'Lisa Frankenstein' review: John Hughes and Tim Burton's twisted love child has risen

Imagine for a infinitesimal nan teen dreams of John Hughes collided pinch nan goth and gunk of '80s-era Tim Burton, and you'll person an inkling of what Lisa Frankenstein has successful shop for you. 

Heavy influenced by '80s comedies from some of these iconic filmmakers arsenic good arsenic Mary Shelley's horror-spawning caller Frankenstein, screenwriter Diablo Cody and head Zelda Williams person birthed a coming-of-age romance wherever weird woman meets undead boy that’s arsenic unholy arsenic it is hilarious. 

Cody, who scribed nan Oscar-winning teen drama Juno and nan cult-adored scary drama Jennifer's Body, has forged her profession successful tales of misfit girls coming of property done cutting jokes, clever catchphrases, and carnage — be it emotional, psychological, bloody, aliases each of nan above. Lisa Frankenstein is nan sister movie halfway betwixt Juno's folk-pop quirkiness and Jennifer's Body's gnarly, boy-eating wrath. In Lisa Frankenstein, nan titular heroine is allowed to beryllium charming, messy, horny, and moreover murderous. And we're invited on for nan chaotic ride. 

Lisa Frankenstein re-imagines Mary Shelley pinch '80s weirdness.

The '80s were lush pinch perfectly bonkers comedies, ranging from nan horny sci-fi of Hughes' Weird Science and Julien Temple's Earth Girls Are Easy to nan macabre joke of Joe Dante's The 'Burbs and Michael Lehmann's Heathers to nan goth and gross splendor of Burton's Beetlejuice and Edward Scissorhands (which yes, was technically 1990). All of these were movies that sunk their teeth into concepts of love, sex, and decease pinch relish. Nothing was sacred, truthful teen boys mightiness accidentally move a bullying relative into a literal heap of shit, and teen girls mightiness retort, "Fuck maine mildly pinch a chainsaw."

This is nan era for which Lisa Frankenstein pines. And though nan movie's group is peppered pinch much cheery iconography from nan era, for illustration sneaker phones, REO Speedwagon expanse music, and Care Bears, this gleefully fucked-up drama walks solidly successful nan footsteps of those that travel before. For present is simply a movie that isn't acrophobic to deterioration its oddball bosom connected its sleeve, combining nan horny and horrific, nan goofy and nan gross, to move effect. 

Kathryn Newton and Cole Sprouse make a monstrous powerfulness couple. 

The Ant-Man and nan Wasp: Quantumania character stars arsenic Lisa Swallows, a caller kid successful precocious schoolhouse who's struggling to make friends, contempt nan earnest efforts of her stepsister Taffy (a winsome Liza Soberano), a chipper cheerleader reminiscent of Juno's perky bestie, Leah. Because of a acheronian arena successful her past, Lisa doesn't stock nan joie de vivre of her classmates, and truthful imagines she mightiness beryllium amended understood by nan long-dead bachelor buried successful a adjacent abandoned cemetery. (She likes nan look of his headstone.)

What mightiness person only been nan worldly of confusing activity dreams becomes a spot of a nightmare erstwhile The Creature (Sprouse, caked successful mud, bugs, and decay) rises from nan sedate to thief Lisa find her bliss. 

Teen girls' paths of self-discovery are often winding and dramatic, but Lisa swiftly moves from pining and adjacent unit to mayhem and murder. You see, The Creature's happy to lend Lisa a figurative manus successful position of manner tips and self-preservation. But erstwhile he virtually needs a hand, homicide is simply a homespun solution that catches connected — pinch Lisa uncovering her soul Dr. Frankenstein, stitching caller corpse bits to her beastly bestie. 

Lisa Frankenstein is wonky, weird, and wondrous. 

Making her characteristic directorial debut, Williams gets disconnected to a wobbly start. The movie finds its footing done a barrage: There’s a flashback, a supplier trip, an allusion-studded dream sequence, and a clunky meet-cute. It tin beryllium tricky to get a hit connected who Lisa is beyond each nan flare. But Newton and Sprouse find their rhythm. She evolves into a cocky large rima pinch expansive ideas and moreover grander gestures; he gives a astir wordless capacity that relies heavy connected beingness drama pinch immoderate nuanced grunting. (As May December has shown, Riverdale is genuinely a masterclass for young actors.) 

Lisa's world is brought to superb life not only by a candy-colored, neon-streaked, and gore-stained accumulation design, but besides by immoderate stellar supporting turns. The Fall of nan House of Usher's Carla Gugino seems to beryllium channeling John Waters' Serial Mom as a menacing stepmother who spouts insults on pinch misapplied new-age terminology. With a dopey grin and an unflappable pluckiness, Joe Chrest is simply a pitch-perfect parody of galore an '80s dad: bully and oblivious. Then there's Soberano, who astir steals nan show. 

Because Taffy is pretty, peppy, and popular, teen movies person trained america to dislike her. But Soberano complicates matters by making Taffy a undeniable delight. Though nan characteristic look for illustration a throwback bimbo, Cody's book has a sex-positive and empathetic attack that embraces this smiling stepsister into nan sisterhood of misfit teens. She whitethorn not beryllium a weirdo, but generously offering her wardrobe, her optimism, and her tanning bed, Taffy is much than conscionable an state aliases crippled device. While nan romance betwixt Lisa and nan Creature gets daffy and deranged, it is unexpectedly this big-hearted cheerleader who keeps nan film's stakes grounded. As Lisa Frankenstein frolics into a genuinely bonkers 3rd act, a azygous agelong changeable of Taffy's guidance lingers on, arsenic do immoderate of Cody's sharpest one-liners. 

Colorful and chaotic, Lisa Frankenstein might look for illustration a quirky confection cleanable for Valentine's Day. But Cody seldom delivers thing truthful elemental aliases safe. Be it Juno's purposefully alarming emotion triangle, Jennifer's Body's analyzable image of female relationship (and queer woman lust), aliases Young Adult's anti-heroine's wished refusal to turn nan fuck up, Diablo is simply a provocateur who delights successful popular culture. This time, her teen communicative collides pinch horror, trauma, and putrid vomit, making a rom-com that is astatine times messy — but is yet a delightfully deranged treat. 

In that way, she and Williams person deed nan saccharine spot of those '80s comedies that person travel before. Because, if we're honest, galore of them person wonky bits. But we loved them conscionable nan same. And conscionable arsenic nan children of nan '80s claimed those creepy comedies arsenic our own, I fishy nan caller procreation will clutch Lisa Frankenstein, seeing each wart arsenic a jewel successful its crown. 

Lisa Frankenstein is now streaming on Peacock.

This newsletter whitethorn incorporate advertising, deals, aliases connection links. Subscribing to a newsletter indicates your consent to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You whitethorn unsubscribe from nan newsletters astatine immoderate time.