Frank and Penelope (2022)

[The Great Owl]

I never found a thread for this, so I am starting one. I just got back from seeing it at a nearby theater.

Frank and Penelope (IMDb page)



After arriving home unexpectedly early to discover that his wife is cheating on him, Frank, a down-and-out everyman played by Billy Budinich, visits a strip club and meets the woman of his dreams, Penelope, a dancer played by Caylee Cowan. Like a freight train, these two lost souls drive off into the night, heading out west with nothing more than the euphoria of passion to guide their way. When they stop at a remote motel in the Texas desert and find themselves at the mercy of a bloodthirsty religious cult that dines on human flesh, however, their struggle for survival will be the ultimate test of whether or not love can conquer all.

The 2022 love-story-meets-crime-thriller, Frank and Penelope, written and directed by Sean Patrick Flanery, effectively builds its path of narrative stepping stones from diverse screen story influences like Thelma & Louise, True Romance, Psycho, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and Bad Times at the El Royale, with the end result taking on a late night 1990s Cinemax feel that probably makes the best sense to viewers who are immersed in a brain fog of insomnia. The presence of Donna D'Errico (Baywatch) as one of the cult disciples adds immensely to that particular offbeat aesthetic, as does that of Flanery himself as a nefarious club owner.

This movie wears some uncanny gender dynamics elements on its sleeve, complete with a few moments that seem to be endorsing toxic masculinity in a half-joking manner, but one particular dialogue scene, where Cowan's Penelope faces off against the predatory cult leader, played by Johnathon Schaech, throws an excellent girl power punch. Kevin Dillon (Entourage) appears as a rural sheriff who is drawn into the proceedings in a macabre way. Sydney Scotia stars as another hapless guest to the motel where you can check out any time you like, but you may never leave. Brian Maillard shows up as a tow truck driver who will undoubtedly convince viewers that being stranded in the middle of nowhere is a better option.

Cowan, who commands attention during her every frame with an aura reminiscent of old Mae West films, is the most valuable player here. Budinich, in turn, is convincing as he falls head over heels for Penelope, happily abandoning his safely bland existence for the sake of just a fleeting taste of reckless freedom.

In our present-day era of earnest Marvel superhero installments and Star Wars origin story shows, Frank and Penelope, like the 2022 Ti West horror movie, X, before it, makes trashy cinema and unapologetic sleaze seem almost virtuous. I suspect that many moviegoers, like me, will not be quite sure how they are supposed to feel about this movie in the end, but one cannot deny the allure of its twists and turns on dirty back roads that defy predictability.