Could have been so much more. The love/hate relationship between Frank and Ava is poorly realized. Cast is terrible, acting is worse. Somehow manages to both capture the 50's and at the same time look like a low budget production. Eric Roberts adds his usual cheese performance to the movie and the writing is God awful, often repeating the same lines over and over. Don't bother.
17 Reviews
Yawn, snore, don't wake me up
skaizun3 March 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Total dreck. You know you're in trouble when the film warns you at the very beginning that most of it is believed to be true, and the director does everything he can to emphasize "Ava's" "assets." Poor acting (high schoolers could have done better; not a single portrayer resembles their corresponding character), poor characterizations (not a single, likeable, character), poor script (every cliche in the book), poor direction (bad camera angles, cuts, segues) . . . you get the idea. I stopped after 20 minutes, and that was 15 minutes too long. Don't bother. There are better cures for insomnia.
What a waste
v-ley19 July 2019
Horrible
arfdawg-112 July 2019
Don't beleive the clown who says don't believe the negative reviews when the other 2 reviews are 10's!!!!!
This movie is shlock garbage.
A sad sent off for Harry Dean Stanton. And if Eric Roberts is in a film, you now it's gonna be the worst He just churns out like 50 films a year for the money. He'll do anything for scratch. Too bad Ed Wood passed away years ago. He's replace Bela as the muse.
The film is poorly written and worse acted. It's abject trash.
Word to the wise Frank impersonator -- keep your lucrative cardiologist job and stop financing vanity projects.
This movie is shlock garbage.
A sad sent off for Harry Dean Stanton. And if Eric Roberts is in a film, you now it's gonna be the worst He just churns out like 50 films a year for the money. He'll do anything for scratch. Too bad Ed Wood passed away years ago. He's replace Bela as the muse.
The film is poorly written and worse acted. It's abject trash.
Word to the wise Frank impersonator -- keep your lucrative cardiologist job and stop financing vanity projects.
The acting is appalling!
karonorama27 September 2019
I rarely write reviews, but I had to put one here. I don't even know how this garbage ever got made. This unknown looks nothing like Frank nor does this girl favor Ava Gardner. The acting is so stiff, it's as if they are just reading the script verbatim with no feeling at all. I watched 15 minutes of this and I had to turn it off. No way I was going to waste any time or my life with this trash. You would do better to watch a cartoon.
Painful
debbie_florio1 December 2021
I expected more considering there was some capable talent in the cast. This was just too difficult to watch. Performances were not convincing in the least and the script was expository. I couldn't get past the first half hour.
Wow!! This is ATROCIOUS!!
jessicamittcom25 May 2020
I have never felt the need to write a review before but after seeing this travesty I instantly made an account and now here we are. I have been an Ava Gardner fan since I was a teen. Why couldn't this movie get an actress that looked like her even a little?? Why couldn't they get an actress that didn't make her look like a bumbling floozy?? Ava was a very smart and talented woman with a near genius IQ. Then there's the insane amount of historical inaccuracies. If you're a Sinatra fan you won't be happy with this either (Check out the HBO movie The Rat Pack for a great Sinatra portrayal). HORRIBLY casted, Horribly acted piece of melodramatic garbage. I truly hope a great actress and director come along and make an Ava Gardner biopic that is true to the amazing woman that she truly was some day.
Wow, is this a bad movie.
romanticinsomniac5 December 2020
Acting is sooooo Bad!
BaublesBangles21 March 2020
I can't believe this was made in 2018/19, and someone thought the acting was passable!?!?!? Omg. I'm 1/4 in, had to pause and write this. But like any train wreck, I gotta watch to the end. Acting is terrible, laughable, inauthentic, omg what is this messsss!!!This movie is disrespectful to their memories. Some of the side characters are good. But Ava, honey nooooo.
0 stars for this trashy biography.
amfchance14 March 2020
It could have been a lot better, a waste of talent and possibilties.
richardstarr9 September 2019
So, I finally got my Blu-Ray of Frank and Ava.
I've been looking forward to watching it ever since
Emily Elicia Low announced she was working on it.
I really, really want to love this movie because she's in it.
When I see her on the screen she always puts out a certain something, but I admit I'm biased. The problem is, well, there are a number of problems actually.
First, the good, I loved the cars, the clothes, and many of the locations. It was great to see Harry Dean Stanton and Katherine Helmond in their last roles as well as veterans like Robert Costanzo and Eric Roberts. Ron Pritchard killed as Sammy Davis Jr. and the people playing the newscasters and rumor mongers were overall excellent. A very nice use of underused talent. Robin Arcuri as a stenographer is an almost criminal under use of talent.
The not so good involved much of the script which just did not seem to give Emily the right words. I'm not sure if there was some bad directing going or or if they just chose to limit the number of shoots, but the scenes with her varied from excellent to ones I really think they should have shot again.
The subplot dealing with abortion managed to get lost along the way and could have easily been cut. The scene in Africa with the "Frank is bigger" should have been cut completely, it was really, really bad and there was no excuse for it.
There were times when there really should have been more people in the scene and their lack was missing. The cinematography/lighting jumped around from movie quality to cheap TV show settings.
Seeing the old school royalty chatting about Frank and Ava was a nice touch.
Overall I was not unhappy I watched it, but for whatever reason what could have been, did not happen. I'll still watch Emily Elicia Low's next film.
When I see her on the screen she always puts out a certain something, but I admit I'm biased. The problem is, well, there are a number of problems actually.
First, the good, I loved the cars, the clothes, and many of the locations. It was great to see Harry Dean Stanton and Katherine Helmond in their last roles as well as veterans like Robert Costanzo and Eric Roberts. Ron Pritchard killed as Sammy Davis Jr. and the people playing the newscasters and rumor mongers were overall excellent. A very nice use of underused talent. Robin Arcuri as a stenographer is an almost criminal under use of talent.
The not so good involved much of the script which just did not seem to give Emily the right words. I'm not sure if there was some bad directing going or or if they just chose to limit the number of shoots, but the scenes with her varied from excellent to ones I really think they should have shot again.
The subplot dealing with abortion managed to get lost along the way and could have easily been cut. The scene in Africa with the "Frank is bigger" should have been cut completely, it was really, really bad and there was no excuse for it.
There were times when there really should have been more people in the scene and their lack was missing. The cinematography/lighting jumped around from movie quality to cheap TV show settings.
Seeing the old school royalty chatting about Frank and Ava was a nice touch.
Overall I was not unhappy I watched it, but for whatever reason what could have been, did not happen. I'll still watch Emily Elicia Low's next film.
A must for Sinatra fans ...
simonini17 May 2019
Great cast, great moments, with beautiful footage shot at Sinatra home in Palm Springs and in the streets (and fountains) of Rome. Notable performances by Eric Roberts as the slick Harry Cohn, Richard Portnow as Walter Winchell, Joanne Baron as Hedda Hopper, and cameos by Jonathan Silverman and Harry Dean Stanton in his last film role. Also, you can familiar faces from The Godfather, Donnie Brasco, Green Book, Goodfellas, The Irishman. Grammy winner and legend Dionne Warwick performs new recording on screen and Keaton Simons provides original music under supervision of Andy Ross (Whiplash).
Dont believe the negative reviews
121mcv16 May 2019
Considering I've never given a 10/10 very few 9/10, great films are often 8/10, good films are 7/10 this move comes in at a well deserved 6/10, in many ways this deserves 7/10 ...points off for casting, cinematography and music
Must see!!!!!
bdross-659382 June 2019
I enjoyed it
SilentVoice200024 April 2020
Warning: Spoilers
This film...where do I begin? I don't believe the guy who uses "dawg" in his name.
The reviews here seem much more like personal grudges against particular people. Ex girlfriends/boyfriends or jealous colleagues perhaps? It wasn't a blockbuster hit but my friends and I enjoyed it. I watched it because I was curious about an actor I had auditioned in the past who I hoped to finally see perform on the big screen. From what I've seen her do in auditions its evident that she is not only trained but a natural actor and to my demise she was featured in yet another extra role. However, with all the bad reviews, maybe it worked out in her favor.
I enjoyed everyone's performances and the only real gripe I have is that Sinatra did not sing in the film and we didn't see much of his childhood. I wouldn't watch it twice but it was enjoyable and anyone who understands how difficult making an independent film can be, wouldn't be so vicious and critical of this one.
The reviews here seem much more like personal grudges against particular people. Ex girlfriends/boyfriends or jealous colleagues perhaps? It wasn't a blockbuster hit but my friends and I enjoyed it. I watched it because I was curious about an actor I had auditioned in the past who I hoped to finally see perform on the big screen. From what I've seen her do in auditions its evident that she is not only trained but a natural actor and to my demise she was featured in yet another extra role. However, with all the bad reviews, maybe it worked out in her favor.
I enjoyed everyone's performances and the only real gripe I have is that Sinatra did not sing in the film and we didn't see much of his childhood. I wouldn't watch it twice but it was enjoyable and anyone who understands how difficult making an independent film can be, wouldn't be so vicious and critical of this one.
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