[Frances], though palpably overlong... is on the whole well-directed, decently set within its period, and makes the Jessica Lange of King Kong and the Postman Always Ring Twice look an actress of an entirely different class.

| Mar 24, 2023

There was material for a profound human tragedy in her life, but three writers were unable to uncover it. The result is an almost ludicrous parody of the Old Hollywood.

| Nov 12, 2018

Jessica Lange brings so much energy and personal involvement to her portrayal of Frances Farmer that you can't help but feel sorry for her; nothing else in the film remotely matches her talent and dedication.

| Mar 9, 2015

It's quite an accomplishment for Jessica Lange and it's too bad a better film didn't come of it.

| Mar 26, 2009

Farmer, as scripted here and played by Lange, unsurprisingly remains something of a cypher.

| Jan 26, 2006

Jessica Lange plays Frances Farmer in a performance that is so driven, that contains so many different facets of a complex personality, that we feel she has an intuitive understanding of this tragic woman.

| Original Score: 3.5/4 | Oct 23, 2004

[Frances] is such a mixed up movie that it still seems to be unfinished, as if Graeme Clifford, the director, and the writers hadn't yet discovered the real point of the Frances Farmer story.

Full Review | Aug 30, 2004