I suspect this may be a Noah Baumbach movie that may turn people who didn’t care much for the director’s previous work into fans of his, kind of like Moonrise Kingdom was for Wes Anderson. It might not be so for all Baumbach-skeptics, but if not, it won’t be for the delightful contributions of collaborator Greta Gerwig, who makes Frances Ha one of the more pleasant Baumbach stories—though not without its share of cringeworthy moments.
Gerwig plays our titular character, an aspiring dancer in her late-20s, and very early on we learn that her aspirations are beginning to erode. Her life seems simple at first, to her at least, but becomes complicated by the fact that the people around her, particularly her BFF Sophie, are moving into different stages of their lives while she’s essentially spinning her wheels.
I liked this movie a lot when I watched it. It has a really unique and snappy feel to it, a rhythm suited to a movie about someone interested in dance. The characters are amusingly weird and Gerwig, as always, is irresistibly charming. Since sitting with the movie for days later, though, I’m not sure whether it was ultimately a little judgmental of its protagonist for my liking. Thankfully, it’s not a movie I would mind watching a second time at all.
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