| Director | Noah Baumbach |
|---|---|
| Genre | comedy drama, comedy film, coming-of-age film, drama film |
| Runtime | 86 min |
| Country | United States |
| Budget | $3 million |
| Box office | $11.3 million |
After graduating from Vassar College, best friends Frances and Sophie move to Brooklyn. They dream of becoming successful creatives. Frances becomes an apprentice at a dance company and juggles gigs while she waits for an opening on the permanent corps de ballet. Sophie works in publishing.
At 27, Frances is still struggling to make it in New York. She breaks up with her boyfriend at the same time that Sophie announces that she is moving to Tribeca, a more upscale neighborhood, with a different (and presumably richer) friend. Although Sophie assures Frances that they will remain friends, Frances is wounded. She rents a spare room in Chinatown with her friends Lev and Benji, two affluent creatives whose parents help pay their rent.
Frances and Sophie continue growing apart, both personally and lifestyle-wise. Sophie's boyfriend Patch is a well-paid Goldman Sachs employee, and Frances bitterly complains to Sophie that the latter's attention is shifting to Patch. By contrast, Frances's boss Colleen begins easing Frances out of the dance company, as the odds are low that Frances will ever make the permanent roster. She denies Frances a crucial Christmas gig, which Frances needs to pay her rent. Frances moves out of Lev and Benji's apartment.
Frances goes home to Sacramento for Christmas. She finds home warm but confining and unglamorous, and returns to New York. She briefly stays with her coworker Rachel, but their personalities clash.
Frances learns that Patch has been offered a promotion and a move to Goldman's Tokyo office, and that Sophie is quitting her job to be with him. Although the move is in just two weeks, Sophie still has not told Frances. To feel better about herself, Frances impulsively flies to Paris for the weekend. She plans the trip poorly, and does not get much from the experience. During the trip, Sophie belatedly calls Frances to tell her about the move but Frances's wounds are still fresh.
Colleen offers Frances an office job and suggests that Frances switch from dancing to choreography. Offended, Frances lies that she is getting work at a different dance company. She returns to Vassar to work as a waitress and summer resident assistant. She finds the work embarrassing, and enviously reads Sophie's blog of her life in Tokyo.
One night, Frances runs into Sophie and Patch while waitressing at an alumni fundraiser. Although Sophie and Patch are now engaged, they are not happy. Sophie drunkenly insults Patch in public and asks to stay with Frances for the night. Sophie admits to Frances that she dislikes Japan and wants to break up with Patch. She adds that she suffered a miscarriage and felt relieved about it. The next morning, Sophie explains that she was drunk and that she will, in fact, be returning to Japan with Patch. A devastated Frances watches Sophie drive away.
Some time later, Frances accepts Colleen's office job and enjoys a modest but satisfying existence as a fledgling choreographer. She manages to get her own apartment in Manhattan, albeit in Washington Heights instead of Tribeca. She is on reasonably good terms with Sophie, whom she still calls her best friend. She begins dating Benji.
Frances moves into her apartment. To mark her new mailbox, she writes her name, Frances Halladay, onto a slip of paper. Her full last name does not fit in the mailbox slot, so she folds the paper to read: "Frances Ha".