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	Dear Frankie
	Shona Auerbach Emily Mortimer, Gerard Butler, Jack McElhone, Mary Riggans, Sharon Small 2005		Grounded by honest, appealing, heartrending performances from Emily Mortimer and Jack McElhone, "Dear Frankie," a bittersweet film about a single mother and her deaf son, never tips over into the maudlin. Harried, protective mom Lizzie (Mortimer) wants nothing but the best for 9-year-old Frankie (McElhone), as the two move from town to town. In addition to his mother's love, there's another constant in Frankie's life: He regularly writes letters to his absent father, and relishes the missives that come in response. Believing that his father works aboard a cargo ship, Frankie tracks the vessel's progress around the world. But his mother fabricated the story of a seafaring dad. In fact, Lizzie writes all of those letters to her son and signs his father's name. After Lizzie and Frankie relocate to a Scottish seaside town, the boy learns that what he presumes to be his dad's ship will dock there in a couple of weeks. Lizzie must decide whether she should tell her son the truth about his father, or try to find a stranger to play Frankie's dad while the ship is in port. Seeking to hire a father-for-the-day, Lizzie turns to her friend Marie, who vouches for one of the seamen on shore leave. Played by a handsome, soulful Gerard Butler ("The Phantom of the Opera"), the sailor could be the perfect husband and father. And Lizzie's plan could easily backfire. Although manipulative, "Dear Frankie" doesn't feel false; it earns its tears and laughter.


	Sunday, November 17, 2024





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