Dear Frankie
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Movie Reviews of Dear Frankie
Movie Review: I sincerely think that most of you will not only like, but love this movie...
Summary: 5 Stars
I don't understand why I didn't watch "Dear Frankie" before. I have no idea why there is no more hype surrounding this movie, despite the fact that it is OUTSTANDINGLY GOOD. Truth be told, I only watched it yesterday because one friend recommended it to me...
If you are in doubt whether to see this film or not, please take my advice and don't miss it. "Dear Frankie" is entertaining, touching, and has remarkably good actors. Also, the Scottish scenery where the story develops is extremely beautiful, probably even more so for someone that isn't familiar with it, like me. What is more, the film has a great ending, that with leave you with a smile on your face and wishing for a sequel. Finally, and as an extra bonus for all the women reading this, it has Gerard Butler as part of the cast. Butler is an excellent actor who happens to be extremely handsome and my new favourite leading man :)
I believe that Shona Auerbach, the director of this film, deserves congratulations on a wonderful movie, that is part drama and part comedy at times. The whole cast consists of wonderful actors that really become the characters they are playing, conveying what they are supposed to be feeling so clearly that it impossible not to be trapped by the story after the first few minutes.
The plot of this film isn't overly complicated. Lizzie Morrison (Emily Mortimer) abandoned her abusive husband years ago, taking her little son with her. Lizzie lives with her son Frankie (Jack McElhone) and her mother (Mary Riggans) in a Scottish city near the sea. Frankie is deaf, and as he grows up, he wants to know more about the father he doesn't remember. As a result, his mother makes up a whole new personality for Frankie's father, and tells her son that his father is a sailor, visiting exotic places in the ship Accra. Frankie begins to write letters to his "father", and his mother answers them, trying to protect Frankie from the truth of what and who his father really is.
But one day, when Frankie is nine, another kid tells him that the Accra is going to visit the city, and bets Frankie that his father won't drop by to visit him. When Lizzie finds out about that, she has no better idea that to hire someone, a stranger "with no past and no future", to play Frankie's dad. Thanks to the help of her friend Marie (Sharon Small), she finds someone that seems good enough, a stranger (Gerard Butler) that will only be in town for two days. What will happen? Well, if you are really interested, watch this film.
All in all, I highly recommend "Dear Frankie" to you, unless who hate films that aren't full of action, or cannot stand the melodious Scottish accent. Personally, I don't mind the lack of fast-paced action if the story is good enough (and in this case it is), and I find the Scottish brogue enchanting. I sincerely think that most of you will not only like, but love this movie. Enjoy it!
Belen Alcat
Movie Review: Simply (literally) beautiful.
Summary: 5 Stars
When I first heard about this movie, I didn't really know much about it and thus, didn't expect much. All I knew was that my favorite actor, Gerard Butler, was in it, so why not watch? After two long months following it's limited release, I finally found a theater nearby (really 2 hours away) that was playing this film. By that time, I had heard so many things about it that I just HAD to go and check it out for myself.
This movie was such a beautiful gem of one on so many different levels. The fact that the film itself was shot in such a simple way brought out the beauty of it. It didn't need to be glamorous to be loved. The storyline was so unique and had a fairytale-like quality to it. However, some of the harsh reality it provided was enough, so as to constantly pluck at your heartstrings, in different ways. At one moment, I was filled with joy. The next, my heart was shattering into a million pieces.
A main reason as to why was due to the superb acting of everyone involved in this film. Emily Mortimer, who played Lizzie, did a phenomenal job as Frankie's mother. She brought so much life, sorrow, pain, and love to the character, and you could just see it in her face the entire time. She worked so hard to portray how far a parent would go for her child and for the unconditional love that she holds for him. Gerard Butler as the Stranger was just perfect. At first, not much was known about the character, and so the part was written in such a way as to show him as somewhat distant. But as this beautiful story unfolded, Gerard truly kept up and stole my heart. With every glance, every look in his eyes, you can see the real and raw emotion that his character was supposed to have. He truly let himself go in this role and WAS the Stranger, because he knew exactly what was going through his head. Jack McElhone, who played Frankie, was cast excellently. For such a young boy who played mostly a silent role in the film, he delivered such a heartfelt performance and seemed to do it with ease. He also evoked so much emotion from the audience, just with his facial expressions and body language, and he did it all so well. I truly hope that he gets all of the recognition he deserves, now and in the future, because he did a fantastic job. The supporting cast, including Mary Riggans as Lizzie's mother and Sharon Small as Marie, was also brilliantly chosen. They brought such warmth and humor to the film, as well as true emotion and feeling.
Overall, this film was such a heartbreaking, but delightful pleasure to watch. Upon finishing it the first time, the feelings built up during the course of it left the theater with me, which rarely occurs. I felt happy and sad, hope and doubt, all at once and couldn't decide where to stay! This was such a touching yet simple story, and has quickly become an all-time favorite of mine. I wouldn't change one thing about it and would strongly recommend it to anyone!
Movie Review: Lizzie hires a stranger to pretend to be Frankie's da
Summary: 5 Stars
One thing that writers like to do from time to time is to really pour on the irony. No good deed, especially if it is an act of deception in a good cause, goes unpunished. So while we are watching everything come together in "Dear Frankie," we are waiting for the other shoe to drop. Of course it does, but not in a predictable way, which is one of the reasons this 2004 film from writer Andrea Gibb and director Shona Auerbach works as well as it does.
I checked out this film because the trailer appeared on a couple of DVDs I was watching last week and I have to applaud whoever put together the trailer for "Dear Frankie" because there was a key detail about Frankie (Jack McElhone) that they did not reveal. I appreciate that, so you may find out about it elsewhere on these pages but I will follow suit in setting up the situation.
The situation is that Lizzie (Emily Mortimer) has been raising Frankie with the help of her mother, Nell (Mary Riggans). All we really know about Frankie's father is that he is not on a cargo ship named the Accra, and we know this because while Frankie has been getting letters from his father, supposedly posted from ports of call from around the world (and with the appropriate stamps from other lands), it is Lizzie who has been writing the letters. Of course Fate steps in and it turns out that there really is a ship named the Accra, and, you guessed it, it is coming to Glascow, Scotland, where Frankie lives. A desperate Lizzie decides to hire a guy to play Frankie's dad, and the Stranger (Gerald Butler), applies for the job and takes it.
Now, at this point you know enough to have reasonable expectations as to what is going to happen in the rest of this movie, and for the most part you will find you are correct. But there are some surprises along the way and you end up caring about the characters so you are rooting for the predictable things to happen, at least, for the good ones. However, when the inevitable bad things start happening Gibb's script keeps doing some smart things and avoids the painful predictability that often sinks stories like this one.
Mortimer and McElhone invest their characters and their relationship with the requisite believability that really makes this movie work as far as I am concerned. There is a strategic use of silences in this film as well, which is not only effective but also appropriate. Butler went on to star in "The Phantom of the Opera" after doing this film, and as much as I thought he was wrong for that role (because he sings as more of a baritone than a tenor), he was perfect for this part and you can see why he is referred to as "The Stranger." But beyond crediting the casting I go back to the script by Gibb or whoever was responsible for the decision to end "Dear Frankie" on the quiet moment that brings the film to a satisfactory and heartfelt conclusion.
Movie Review: A poignant, wonderfully heartwarming film
Summary: 5 Stars
Maybe I'm getting soft, but I was quite touched by this movie. I don't naturally gravitate toward heartwarming dramas, but the premise of this film sounded quite interesting and, after seeing Phantom of the Opera, I've become a Gerard Butler fan. Dear Frankie really is the kind of film we need in this increasingly cynical world. It's all about love of the strongest kind.
Frankie (Jack McElhone) is a deaf, nine-year-old boy who lives with his mother and grandmother, and the little family moves around fairly often. Frankie's dad is a sailor; the child has no actual memories of his father, but the two exchange letters every week or two. Actually, though, his mother Lizzie (Emily Mortimer) is the one writing the letters to Frankie, making up all the stuff his "father" tells him about life at sea. She feels guilty about lying to her son this way, but she has her reasons - for one thing, she doesn't want Frankie to know that his father is no good and that the reason they move so often is to keep his father from finding out where they are; equally important, though, is the fact that she really only hears her son's "voice" in the letters he writes to his father. Frankie reads lips very well, and he and his mother certainly do communicate, but he really opens up only in the letters he writes. It looks like these letters back and forth will continue indefinitely - but then Frankie learns that his father's ship is set to dock right there in Glasgow. His mother sort of freaks out when she learns about this (she didn't even know a ship with that name existed). Rather than tell Frankie the truth, she finds a stranger (Gerard Butler) to be Frankie's dad for a day. It's all rather awkward at first, as "Davey" clearly isn't used to interacting with a "son," but he warms up to Frankie - and to Lizzie - rather quickly.
The big question is, of course, how the movie will end. Things get even more complicated as things go along, with Lizzie ultimately facing a really tough decision related to Frankie's real father. I must say I was very happy with the conclusion, as things played out quite differently than I expected - and an already poignant film became even more emotionally compelling in the process. It really is a wonderful ending.
I would go so far as to call this a truly precious movie. I had a little trouble with the accents, especially at first, but once my ears tuned to the thick Scottish brogue, things became a lot easier. The acting is really so superb, though, that you could easily get swept up in the story even if you didn't understand a word anyone was saying. Great acting does not need dialogue, and this movie offers weighty proof to that statement. If you like a lot of action in your movies, this one isn't going to satisfy you, but for those who enjoy a well-made, heartwarming drama, Dear Frankie is far too good to be missed.
Movie Review: A beautiful film--one of the best in recent memory
Summary: 5 Stars
Because DEAR FRANKIE is a limited release, many of us have to drive a while to find a theater that is showing it. The 25 mile drive I took was completely worth it.
Emily Mortimer plays Lizzie, who has been writing letters under the guise of her estranged husband to her deaf son, Frankie, for years. In writing the letters many things are accomplished. Frankie gets to feel like he has some contact with his dad and Lizzie gets to hear the innermost thoughts and wishes of her son through the letters she reads and answers.
When Lizzie, Frankie, and grandma Nell arrive in a new town, they befriend Marie. They also learn that the Accra--the ship on which Frankie thinks his dad lives--is docking near their town. With Marie's help, Lizzie encounters "The Stranger" and pays him to pretend to be Frankie's dad for one day.
Now I have seen a couple of critics find fault in casting Gerard Butler as The Stranger, thinking him too cold and gruff for the role. If these critics had watched the movie closer, they would've seen that the role called for gruffness at the beginning. However, Frankie has the same affect on The Stranger as he has on everyone else--making people want to be better and thawing out their chilly dispositions.
By the end of the movie everyone has learned something. Frankie has learned some truths through his mother and discovered others on his own. Lizzie learns to open up to others a little more. We learn who The Stranger actually is and, though we don't know anything about his past, we know that he has probably been emotionally shut down for a long time.
Like many, I went to see it because I wanted to see Gerard Butler, but I can honestly say that once the movie started (and he doesn't appear until about 45 minutes into the film) I was so engrossed in the story that the original reason didn't even exist anymore.
I have never seen Emily Mortimer in a film before (except her tiny part in Notting Hill,) but I was very impressed with the heart and realism that she brought to her role, as well as the actress who played her mother. Young Jack McElhone was especially impressive. You could see why his mother wanted to protect him so much and you could understand why The Stranger wanted to extend the time he spent with him.
Critic Roger Ebert mentioned a scene in a doorway with Lizzie and The Stranger. He talked about the way a powerful scene does not need a lot of dialogue. I watched especially for that scene and completely agreed with his comments on its profundity. This was a beautiful film and I'm so glad that I saw it. It was sweet, simple, real, and powerful in many ways. It was the kind of film that will stay with you for several days. That is what good film-making is all about and it is refreshing to see one as high quality as DEAR FRANKIE. Enjoy-