Common Sense Media Review
By Marty Brown
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Dudes-behaving-badly comedy features sexual humor, drugs.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 17+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Frank of Ireland
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
The title character of FRANK OF IRELAND (Brian Gleeson) is a 32-year-old wannabe musician who lives with his mother (Pom Boyd) in Dublin and is hung up on his ex-girlfriend, Aine (Sarah Greene). When Aine gets involved with a charismatic doctor (Tom Vaughn-Lawlor), it sends Frank into a tailspin. Alongside his trusty buddy Doofus (Domhnall Gleeson), he sets out to turn his life around, beginning with getting Aine back.
Is It Any Good?
The stunted adolescent middle-aged man has been a comedy trope for about 25 years now, beginning with Adam Sandler and Jim Carey becoming stars and driven off the rails by Will Ferrell. Frank of Ireland's take on the stunted adolescent feels pretty out of place in 2021. The series leans into the more problematic aspects of a dudes-behaving-badly comedy without adding anything new or reaching for the surreal extremes that make Carey's and Ferrell's performances (sometimes, occasionally) work. Instead, it's just a cavalcade of boundary-pushing jokes. Today, when there's a better cultural understanding of exactly how antisocial behavior affects others, none of the jokes seem to really land. Still, the comedy fetches some genuine laughs.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Frank. What do we know about him? What drives him? Is there anything likable about Frank? Is there anything that makes you root for him?
How does Frank's behavior affect the people in his life? What do you think draws people to him? Does he change at all over the course of the series? How?
TV Details
- Premiere date : April 16, 2021
- Cast : Brian Gleeson , Domhnall Gleeson , Sarah Greene
- Network : Prime Video
- Genre : Comedy
- TV rating :
- Last updated : May 5, 2021
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