Dear Frankie is one of the best movies of the year
Content
Dear Frankie is one of those rare gems that gets around by word of mouth. Why it never was released nationwide is beyond me. This is a very moving movie with an outstanding cast with Gerard Butler at his best as "the stranger." Butler is a tour de force with his performance. He doesn't have to say anything. His facial expressions convey the inner meaning, which is the mark of a great actor. The rest of the cast, to particularly, include the young actor who played Frankie, is outstanding. Highly recommended for your video library. Pity that society today has such a cavalier attitude about taking God's name in vain, which was accurately depicted in the movie. Hopefully, that will change.
Rating
Date
August 07, 2005
Summary
Brilliant film
Content
I have been a Gerard Butler fan for a long time and I think this is one of his best films to date. Emily Mortimer and Jack McElhone shine as Lizzie and Frankie.
Makes you laugh and cry at the same time. A must see!!
Rating
Date
August 06, 2005
Summary
Contrived but Not Too Clichéd Child-Parent Drama.
Content
To avoid her ex-husband, Lizzie Morrison (Emily Mortimer) moves her family often, this time settling in Glasgow, Scotland. Lizzie hadn't the heart to tell her young son Frankie (Jack McElhone) about his real father, so she told him that his dad is a petty officer on the HMS Accra, sailing around the globe. Frankie recounts his life in expressive letters to his "father", which his mother answers with creative stories about faraway ports and life at sea. The ruse is threatened when the HMS Accra, which Lizzie had no idea existed, is scheduled to dock in Glasgow. Frankie expects to see his father in person now. In spite of her mother's (Mary Riggans) admonitions and advice to tell Frankie the truth, Lizzie is determined to find someone to pose as Frankie's father for a day.
Director Shona Auerbach makes an impressive feature film debut with "Dear Frankie". At first it seems as if Lizzie was wrong in lying to her son, concerned more with the image she would like Frankie to have of his family than with his needs or well-being. As the film progresses, we understand more about her motives and her decision takes on at least a little moral ambiguity. This is a character drama, so the cast has to carry this obviously contrived story into the realm of believability. And they do a fantastic job. Emily Mortimer expresses Lizzie's love for her son, fear of her past, and reluctance to form relationships without being the least bit melodramatic. Mary Riggans is blunt and endearing as Lizzie's somewhat disapproving but always caring mother Nell. Gerard Butler plays the stranger whom Lizzie finds to pose as Frankie's father. He brings his masculine, handsome, leading man qualities to bear, but also expresses an empathy toward Lizzie and Frankie that is touching.
Shona Auerbach was the cinematographer on the film as well as its director, and her husband Graeme Dunn was the camera operator. Meticulous attention to color and camera work is evident, and "Dear Frankie" is visually pleasant and consistent in its earthy tones. We learn about Frankie through his letters, which he narrates in voice-over. This is an interesting technique, because Frankie is deaf and does not speak in the film. The letters he writes to his father give his thoughts a voice. "Dear Frankie" is an engaging family drama with an attractive and talented cast that manages to avoid most of the clichés you might expect of such an improbable story.
The DVD (Walt Disney 2005): Bonus features include 2 featurettes, 8 deleted scenes with optional commentary, and an audio commentary. "The Story of Dear Frankie" (10 minutes) includes interviews with director Shona Auerbach, producer Caroline Wood, and the film's cast in which they talk about developing the film, story, and characters. "Interview with Director Shona Auerbach" (13 minutes) goes into more detail about casting, characters, themes, and visual style, as well as what attracted Auerbach to the project. In the audio commentary, Shona Auerbach provides a scene-by-scene nonstop analysis of, overwhelmingly, characters and story. She mentions an occasional technical detail, but not much information on filming. Subtitles are available for the movie in Spanish and French. Captioning available in English. Dubbing is available in French.
Rating
Date
August 06, 2005
Summary
GREAT SOUNDTRACK
Content
this is a wonderful cd but my only regret is that it didn't have lizzie's song from the film ("when i was a young girl, iused to dream of a lover...") included. other than that it was wonderful!
Rating
Date
August 06, 2005
Summary
A Refreshing Sweet Non-Hollywood film
Content
This film is a more slow quiet film but still it is full touching scenes! The actors give beautiful performances and it is full of emotion with a non-hollywood ending that I loved! I highly recomend this movie unless you do not like more slow moving films.
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