A somber, old-Hollywood biographical drama anchored by a towering Jessica Lange performance. It’s imperfect and sometimes blunt, but the emotional force, period atmosphere, and tragic portrait of studio-era cruelty make it worthwhile for viewers who can handle a heavy, performance-driven film.
43% ★★☆☆☆ (14,799)
Frances
Where to watch: Amazon
Movie · Drama · R
1982 · 2h 20m · ★ 43% (14.8K)
Her story is shocking, disturbing, compelling... and true.
Director: Graeme Clifford
Starring: Jessica Lange, Sam Shepard, Kim Stanley
Overview
The true story of Frances Farmer's meteoric rise to fame in Hollywood and the tragic turn her life took when she was blacklisted.
Director
Graeme Clifford
Production
Brooksfilms, EMI Films, Associated Film Distribution, Universal Pictures
Cast
Jessica Lange, Sam Shepard, Kim Stanley, Bart Burns, Christopher Pennock, James Karen, Gerald S. O'Loughlin, Sarah Cunningham, Allan Rich, Woodrow Parfrey, Jack Riley, Darrell Larson, Jordan Charney, John Randolph, Keone Young, Bonnie Bartlett, Jeffrey DeMunn, Lane Smith, Jonathan Banks, James Brodhead
Where to watch
Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Curator Review
Verdict
A somber, old-Hollywood biographical drama anchored by a towering Jessica Lange performance. It’s imperfect and sometimes blunt, but the emotional force, period atmosphere, and tragic portrait of studio-era cruelty make it worthwhile for viewers who can handle a heavy, performance-driven film.
Best for
fans of awards-era acting showcases
viewers interested in Hollywood history and studio-system abuse
biographical dramas about women crushed by institutions
tragic, emotionally intense character studies
Skip if
you want a brisk or stylishly modern biopic
you prefer historically precise, even-handed biographies
you’re looking for an uplifting comeback story
you’re sensitive to institutionalization, mental-health abuse, or bleak subject matter
Overview
Frances is built around Jessica Lange’s devastating, near-constant presence, and that alone gives the film real staying power. She plays Frances Farmer as volatile, wounded, defiant, and deeply human, turning what could have been a standard rise-and-fall biopic into something harsher and more personal. The film’s strongest material comes from its sense of a woman being chewed up by fame, family, and the machinery of Hollywood.
Worth noting
It is not a perfectly smooth movie. The structure can feel blunt, and the script sometimes leans too hard on narration and biography-by-summary. But the period detail, the emotional anger, and the sense of a life being misread by everyone around her keep it compelling even when it stumbles.
Bottom line
If you’re drawn to tragic star portraits and powerhouse performances, this is an easy recommendation. If you need nuance over intensity, or a more modern approach to mental illness and celebrity, it may feel dated. Still, as a showcase for Lange and a grim look at the cost of being “difficult” in old Hollywood, it lands hard.
Top Letterboxd reviews
connor (4.5★) · 125 likes
[azealia banks megaphone gif] JESSICA LANGE
𖤓 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗹 𖤓 (4★) · 106 likes
Frances? I am trying to get you back on your feet. No, you're not. You're trying to break my spirit. You're trying to turn me into you, Lillian. But I'm not you... and I never will be. And I thank God for that. And that goes for you, too, Ernest. Frankly, I don't understand how, with the two of you, I turned out as sane as I am. Jessica Lange as Francis Farmer is a performance I will never forget.… more
Karl (5★) · 92 likes
I wasn't going to write about this. It's so personal for me that I didn't even know where to begin. Here's some brief thoughts on the tragic life story of Frances Farmer, whether accurate or not, the film stands as a powerful portrayal of a woman born in the wrong time and crushed for it. There aren't many five stars ratings for "Frances" and probably rightly so. The first half-hour is clunky with narration and much of actress Frances Farmer's… more
mike5577 (4.5★) · 78 likes
Frances is a biographical drama about Frances Farmer. She was a beautiful and talented actress from the 1930’s and 1940’s. Starring Jessica Lange, the film follows Farmer’s struggles with ambition, fights with the studio system and her controlling mother (Kim Stanley), her rebellious nature, mental health, and institutionalization. Lange gives probably the greatest performance of her career up until now. Her performance can only be described as powerhouse. She immersed herself deeply in the role, appearing in almost every scene.
Sara Clements (3.5★) · 61 likes
how does someone have three jobs during the great depression and i can't even get one in 2017 in all seriousness go watch the interview from 1958 with frances farmer it's so interesting!