Dear Frankie Review

"DEAR FRANKIE" reviews

Movie

DEAR FRANKIE

Author

anonymous

Date reviewed

2005-10-25 21:09:36

Provider

MRIB

Review

Dear Frankie was Britain's sole representative at Cannes last year and has all the hallmarks of a film you think you should like rather more than you actually do. Which isn't to say it's a bad film - far from it - simply that the sombre subject matter and Scottish backwater setting come with that Important Movie coating on something that's really quite sweet and small.

Frankie (Jack McElhone) is nine, deaf and effectively fatherless, since Mum (Emily Mortimer) maintains his dad is a forever-away sailor rather than the violent drunk of fact. When the fictional father's real ship docks in town, though, Mum must find a man to play Dad. Enter Gerard Butler.

The story evolves and life lessons are learned without ever becoming truly engrossing. The likes of Mike Leigh or Ken Loach would allow this film to go somewhere truly unpredictable. With Dear Frankie you feel the last line was written before the first.

Copyright © MRIB 2005.