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Since Mary Shelley wrote “Frankenstein” at age 19, it has functioned as a remarkably versatile Rorschach test, prescient in ways its author could hardly have anticipated. It is usually interpreted as a story about arrogance, about man playing God and reaping the consequences. But you can just as easily read it as a lucid explanation of Rousseau’s ideas about human nature, or as a slippery narrative told by a not entirely reliable narrator trying to get his way.
On the other hand, Guillermo del Toro, one of our greatest contemporary horror directors, has described “Frankenstein” as “the quintessential teen book,” full of angst and curiosity about becoming an adult. And although he wasn’t specifically talking about “Lisa Frankenstein,” he might as well have been. Shelley’s novel lends itself well to teen horror comedy, and screenwriter Diablo Cody, who wrote “Juno” and “Jennifer’s Body,” as well as the book for the teen-focused Broadway show “Jagged Little Pill,” took advantage of that angle. . The result is a very, very loose adaptation of “Frankenstein” that doesn’t rely much on the original. Directed by Zelda Williams in her feature film debut, this is instead the familiar story of a loner who finds love in an unlikely place.
Maybe you spent the late ’80s and early ’90s doing more than just being a schoolgirl. So it’s worth noting that the film’s title is a nod to a company, named after its founder, that produced brightly colored stickers featuring characters like unicorns, kittens and bears that eventually found their way into the broader set of school supplies. (In grade school, circa 1992, my friends and I longed for Lisa Frank Trapper Keepers, the true sign of cool.)
I was a little disheartened to discover that, despite the title, the nostalgic brand never appears in the film; in fact, the vibe is not Lisa Frank at all. But that’s okay, because “Lisa Frankenstein” is girly and gothic, in a way that’s really fun once you get used to it. In fact, the best thing about the film is its production design, which borrows familiar elements from films of the era (I thought of everything from “Poltergeist” to “Edward Scissorhands,” “Beauty in Pink” and “Weird Science.” , In herself). a loose adaptation of “Frankenstein”) and simply increases the color temperature by a few degrees. It’s a pastiche crossed with a tribute, complete with references to horror movies, Cinderella, lonely high school movies, and a makeover montage. Plus, of course, “Frankenstein.”
The film itself leaves a little more to be desired. The plot is fairly predictable, though in a way that feels distinctly of its time: a bit disappointing for a writer who in the past has played more boldly with expectations around teenage girls. Lisa (Kathryn Newton) lives with her father (Joe Chrest), her stepmother (Carla Gugino), and her cheerleader stepsister (Liza Soberano) in the suburbs. She desperately misses her dead mother, but she is trying to get on with her life at her new school, where she has even seen a cute boy for her to fall in love with. However, her true love, a dead man from the 19th century, is in the cemetery, where she hangs out making grave rubbings and daydreaming.
You can see where this is going: the dead man of the 19th century is not going to stay that way. One night, he wakes up (played, in suitably gruesome makeup, by Cole Sprouse) and they fall in love. Lisa has never met such a gentleman (the fact that he doesn’t really talk doesn’t hurt) and she’s finally starting to feel understood.
Cody gets a little subversive with all this – Lisa’s stepsister Taffy, for example, is not at all what this type of movie usually offers – and that feels refreshing. But the rest is pretty predictable from the start, so it starts to wear a little thin after a while, a title in search of a story. Even with all the John Hughes DNA here, the characters are more one-dimensional. Williams’ pacing of direction lags, undermining the wit that Newton and Soberano bring to his characters. And I’m not sure if I’m supposed to feel sympathy for Lisa and her love interest, but the hodgepodge of references starts to get in the way.
However, it is not that “Lisa Frankenstein” has nothing to recommend it. Short, sweet, and fun to watch, the film is interested in nothing more than love and being understood, and in that sense it’s a great reminder of the teen romances of an earlier era. If we could get Mary Shelley out of her own graveyard, she would be amused.
Lisa Frankenstein
Rated PG-13 for typical dead teen antics. Duration: 1 hour 41 minutes. On cinemas.