Dear Frankie (2004) User Reviews

A Heart-Tugging Family Romance

[noralee · 9/10 · 12 March 2005]

"Dear Frankie" is a heart-tugging family romance with decidedly non-Hollywood touches that add to its charm and poignancy.

We are swept into both sides of an unusual epistolary relationship -- one between a mother and son, as each takes on alternative identities to communicate, and we get to hear their adopted voices as well.

The son is an isolated deaf kid who won't talk but pours out his heart in letters, while his fiercely protective mother pretends to be his fictional seagoing dad in response. We are drawn into their parallel stories from each perspective, as their defensively claustrophobic relationship has an outlet in this fictional geography as they gradually start dealing with the real world.

Emily Mortimer combines strength and naked vulnerability, as she did in "About Adam" and "Lovely and Amazing," while the son is captivating in an almost mimed role without being as treacly as the kid playing Peter in "Finding Neverland." Debut director Shona Auerbach keeps the movie tethered to reality with evocative use of Glasgow and its active port. We are anchored in a working class bloke territory that becomes a rocky shore for an untethered single mom living with her mother and her kid. This is tellingly symbolized when Mortimer braves a rough waterfront bar.

And then re-emphasized in a hotel tea parlor whose atmosphere electrically changes the minute rugged Gerard Butler pops up on screen. Epitomizing that cinematic manliness that is so talked about as lacking from most American actors these days, Butler's absolutely authentic masculinity instantly telescopes what this mother and child have been missing, and not just his sexual gravitas. Butler movingly demonstrates how a guy's guy plays paternal through such simple things as football, skipping stones, eating and of course dancing.

I don't know if I missed the clues to the concluding twists, but Hollywood would never let these lovely mysteries be, let alone as an achingly long look into each's eyes.

It's nice to see faces from Scottish TV shows in atypical roles, Sharon Small deservedly having a steady boyfriend on screen for a change, and Cal Macaninch, the nice guy from "Rockface" as the not nice guy here.

The Scots accents are thick and I did miss some punch lines in the dialog here and there.

The song selections are lovely, including a Damien Rice track that hasn't been overused yet.

Beautiful.

[cirnelle_telperien · 9/10 · 26 February 2005]

One of the most beautiful films I have ever seen, Dear Frankie is a true hidden gem without the glossy cloak of stardust that you get with so many films. It's definitely in among my favourites.

It has a unique and thoughtful storyline that is portrayed by the perfect combination of actors. There are no superstars or big names, just a group of people who want to make a film that pulls heartstrings which it does successfully. Dear Frankie gives you that rare feeling of sadness and happiness which is hard to forget.

It was a true masterpiece, the most near-perfect film that I have ever come across.It was the only film to ever bring tears to my eyes, which is quite a feat.

A Modern Fairytale

[square-peg · 8/10 · 30 March 2005]

The beautiful princess is trapped by the evils in her past, she is icy, almost dead to anything but the need to keep the truth from Frankie, her 9 year old son. But Frankie is smart and resourceful and will save her, as well as any son in a storybook. This is a beautiful film, a fantasy with a stark and realistic background, which can also take your breath away with wonder, as one of the characters comments for herself. The synopsis does not do justice to the stately and beguiling way this tale is told - the shocks and surprises are never gratuitous and the happy ever after ...? Well, that would be telling. Emily Mortimer conveys the paralysis of fear and yearning without any showiness, the spare and well-crafted dialogue tells us a little less than we would like to know, but the suspense is not unpleasant. The supporting players have colour and substance and the man who agrees play the part of Frankie's dad, is portrayed with heart-breaking restraint by Gerard Butler, who after his showier role in 'Phantom of the Opera' demonstrates that his has real and effective range. But the boy is a wonder of subtlety and sincerity. A lovely film.

Movie-Making Of The Highest Order

[Wilfred1 · 10/10 · 6 March 2005]

I'm somewhat taken aback by a lot of the criticisms of this masterpiece. It is a masterpiece in my view, and that "fact" occurred to me only when examining the cries by the writers here. I found myself dismissing every single one of them without difficulty.

Firstly, I am aghast at those who are not happy with films that produce an emotional reaction on the part of the movie-goer, as if to make an emotive piece of work is somehow limp or uncool or a cop-out. The best films are those that mirror humanity, whether that be in terms of violence committed by Man/Woman to Man/Woman, love, hate, envy, ambition and the others which make up the full range. Let us be clear: any film that deals with pain and heartbreak is not one that is choosing a soft option. How many of us do not feel pain and heartbreak? None of us presumably, so to state the obvious, this is valid ground for the modern writer and director to tread.

The difficulty for the film-maker in 2005 is finding the money to make a piece of work that is not compromised by commerce: to use music, action and dialogue in a clichéd manner to satisfy the warped idea of producers that the masses will only pay money for films that use such devices. Auerbach manages in this movie to almost completely avoid these pitfalls. There is no sex, no bulging orchestral interventions, no truly happy ending. I would however have removed the awful song by the awful Damien Rice and taken the dopey look off Emily Mortimer's face when she realised that the stranger was a decent guy as well as a bit of alright, but these in the end are trifles; for the director makes us emote without manipulation and without using plot devices which strain credulity (I don't care what any of you think).

Critics here are being too cynical. The searing melancholy of Bergman might satisfy them I suspect, but they seem to be missing the fact that there is precious little humour in this movie. The Mortimer character here is almost humourless enough for a Bergman movie, as is the Stranger for the most part, so the criticism of mawkishness isn't remotely credible. The mother is also a fairly grim presence. Auerbach could easily have tweaked her film to emphasise or exaggerate the sense of internal pain of all three leads, but she happily and smartly eschews still shots of these nomadic characters wallowing in their isolation. Instead, their internal lives are displayed with a greater sense of reality. There is a humdrum quality to their lives which is as it should be if a director is shooting for naturalism. Contrast this with Leigh's Vera Drake where for more verisimilitude, there should have been more dirt, more roughness to the people and their homes. True the working class often prided themselves on cleanliness, but in the terraced house in Tottehnam I encountered in the late-50s and early-60s you smell the lack of true cleanliness and see it too.

In terms of characterisation Auerbach also got things right. Far from The Stranger being too handsome, handsome people can be found anywhere, and he's a scruff! Furthermore, the idea that he is Mr Perfect is risible. He is emotionally stunted initially, callous and unfeeling in his first meeting with Mortimer, and for me - not that I know any seaman - is plausibly detached from regular land life. The criticism seems to be that is implausibly seduced by the admittedly dysfunctional family unit. I don't buy that. His inability to relate to the child when they meet for the first time is either perfect or too much, but he's anything like the Disneyland father- manqué some reviewers here are suggesting. Auerbach has him thawing out very slowly. The movie too slow? A slicker 95 minute version wouldn't have allowed this. If some viewers have a retarded attention span that's their lookout.

That the Stranger is won over is not feel-good nonsense, it's entirely believable and well executed. Why? Because the father instinct is in all men. He responds to this splendid child in a way that is merely human. Sure, some men would not have responded, so go on, be cynical, but then there's no film. And if Mortimer's search for the surrogate father seems far-fetched, most of us can tell you miseries that the truth of everyday life is often far stranger than reality.

The denouement is magnificent. I'm rubbish at seeing twists coming in movies, and I saw this one accidentally. My reaction (look away if you've not seen the film) when the child first sees the "Father" was, 'he knows he's not his real Dad.' The direction is brilliant, the acting brilliant or Aerbach got lucky. In the end it doesn't matter; this key scene is superbly subtle however achieved.

There are indeed moving moments. The gift of the sea horse was profoundly affecting. The boy's talking to the Stranger to show how he felt about the crucial surrogate fathering that he's just received could for me also have been very, very upsetting. The direction of Frankie at this moment is fantastic: to keep his reaction under control is how we are: in our lives few lose control, weep hysterically or throw the punch. Frankie doesn't here, so tears us apart.

Finally, the real father: moral ambiguity? Life has many of these moments. I don't agree with the point anyway. Mortimer's reaction to the violent father is beautifully poised between the hard-heartiness part of her wants to show him and the dignified humanity the other part of her wants to reveal.

Such precious, subtle moments make for a tremendous piece of film-making. Fortunately most reviewers here liked the movie. If that weren't the case, we might as well all give up and start praying for the human race.

CWT

A subtly written and acted film

[delphine090 · 10/10 · 7 March 2005]

I saw the movie last night in Los Angeles - it's only playing at a couple of theaters. Other reviews undoubtedly explain the premise of this film so I'll dispense with that . . .

Folks looking for a lot of exposition or for a film that screams "Hey! Look over here!!", or Gerry Butler fans looking for some of that famous sex appeal should be warned. This film is very subtly written and acted. Much of the story is told on the characters' faces, on what that tells you about what is going on internally within the characters. The characters aren't archetypes (i.e., villain, precocious kid, cynical older woman) but real and complex people who like the rest of us face life without histrionics or mugging for the camera. No plots are hatched but we see choices have been made in increments so that the idea of hiring a "stranger" to play dad does not seem contrived. I disagree that the audience is being manipulated; in fact, what could be a predictable manipulative ending is not, and is left to the viewer to interpret. The film tells you a story but doesn't try to tell you how to feel about it. Even the music is simple and subtle, no sweeping rifts to get your emotions going. It is a quiet film with a good story and people you end up caring about - as if you'd peered into their lives for a few days.

Set in Scotland, a really fine movie.

[TxMike · 16 September 2005]

"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.

A Great Surprise

[Spaceham · 7/10 · 24 December 2005]

When I first sat down to watch this, I was looking forward to another heart warming tale of familial love, with lots of laughs, tears, and hand in hand skips down the shore. In other words, total crap. To my very pleasant surprise I found a story that was subtle, sincere, and yes, heart warming. In spite of the dashes down the beach. The characters, which I expected to be wooden cut outs, plastered with a Hollywoodesque grin, were subtle and real. The best part of all was the ending. There was no cop out, no sugar coated easy escape. It was great. However, I'll stop before giving too much away. This film was fun, truthful, and entertaining. It lacked the sappiness and cheap shots that I expected and left me thoroughly impressed.

Perfect

[alan.hughes · 10/10 · 21 January 2005]

This was one of the best films I have seen for many years. The photography is absolutely marvellous; it hardly needs anything else.

The acting is restrained, measured and true. I couldn't get much better than this.

It is true that it is emotionally laden but it is not all sadness, there is also humour, affection, and most importantly hope. If you find it too emotional you can always pretend that smoke got in your eyes.

Isn't the function of a good film to try and draw out emotions ? It is especially rewarding when these are positive and natural rather than base and specious.

An easy 10 out of 10

Lovely little movie

[SnoopyStyle · 7/10 · 24 March 2014]

Frankie (Jack McElhone) is a deaf 9 year old. He and his mom Lizzie Morrison (Emily Mortimer) are always moving. She's been telling him that his father is a sailor away on the HMS Accra. Lizzie writes him fake letters from his made-up father, and he tracks the ship's voyage around the world. When he finds out that the real HMS Accra is docking in Glasgow, the class jerk lay down a large bet that his father wouldn't visit him. So she hires a complete stranger (Gerard Butler) to play the fictional father.

There is a small film charm to this movie. I love the setup, and the first half of the movie. I love the deaf boy character. I love Emily Mortimer. However the man with no name kind of creep me out. I would have like it more if it wasn't a scruffy looking Gerard Butler. Although I got over it. The ending is a bit manipulative, but it's still a sweet little movie.

What a pure pleasure!

[jefmama-1 · 10/10 · 12 March 2005]

I just returned from seeing Dear Frankie, and I am so glad I drove the hour to see it. It was so nice to be able to sit through a movie and not have to wonder which part was real and which was computer generated. The performances were wonderful and pure. Everyone connected with this little gem should be really proud of their individual effort. "Frankie" was wonderfully appealing without being one of those cutsie kids that give you a saccharine high. Emily Mortimer was enchanting, although as one of my friends remarked, she looked like she was forever cold (temperature wise, not personality wise). Every critic of Phantom of the Opera who said Gerard Butler couldn't act should be served up their words with a knife and fork, because he was wonderful in this film. You could see everything he was feeling, going from "I'm in it for the money" to developing real feelings for both Frankie and his mom. I wish there could be a sequel. My friends and I have to believe that Marie will tell her brother (The Stranger) that Frankie's real "da" has died and that Frankie and his mom would welcome The Stranger's return. I would welcome it to, if only to give The Stranger a name!

A n enjoyable and well acted storyline

[andrewdougan1 · 6/10 · 28 February 2005]

A story of a mothers love for her son,i thought this was a good story,well acted but would appeal more to woman than men.a real tearjerker. Frankie is a real boy who lives with the memory of his father's fictitious world travels mapped out on his bedroom wall. His Mother sends Frankie letters which he believes are from his father, but he longs for the day when he actually gets to meet him. How long can she keep this up without Frankie discovering the truth about his father? An enjoyable film, go and see it,I'm sure you will like it too. Part of the attraction of this film for me was that I was able to identify with some of the locations used in Glasgow and Greenock in Scotland. Although I did not know any of the actors it was still a well put together storyline and although I am A mere male I still enjoyed this little film.Not a blockbuster but well worth seeing. In a world with so much violence on film it was a pleasure to see a story which appealed to the heart

How naive to think that all movies do not "manipulate"

[betut-1 · 10/10 · 14 August 2004]

I thought "Dear Frankie" was a delightful film. It was supposed to be a tear jerker! I felt the acting was true (especially the work done by the child who played Frankie) and that the story, while fanciful in some portions, was good. In my opinion, the story was about the lengths a parent will go to in protecting their child from the ugliness of the world. Why must films always emulate reality? What is wrong with telling just a sweet, gentle story? Emily Mortimer was great, portraying a woman who had to be strong, yet who was also vulnerable, who was barely holding life together for her son and mother. Jack McElhone was terrific as her son. He was neither a cloyingly innocent deaf "victim" or the smart butt kid typically portrayed in current films. Gerard Butler did a good job of conveying "the man behind the disguise" as his interaction with Frankie progressed. I saw this film at the LA Film Festival, and judging by the audience reaction, I was not the only viewer who was enchanted by this movie. Those of you looking for a gritty slice of life would be wise to avoid "Dear Frankie". But if you want to spend some time in a world were parents DO care and good things do happen to those who are deserving, then this is the film for you.

Sentimental story manages to avoid clichés

[rosscinema · 6/10 · 3 April 2005]

As this story unravels it becomes clear that it's not going to offer anything out of the ordinary and that's to the films benefit because it's strength comes from the performances of it's actors. Story starts out with Lizzie Morrison (Emily Mortimer) who is the mother of 9 year old Frankie (Jack McElhone) and along with her mother Nell (Mary Riggans) they keep moving from city to city so that Frankie's abusive father cannot find them. Frankie is deaf and doesn't know about his real father because Lizzie has told him that his father is part of a crew on a ship called the Accra and is always away at sea.

*****SPOILER ALERT*****

Frankie writes to his father through a post office box that Lizzie has set up so that she can intercept his letters and write back to him herself. One day a real ship called the Accra comes into port and Frankie hopes that he will meet his father so now Lizzie tries to find a stranger to become him and her friend Marie (Sharon Small) sets up a meeting with a man she knows. Lizzie meets the stranger (Gerard Butler) and they agree to the arrangement that he will pretend to be Frankie's father in return for money but after spending time with the Morrison's the stranger starts to care for them.

Director Shona Auerbach makes her debut with this film and she shows good instincts and patience with her actors especially the scenes between Mortimer and Butler. One stands out in particular and it's the scene where the two actors stand in a doorway and just look at one another and one can't help but think that these two characters are feeling the exact same thing for one another. For the most part there are no surprises in the script by Andrea Gibb but the film comes across as surprisingly effective in it's straightforward manner which also allows for the actors to each have strong moments. I was one of those who thought Butler was terribly dull in "The Phantom of the Opera" but he makes up for it here in a nicely played quiet performance that makes me want to see him again. For me this film works especially well due to the performance of Mortimer who has slowly developed into a good actress over the years and though she has no formal training her honest and natural persona shine through. This isn't a film that will tug at your heart nor will it make you scream for Academy Award nominations but it's a story that (for the most part) excels in it's simplicity and gives it's actors the chance to expose some true emotions.

Not credible

[christophe92300 · 4/10 · 13 January 2013]

How could the writer and the director believe in and write such an absurd story is beyond understanding. Dear Frankie relies on a premise that has almost no credibility, Lizzie's action being totally devoid of sens. How could she act like that and still think that it's good for her kid ? Hard to validate this situation.

Admitting that point, the script still lacks substance and dynamism. Certain aspects could have been much more exposed, such as Gerard Butler's character who is surprisingly under-developed when he could have brought so much more to the story.

Emily Mortimer, as often happens, is irreproachable and almost single-handedly carries this movie.

Outstanding in every aspect that a movie should be

[dorite4him · 10/10 · 17 October 2004]

I just saw Dear Frankie October, 15th and was more than delighted in the film. It is fantastically moving, and even though it is not filmed with enormous 'dramatics', as the blockbuster Hollywood films are, it is so amazingly 'real' - and thus captivating. I heard that the first screening left the actors stunned to wait so long for the standing ovation to subside - I can see why.

The acting is superb, but the story is marvelous. It is a film with a not-so-simple message - one that moves the soul. One moment you are entertained with quick-witted humor, and the next moment your heart fills with compassion. It's simplicity is one of it's main high points and the absence of Hollywood "flash" is refreshing!

Heart-warming and pleasantly humorous - I would recommend it to anyone!

I loved it and plan on seeing it again. 5 stars for Dear Frankie!

Lori

A real charmer

[haddocky · 10/10 · 14 January 2005]

Like all the best stories, this one is simple and affecting.

There's not a lot in Lizzie and Frankie's lives to aspire to, constantly on the move and clearly in fear of something. All Lizzie wants is to give Frankie the life he deserves, and in the process she sacrifices her own comforts and happiness. The letters Frankie receives from his 'Dad' (written by Lizzie) afford him the comfort and release of imagining far-away adventures and his replies speak to Lizzie in a clear voice which Frankie's deafness denies him in real life.

The prospect of meeting his father, when his ship comes to town, is Frankie's dream - at last the chance to meet the exotic and mysterious man who loves him so much - and Lizzie's completely unexpected nightmare. How they deal with it, more together than they realise at first, is the heart of the film.

Having painted the slightly depressing picture of a mother and son caught in a life which they wouldn't have chosen for themselves, the film runs the risk of mawkish sentimentality to achieve a satisfying conclusion. This, of course, would only appeal to the most sweet-toothed romantics in the audience. But the film's skill in involving the viewer makes for a rewarding experience and the danger of tears being shed by even the most hard-hearted who see it.

Dreams and Reality in European Art

[johnny-m · 27 December 2004]

Certain films are just not aimed at the general audience. Despite handling themes such as family commitment, child abuse, and disability, Auerbach's first feature film has a very select audience, which cannot be categorised on the basis of gender, social class, or age, but on the inexplicable artistic factor.

"Dear Frankie" is a story about a runaway mother, Lizzy (Emily Mortimer), who protects her son (Jack McElhone) from his father. The latter gave him a most uncomfortable 'present', by making him deaf. But Frankie is a smart child, a champion lip-reader, with a passion for geography. This passion is much fuelled by his mother, who has been writing letters for years on behalf of her husband. Frankie is led to believe that his father is a sailor, always on duty all around the world. The problem appears when his ship is expected to arrive in Glasgow, their latest hideaway. To cover up her secret, Lizzy ends up hiring a stranger to impersonate for a day that ideal paternal image, which was shaped in the child's imagination in years of 'correspondence'.

The story isn't new, nor is the situation of mothers trying to avoid sadistic husbands foreign to British society. But in her screenplay, extended from the original one written for a short film, Andrea Gibb manages to create characters that are flawed, yet still given a positive allure, though there is little complexity. The stranger, played by Gerard Butler, seems perfect: loving, understanding, hyper-masculine, and staggeringly handsome. This is fine in that he is supposed to embody a dream, but when Frankie is out of the picture, this act should surely disappear. Neither writer Gibb nor director Auerbach manage to distinguish between dreams and reality, and this is arguably the film's greatest shortcoming.

Auerbach is at heart a photographer, and her work in "Dear Frankie" on this front is laudable. Every frame has a pulsating heart hidden in it, with quiet colours playing a most fascinating dance in front of our eyes. So often are we absorbed in the beauty of these frames, however, that we get the feeling that she isn't as interested in telling her story through action, so much as in photographing it. But this is harsh assessment, as she manages to get beautiful performances from her cast as well. Mortimer, McElhone, Butler, Sharon Small and Mary Riggans, all appear at their finest, each with a simple, heart-warming presence.

It seems that Europeans have a talent at creating the ideal art-house films, defying any sense of glamour, or hyper-sentimentality. It is not an exaggeration to say that Auerbach fits quite well in this tradition, even from her first feature. It often appears quite hard to judge these films in the same terms in which we criticise American blockbusters. Watching a film such as "Dear Frankie", one occasionally yawns, will often smile with satisfaction, and will ultimately leave reassured that this was a good film. Not a perfect film, but one which touches each of us in a personal manner. Is this enough to impress the film-going public? Probably not. But a sensitive heart will hardly fail to miss the artistic input in the production.

touching and heartwarming

[antoniotierno · 7/10 · 31 May 2009]

A gentle drama that would have deserved far better, in terms of reviews and box office. Auerbach depicts perfectly the mother-son relationship, makes that pair's relationship not a minor concern but something secondary. The affecting life of Mortimer and McElhone is described wisely, it's certainly an appropriate setup for a feel-good family drama, with Lizzie and her stranger getting together for a possible happy ending. Dear Frankie is a pleasant and agreeably told film with a surprise as well as a plot twist there. It reminds and resembles I'm Not Scared, both focusing on the foolishness of the adults and the intelligence of the sons. Definitely it's about an enjoyable film.

Quietly Wonderful

[cp-b · 10/10 · 14 March 2005]

Dear Frankie is a tender, beautifully realized story of a mother's fierce and loving determination to protect her child. Emily Mortimer gives an achingly true performance as Lizzie and Jack McElhone is remarkable as the sturdy, self-reliant Frankie. Played without a false note, all the characters perfectly convey the challenges of their hardscrabble lives. This film is gorgeous to look at (the director, Shona Auerbach, also served as cinematographer) and the bleak industrial/urban landscape of the Glasgow/Greenock area is like another character. You all know the basic plot outline so I won't go into that. I might, inadvertently, spoil it for you. Instead I'll just go straight into my take on GB's performance as The Stranger.

Still. That is my overall impression of Gerard's performance. The great actors hold your attention during the non-speaking parts of a movie. So many times actors are afraid to be still on film, perhaps equating stillness with being static. Gerard's performance is far from static. Indeed, I am constantly amazed at how much he conveys in the way he holds his body, his little movements of his hands, the turn of his face, and, most notably of course, his eyes. Languid and mesmerizing they speak volumes of hurt and betrayal, hope and resignation. Gerard has few lines of dialog in this movie and he almost doesn't need those. Watch his reaction when Lizzie tells The Stranger how Frankie lost his hearing. Disbelief, pity for the boy, compassion for the mother, rage against the father, all surface in his eyes and mouth and the way he turns his head away and back again. Watch him again in the much discussed doorway scene how hope fights with fear – of rejection, of commitment, of hope itself – before the kiss and how resignation and sadness in parting, perhaps forever, plays across his face as if the words were written there. Watch he eyes during his final wave to Frankie at the window and the sway of his body as it disappears down the street. It is a soft and yet powerful performance. I've said it before and I'll say it here again: Gerard Butler is the most underrated actor in films today. Like DeNiro, Streep and Brando in his prime, watch him when he's silent. He'll blow you away.

Dear Frankie

[jboothmillard · 7/10 · 11 October 2008]

This sounded like an appealing film drama, and recognised the leading actor and actress, so I gave it a go, and I'm glad I did. Basically Lizzie (Emily Mortimer) is a single mother living with her mother and her deaf son Frankie (Scotland BAFTA nominated Jack McElhone). Since childhood Frankie has been writing to his father, but it is actually his mother who has been answering, posing as a gentle ship worker, when in fact his real father is, or was, a violent abusive man. But now Frankie wants to meet his father, and Lizzie obviously doesn't to bring the real father into it. So she gets her friend to find a man with no past, present or future, and soon enough The Stranger (300's Gerard Butler) agrees to pose as Frankie's father (and is getting paid for it) for one day. But he enjoys his company that he asks Lizzie to stay one more day so Frankie can really get his time with him. When he does leave, Lizzie gets news that the real father is dying, so she goes to visit him, and obviously he wants to see his son before he dies, and gets very angry when she disagrees. In the end, Frankie sends his last letter, thanking his dad (the stranger) for the time they spent together, but it turns out that he knew all along he wasn't the real father, and that the real one died, and hopes to see the stranger (who was Lizzie's friend's brother) again. Also starring Sharon Small as Marie, Mary Riggans as Nell, Jayd Johnson as Catriona, Sean Brown as Ricky Monroe, Anne Marie Timoney as Janet, Cal Macaninch as Davey and Mike & Angelo's Katy Murphy as Miss MacKenzie. Mortimer does very well as the pressured and protective mother, Butler adds interest as the kind stranger, and McElhone is very natural as the deaf son, not too sentimental and a good amount of bittersweet charm, a very good Scottish drama. It was nominated the BAFTA for the Carl Foreman Award for the Most Promising Newcomer for first time director Shona Auerbach, and it was nominated the Scotland BAFTA for Best Director. Very good!

Eloquently understated little tear-jerker...grounded in reality...

[Doylenf · 8/10 · 26 September 2005]

Bathed in a softly glowing palette of muted colors, DEAR FRANKIE puts three bruised characters in the forefront, surrounds them with believable supporting characters grounded in reality, and takes its time in letting a well-written script unwind as these actors draw you into the story.

The idea behind the story is a simple one of a mother protecting her deaf child by shielding him from the truth about his brutal father. When the son builds up the fantasy of a sea-faring father too busy with his work as a sailor to spend much time with them, the mother invents a surrogate father for a day who will fulfill the boy's wish to see the father who means so much to him through letters (actually written by the mother).

The only shortcoming in the script is giving The Stranger (Gerard Butler) too little screen time. He comes into the story after a good 45 minutes have been spent building up to his entrance and his performance is a well crafted one, sturdy and dependable throughout. His scenes with the boy are tender without becoming mawkish or overly sentimental and have the ring of truth about them. The aquarium scene shows how much he has warmed to the idea of being the boy's father with just a simple close-up of Butler's face watching the child (Jack McElhone), conveying without words the gradual change coming over the gruff man.

But the mainstay of the film are the performances by the female lead, Emily Mortimer and, of course, young McElhone, who carry the first part of the film entirely. There never seems to be a false move or moment between them. The woman's grandmother, Mary Mulligan, is also excellent, providing rough humor but always very real.

A charming musical score provides a nice background touch to the proceedings and the bleak Glasgow landscapes give the film the sort of brooding atmosphere it needs. The ending could have opted for more of a Hollywood touch, but this was avoided and viewers can suppose what they like of the fact that the mother and The Stranger may indeed have a future together when she has time to think about it.

Well worth watching but an independent film not likely to draw a wide audience unless Butler's fans increase its box-office worth. Nevertheless, there are some strong individual scenes that more than make up for the slow pacing and the story maintains interest because all of the characterizations are right on target.

Simple, humble, entertaining, heartwarming

[eshwarmail · 7/10 · 17 November 2012]

Over a period of time, I started to admire Emily Mortimer's work and this movie is the best example of her talent. A simple sweet story with minimum characters and a lot of heart.

Set in the suburbs of Glasgow, Lizzie (Emily Mortimer) is a single mom to Frankie (Jack McElhone) and she makes him believe that his father is a globe trotter in his ship and so he can't be around while hiding the truth about her separation. She writes to Frankie as his father giving him indications on where he is which Frankie follows passionately. When Frankie goes into a bet with his schoolmate to bring his father to a football match, Lizzie has to find someone to be Frankie's dad for the day. She employs a stranger (Gerard Butler).

Some movies are such where everyone is nice to each other and the situations are not challenging, but still the portrayal of lives can be very interesting. Gerard Butler stays in his element and gives a humble elegant performance and McElhone and his classmates does an apt job. But the real eyeopener was Emily Mortimer with her passionate yet controlled performance. There is hardly any moment that felt forced for dramatic effect in a rather very flat yet entertaining screenplay. It is a joy to listen to Scottish accent. Background score gels well in some dramatic moments.

Simple, humble, entertaining, heartwarming.

A young boy with a hearing disability writes letters to his absent dad.

[swanzer · 10/10 · 7 March 2005]

The movie Dear Frankie is a wonderful story about a boy with a hearing impairment who does not speak. The actor who portrays him does an amazing job communicating without words, his need and longing for his father. Emily Mortimer, who plays his mother in a passionate performance, attempts to protect her son from the truth about his absent father. Her struggle with the truth is a difficult road that is lightened slightly by the woman who plays her mother. I enjoyed Gerard Butler's performance as the Stranger. This part for him was a nice transition from the action movie characters he played previously and as the Phantom of the Opera. He brings a broody, stand-offish quality to the Stranger that draws you in and makes you want to see what will happen with the three characters. He may have the ability to become one of those actors that truly can steal your heart with an Oscar winning performance. The movie has twists and turns to completely exhaust those that may have an emotional nature. The movie starts out a little slow but turns into a fantastic, heart warming experience. The setting, in my opinion, does great credit to the movie since the beauty of Scotland can be viewed in its landscape shots of Glascow. In my opinion, Dear Frankie is an emotional roller-coaster that I would ride again and again. If only it would be out in more theaters nationwide.

An All Around Impressive Movie

[sddavis63 · 7/10 · 29 November 2008]

This movie could have taken a number of different directions. Fortunately, it took the right one, and the end result was a very touching movie that challenges the viewer to reflect upon the importance of family and what family represents. Frankie is a 9 year old deaf boy being raised by a single mother, who is basically on the run from Frankie's abusive father. Since she doesn't want to tell Frankie the truth about his father, she concocts a story about his dad being part of a ship's crew and writes letters to him posing as his father. You know from the start that the deception is going to come back to haunt her, and it does so when a ship of the same name as the one she made up docks in town and Frankie assumes his dad will be on it. Still unable to tell him the truth, she hires a man to pose as Frankie's dad while the ship is in the harbour.

As I said, the movie could have gone in a lot of directions. It could have turned into a sappy romance between Frankie's mom and his pretend dad, but it didn't. Although they clearly developed feelings for each other, it was left as an open question whether anything more actually developed between them. It could have turned into a happy ending reconciliation movie, when Frankie's real dad pops up partway through the movie, dying and wanting to see his son, but it didn't. It could have turned into a moral statement about the evils of Frankie's mom's deception, but it didn't. It was a story about very real people living in a very difficult situation and trying their best to do the right thing, even if sometimes it arguably wasn't the right thing. It was an interesting movie from beginning to end, well written and well acted with characters that you can empathize with from the start. I have to say that the British accents are very strong and there are times when it's difficult for a North American to follow the dialogue. I saw this on TV; I understand the DVD version actually has subtitles. In this case they would have sometimes come in handy. That aside, however, this is a very impressive story indeed. 7/10

An emotional disconnect

[asc85 · 5/10 · 5 May 2005]

A definite tearjerker. However, I wasn't moved. Intellectually I knew that I was SUPPOSED to be moved by what I was seeing on-screen, but emotionally, it just didn't get to me. Maybe it was the stoic reaction of most of the actors. Or maybe it was because I could see it all coming a mile away.

It's definitely not a bad film, but I expected so much more, based on what I had heard. As others have already noted, Emily Mortimer does a great job. There are also plenty of pretty shots of Scotland (at least I thought so, as an American). But I wouldn't tell anyone to go out of their way to see this one.