Director Matthew Ross's steamy neo-noir thriller stars Michael Shannon as Frank, a talented chef who loses his job at an upper-end Vegas restaurant just as he meets Lola (Imogen Poots), a would-be fashion designer who is also unemployed. The two quickly become a couple, but their relationship is endangered by Frank's jealousy. He is suspicious of Lola's new boss (Justin Long), but his general surliness turns into something more sinister when he travels to Paris to audition for a position at a restaurant that a famous gastronome is preparing to open in a Vegas hotel. This allows him to confront Alan (Michael Nyqvist), the lustful and wealthy one-time boyfriend of Lola's freewheeling mother—a man Lola claims raped her. But the suave Alan offers an alternative account of what happened that will force Frank to try to uncover the truth, and decide whether his relationship with Lola can survive. Frank & Lola casts a moody spell as it winds its way through plot twists that depend as much on atmosphere as surprise. And Shannon effectively conveys—with minimal gestures—the inner distress of a man who is obsessed with a woman and bent on sweeping away all doubt about her fidelity. Recommended. (F. Swietek)
Frank & Lola
Universal, 88 min., not rated, DVD: $19.98, Blu-ray: $26.98, Feb. 7 Volume 32, Issue 2
Frank & Lola
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