The Mosley Review: Lisa Frankenstein
Often the question the same question comes up in cinema. Why don't we have any more romantic comedies? Where are the quirkie coming of age films that tackle the age old themes of teen life struggles, social constructs within the popularity of each group or just the classic build up to a date to prom? Where are those films?! Well, here's a film that illustrates why that film genre has been buried and is slowing being unearthed. Like many of you, I enjoy a darker and off beat rom com from time to time and how it reflects the current youth lifestyle. Unfortunately, most of today's youth is online instead of in the real world. It was refreshing for this film to strip away modern tech and go back to the often romanticized era of the 80's and fully embrace the sorely missed awkward teen trope and macabre tone of early Tim Burton films. This film excels in that many times when it focuses on that vary grove it tries to stay in. Where it falters is in its weird pacing issues and lack of personal identity. It ultimately had nothing to say that I haven't heard already and it rushed its way through the magical nature of the heartfelt story that exists inbetween the seams.
Kathryn Newton was fun as the shy and distant teen Lisa Swallows. What I liked in the beginning was her innocence and sort of quiet demeanor in the way she would interact with people in her life. For a few moments she had a mystery to her that gave her that needed silent edge. She was a teen of very little words and when she finally finds her confidence, that's when the character really comes to life. I wish we could've played with her psychological decent and how she copes with things. Liza Soberano was really perky and loving as her lively sister step sister, Taffy. I liked their dynamic and how Taffy is always lifting up Lisa from her more secluded nature and gets her to come out of her shell more. The chemistry between them was really good and made for a lighter version of an almost "Heather's" situation. Joe Chrest was good and essentially a little more attentive version of his character from Stranger Things, Ted Wheeler. Carla Gugino was fantastic as always and as Lisa's stepmother Janet Swallows, she was very much the wicked stepmother from Cinderella. Now the real standout of the film and the most charming character was Cole Sprouse as The Creature. His beautifully tragic story was told expertly in the opening credits and he was a joy to watch once he comes back to life. The physical comedy and sometimes micro expressions he made were brilliantly executed and I loved every second he was on screen. The chemistry between him and Lisa was the heart of the film and even though not a word is spoken from him, his intentions are clear. The two of them together bring out the Edward Scissorhands love story aspect of the film and it felt like a gothic fever dream at times.
The score by Isabella Summers was good and serviceable, but I wish she leaned more into the horror a bit more which was also a problem with this film. For the majority of the film, I felt as if the film was really living its namesake. It was a greatest hits collection of all the best parts of the 80's horror comedies and early Tim Burton love stories that had so much heart, but this film failed many times to stay focused on those tropes. Where it was succeeding was when it would go down the implausible and fantastical fun of the love story, but it makes sharp turns away from it as things started to get more serious. The best way I could describe my feelings here is if you just look at the first trailer for this film. You get that exact macabre and comedic horror feel the film wanted to be. You get that, but it feels more watered down. Maybe if the film just focused on her coming out her shell and got rid of the stepsister and the other goth girl bully in the film, then maybe this would've been what that trailer promised. Also, I don't know if it was the theater I was in, but the sound mixing in this film was atrocious in the first 20 minutes of the film. The dialogue and score was turned down so low that I had to really focus on what was being said and I almost lost a god chunk of the story. Overall, this was a gothic rom com that had potential to be a new standout among the other same type of films we get each year, but I think it was bogged down by too many characters and the lack of expertise in the field. It could've been so much more. Let me know what you thought of the film or my review in the comments below. Thanks for reading!
