"Dear Frankie" simply tells a very good story, and one that digs deeply into relationships. Frankie is a young boy who hasn't seen his father in so many years that he doesn't remember what he looks like. But he does get letters from him quite regularly, from all parts of the world as his ship sails. Frankie keep a map of the world on his bedroom wall, with tiny stick pins showing where the ship was when the last letter was written. Frankie looks forward to the day when his dad gets into port near their newest home, in Glasgow. Frankie, his mom Lizzie, and his grandma Nell move quite often, and Frankie doesn't understand why. Frankie happens to be deaf, but is a very bright boy.
Typical of Great Britian movies of this type, there is very little action, only a small smattering of mood music, but is filmed in a very realistic style. Watching it I found myself feeling like I really was there, with them. A superb movie for anyone who likes a good story about human relationships.
SPOILERS FOLLOW. Frankie finds out his dad's ship is in port and a troublemaker bets Frankie that dad will not show up by the big soccer game. Lizzie get nervous because all those letters from dad were actually written by her. She picked the name of the ship from one of Frankie's stamps in his collection, she thought it was fictitious. So she sets about trying to find and hire a man to play Frankie's dad for a day. Her friend Marie who runs to local fish and chips store finds one for her, a stranger (played by Gerard Butler of 'Phantom') who turns out to be her brother, a real sailor. The day goes very well, Frankie wins the bet, but being very smart realizes from the beginning that this man is not really his father. But they bond and the stranger falls for the little family. Lizzie had been moving often to keep away from Frankie's dad, whose abuse had made Frankie deaf. She is found when the 'ex' was on his deathbed, still bitter, and she refused to let him see Frankie. The movie ends with us believing that Frankie has found his real dad, in the stranger, and Lizzie a solid relationship.
Typical of Great Britian movies of this type, there is very little action, only a small smattering of mood music, but is filmed in a very realistic style. Watching it I found myself feeling like I really was there, with them. A superb movie for anyone who likes a good story about human relationships.
SPOILERS FOLLOW. Frankie finds out his dad's ship is in port and a troublemaker bets Frankie that dad will not show up by the big soccer game. Lizzie get nervous because all those letters from dad were actually written by her. She picked the name of the ship from one of Frankie's stamps in his collection, she thought it was fictitious. So she sets about trying to find and hire a man to play Frankie's dad for a day. Her friend Marie who runs to local fish and chips store finds one for her, a stranger (played by Gerard Butler of 'Phantom') who turns out to be her brother, a real sailor. The day goes very well, Frankie wins the bet, but being very smart realizes from the beginning that this man is not really his father. But they bond and the stranger falls for the little family. Lizzie had been moving often to keep away from Frankie's dad, whose abuse had made Frankie deaf. She is found when the 'ex' was on his deathbed, still bitter, and she refused to let him see Frankie. The movie ends with us believing that Frankie has found his real dad, in the stranger, and Lizzie a solid relationship.