and a lot of other movies and shows that from time to time make absolutely no sense and play around with the moronic dialogs, but well, there's to way to do that, a clever one, and "frankie go boom"'s one. -
ksf-220 April 2018Nora Dunn is Mom. Charlie Hunnam and Chris O'Dowd are are brothers, and Bruce (O'Dowd) has been giving Frankie (Hunnam) grief their entire life. Bruce's hobby is setting Frank up for failure, and filming the crash (or fall. or whatever bad ending he has arranged.) When Bruce gets back from rehab, Frankie hopes that things will go better, but unfortunately, it hasn't turned out that way. So far, the only normal one here is Dad, who watches it all unfold in front of him, but is powerless to do anything about it. Supporting roles by Christ Noth and Lizzy Caplan. Bruce is still filming all the terrible moments of Frank's life, and making them public. SO similar to a chevy chase vacation movie, or the bachelor parties where everything that can possibly go wrong... does go wrong. It's ok. definitely NOT for the kids... SO much swearing, sex talk, adult subject matter. Hunnam and Caplan actually give fine performances. They are great, but just caught in a pretty silly script. fun. silly. but could have been better.
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SnoopyStyle30 April 2021Frank Bartlett (Charlie Hunnam) is constantly being humiliated by his drug addicted douche brother Bruce (Chris O'Dowd). Bruce films all of Frank's humiliation including an especially sorry episode of Frank's failed wedding. Now in rehab, Bruce continues to film Frank's worst moments as his film project. Frank has an embarrassing night with Lassie (Lizzy Caplan) who has her own nightmare alcoholic crazy father Jack (Chris Noth).
Bruce is a douche, and the problem is everybody enables him. It's as if Zach Galifianakis in the Hangover is treated as the hero. I don't understand why Jordan Roberts thinks it would work. And the fact that Frank is so inept makes him look pathetic. He really NEEDS to shoot his brother in the face.
I did like the chemistry between Charlie Hunnam and Lizzy Caplan. The scene in the shed was actually very funny and touching. Sadly, the rom-com was overshadowed by Bruce's awfulness. And Nora Dunn is especially horrible as the mom who sides completely with Bruce. OK don't shoot him, just put a bat to his face. At least in the Hangover, everybody knows Galifianakis is an idiot. -
Saw that it had Chris O'Dowd and thought it would be worth seeing. WRONG! As SnoopyStyle6 said in the review "Someone please shoot Chris O'Dowd in the face", I think that's being to generous to both him and his character. Why would he do something as horrible as this, we may never know. His character should have been immediately beaten and his remains should have then been dragged off to jail. There you go, the movie should have been over in less than 30 minutes, because it is completely unrealistic that he would have allowed his so called brother continue to abuse him as he had, and the mother should have been disowned for having been so completely worthless and enabling. I have to believe that the people who claim this movie is funny either don't know what funny is, or are simply deprived of seeing ANY that is truly funny.
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BlackWoodRabbit12 February 2014I'm not a comedy fan but I loved this film. I've been disappointed and disillusioned by so-called comedies far too many times, but this film had me laughing loudly and joyfully. Yes, the humor may be crass but it has genuine heart which can only be achieved through great writing and great acting. Frankie Go Boom is not a dumb movie, and neither is the writer/director, or anyone else involved. It is what it is, and what it is, is cute, hilarious, wicked and possibly for some (mainly the humiliated and deranged) cathartic. There is not one mis-cast actor nor one ill-written line. If you can handle transgender, painful family discussions, jokes about addiction and a near-death experience by a farm animal I highly recommend this film.
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nogodnomasters8 April 2019I am confused about the hype and raves for this film. It is a wanna-be quirky independent film using trite jokes and unreal situations in a world that doesn't require a release form. We are told that Bruce has spent his life torturing and filming his brother Frankie from the film blurb. We get to see one quick episode, hear about a second one, that really had nothing to do with Bruce and the movie is about a third one that again, Bruce (Chris O'Dowd) just happens to film.
The whole set up and building of characters was done in a very poor fashion. The get together of Frankie(Charlie Hunnam) and Lassie (Lizzy Caplan) was slightly humorous, but there was no good follow up. Bruce was extremely unlikeable. Frankie only slightly less so. The characters overall are meh, even the over the top Ron Pearlman..."call me Phyllis now" tried so hard to be funny, that it wasn't.
This is a sex comedy that lacks the crudeness of successful sex comedies, and lacks the cleverness of a good indie. It is a hybrid that doesn't reproduce. Some may find it amusing, I don't recommend it, even as a rental.
Parental Guide: F-bomb, sex, nudity. -
kevinmclernon-8363615 January 2021Dont let the cast list fool you. This is pretty poor. Its a story maybe worthy of an episode in some sitcom at best.
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rory-339-542139 April 2012Frankie does what great comedies do. The movie sets up a very 'unlikely' scenario through which the characters must find their way. The movie doesn't shy away from many, if any of the social issues of our day but Jordan Roberts has taken a very fresh approach and thus each scene has both real hilarity and real humanity. Not enough can be said of the cast. To a person they bring such good work. Stand outs are the lead Charlie Hunnam, and his love interest Lizze Caplan. Of course, both Chris Noth and Ron Perlman fill the screen with their scene stealing roles.
While clearly working with a small, indie budget Roberts and his team have created a quality film with tremendous production values, that can easily compete with movies that cost much more to make. -
mercuri31627 June 2015Absolutely LOVED this movie. Had no idea what it was about, I just knew it had Charlie Hunnam & Ron Perlman. When Lizzy Caplan enters in her first scene I was HOOKED. She was absolutely hysterical in that scene (I had to watch it over again because I was laughing so hard). Chris O'Dowd is always a favorite of mine, & he delivered as always. Chris Noth, Ron Perlman, Adam Pally, & Nora Dunn added incredible supporting actor roles as well. I was very pleasantly surprised by each actor. I found it to be heartwarming & hilarious & uncomfortable all at once. I highly recommend avoiding the nay sayers and checking it out. I will definitely be watching it over again!
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maustshadle11 February 2013The only thing I didn't like about this movie was actually the one thing I thought would be the most hilarious about it. But in the end Ron Perlman's appearance was just over the top and none of his lines were really that funny. Jax Teller and Clay Morrow stoned and dancing together, well, there was a hint of fun, nothing more, nothing less.
The rest of the movie however was really funny, at least from where I'm standing. Especially Lizzy Caplan and Chris Noth were outrageously hilarious, with Chris O'Dowd and Charlie Hunnam finishing a close second.
Additionally, if you're a SOA disciple, like me, then you will get an extra kick out of seeing Charlie Hunnam as this quirky normalo who is worlds and worlds away from being his hard as nails SOA alter ego who is the president of a one per center biker gang.
Yes, sometimes this whole thing gets really weird, but they somehow manage to stay in bounds and don't go completely overboard when it comes to the funny moments. Except for Ron Perlman's drag/post-op transsexual persona.
All in all a very enjoyable experience for me and I'm sure to watch this one again. -
Frankie Go Boom is a movie that made us laugh until we had tears in our eyes. Go see the movie before your friends tell you the surprise twists in plots or you see too much on internet. A real treat for any film buff. Reminded me of a Cappraesque modern day appeal of Cary Grant romantic comedy mixed with the surprise morals of Rocky Horror Picture Show, of our current day perspectives on sex and the use of the internet and how everyone's personal experiences are exposed via the internet. A true modern day sex comedy for ages 18 to 60 to appreciate over and over again. whether you have a brother like Bruce or not you can relate and identify with each and every character.Any open-minded film buff would appreciate the genuine clever humor this movie portrays. One of my new to 10 movies. Have seen it 3 times and each time was better than before.
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Suradit27 December 2014This is another comedy about a dysfunctional family and their decidedly absurd relationships. That much-exploited theme, the somewhat unfortunate title "3, 2, 1... Frankie Go Boom," and the negative reviews almost put me off watching this without even realizing that the wonderful Chris O'Dowd and Charlie Hunnam were involved. That Chris could completely erase his Irish accent and modify his usual comedic pacing added to my appreciation of his talent.
Anyone complaining that the relationships between the brothers, Frankie & Bruce, and between the sons & their parents were unrealistic or that the situations that arise were absurd can't be serious. Did you really expect something titled "3, 2, 1... Frankie Go Boom" and starring Chris O'Dowd was going to be a dramatic slice of reality?
I admit that I am a fan of movies & TV that exaggerate human interactions to ridiculous & absurd levels things like "Modern Family" or "Arrested Development" or "Episodes" but usually expect them to produce at most a few chuckles and smiles.
Quite often movies or TV shows that attempt to elevate the mundane to the ridiculous fail, but this movie was truly laugh-out-loud hilarious. The story line, the acting, the pacing were all great. I definitely plan to watch this now for a second time and will probably revisit it again in the future. -
jessmacdowell17 May 2021Unexpectedly hilarious. Grear performances by Perlman and rest of cast.
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eilisislisa25 September 2012Frankie Go Boom was an awesome movie and it had me laughing out loud throughout the whole thing! This movie has a hilarious storyline and the acting was excellent, it's very cool seeing so many of my favorite actors in such an original film. Frankie Go Boom takes a sibling "rivalry" to the next and quite frankly, insane level. This was a comedic adventure with a quirky romance that will have you waiting for what happens next. Trying to pick a favorite scene or line will be impossible, I'm already telling friends they need to check it out! I'm not usually one for goofy comedies, but let me say you will regret not seeing it.
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dustindonahue0118 October 2012Frankie has been tortured by his brother Bruce his whole life. Bruce thinks of himself as a director. From making films as a kid, to filming his brother's "wedding" the camera is Bruce's vice. I thought this was a very funny movie, Charlie Hunnam does a great job playing comedy, after seeing him for 4+ years on Sons of Anarchy, its nice to see him try something else. Chris O'Dowd is great as Bruce, and Lizzy Caplan and Hunnam's chemistry is great. Ron Perlman definitely steals the show as Phyllis. It's a quirky comedy, likable characters, and an original idea. Please support the filmmakers, rent the film buy it when it comes out, you won't regret it.
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greystgirl10 September 2012Frankie Go Boom is a refreshingly fun, ridiculous story about brothers, families, recovering alcoholic actors, a gorgeous transgender Ron Perlman and an equally lovely domestic pig. The dynamic between Charlie Hunnam and Chris O'Dowd perfectly sets up the chaos that ensues as they try to secure a video gone AWOL. The movie takes the big brother/little brother relationship to an entirely outrageous level, while incorporating several unique and equally outrageous, funny characters who help or inhibit their quest. As always, Lizzy Caplan does a great job in the role of the quirky, damsel in distress to Charlie Hunnam's charming & endearing, but blundering, knight-in-shining armor. Mr. Hunnam's character in this movie is a stark contrast to the role he plays in Sons of Anarchy, but he provides a great performance as the poor victim of his brother's shenanigans.
I was only disappointed that the pig, poignantly portrayed by the inimitable Oliver Ham Austin, didn't get a little more screen time. His moving performance during the pool scene? Oscar-worthy. Oscar-worthy, my friend. -
tmacconnell5620 January 2013Awesome, quirky movie, funny fantastic cast. Just when you think you've reached the limit of comedic endurance, the next scene pushes you beyond that boundary and to a new ragged edge of hilarity. What a cast, what a plot, what an absolute 'destined to be a cult classic' movie! If I see this flick a hundred times I will still lose it, laughing with each turn of the plot.
Warning- you may end up giggling insanely for hours after watching this one, friends. Being from Los Angeles myself, I feel that I might have met some of these people in my travels and now remember why I left the Golden State in the first place. If you do not see this movie you have only yourself to blame for missing the funniest film of at least a decade! There, I've said my piece; the rest is up to you...
Theo macConnell Jr. -
aphrodite_foster12 October 2012I almost died laughing when Ron Perlman showed up as a chic! Did not expect that at all! It's awesome to know that Charlie Hunnam and Ron Perlman can not only co-act in an amazingly dramatic series like Sons of Anarchy and then go and co-act in a movie like this one. Definitely buying this movie so that I can watch it whenever I'm feeling down and out. Loved Lizzy Caplan and Chris O'Dowd also. Haven't seen either one in a movie in a while. Kudos to the director. Loved, loved, loved it! I'm a huge Charlie Hunnam fan and it was utterly refreshing to watch a movie that he DOESN'T die in! Definitely recommending this movie to my friends! Quirky, funny movie. Unique and uplifting.
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crose7700618 January 2013We hadn't heard of this movie before seeing it for rent on apple TV. (we're mid-fifties, love comedies, and fear we've seen every movie ever made.) We chose to watch this one primarily because of the great cast -- and we were pleasantly surprised by this smart, quirky, irreverent comedy. Great script and acting, funny and original. I liked the art direction and sets, too. (I'm perplexed by the bad reviews -- if this movie gets less than 5 stars, I would sure like to know what they're watching that gets 6. I'd like to see those movies!) Anyway, overall we thought this selection was money well spent. I'll make a note of the director and seek out more of his work.
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angeldigital20 October 2012I Downloaded this movie from I Tunes. I was so excited to watch it. I got exactly what I had wanted from it. Some of those scenes I could never ever forget. So glad that I did not miss seeing this. Ron Perlman as Phyllis just put the cherry on his acting career for me. The fates of the world surprise you everyday. Amazing and funny!!! Lassie was adorable -Lizzy Caplan!!! Naked tag had me dying in laughter... I liked how the story was told. Even though it was cheesy for real life the ending of a Knight dipped in metal was adorable. My husband is the love of my life so I am a sucker for love and happy endings. The film had a homey look to it that made it interesting and unique!!!
AND WHO Don't LIKE A LIL IN AND OUT ACTION!!!