Frankie & Hazel (2000) (TV)

User Rating:

5.9/10   

Director:

JoBeth Williams

Writers:

Elisa Guest (written by) &
Jenny Bogart (written by) ...

Release Date:

8 October 2000 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Family | Sport

Plot Keywords:

Ballet | Tomboy | Dance | Dream | Political

Awards:

3 nominations

Cast

Joan Plowright	...	Phoebe Harkness
Mischa Barton	...	Francesca 'Frankie' Humphries
Ingrid Uribe	...	Hazel Perez
Richard Yniguez	...	Antonio Perez (as Richard Yñiguez)
Anthony Marquez	...	Carlos Perez
Michael Kopsa	...	Coach Anhault
Larry Musser	...	Mayor Tom P. Harrison
Addison Ridge	...	Daniel Anhault, Pup
Richard de Klerk	...	Carmine, Pup (as Richard deKlerk)
Tarik Batal	...	Rajiv, Pup
Neil Denis	...	Abdul, Pup
Lachlan Murdoch	...	Mark, Pup
Stellina Rusich	...	Cynthia Anhault
Jillian Fargey	...	Millicent Ferrar
Patti Allan	...	Mrs. Ferrar

Also Known As:

Frankie & Hazel - Zwei Mädchen starten durch (Germany)
Roots and Wings (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

92 min

Country:

Germany | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Filming Locations:

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

Babelsberg Film

Quotes:

Francesca 'Frankie' Humphries: So what did you say?
Hazel Perez: Bad news. You're Uncle Boris died, but it was a lovely funeral and you gave a toutching eulogy.
Francesca 'Frankie' Humphries: Hazel, I don't even haave an Uncle Boris!
Hazel Perez: Not any more you don't.
[both girls laugh]

Soundtrack:

Song of the Volga Boatmen

Baseball and ballet?

This is a very enjoyable "coming of age" film that the girls will love and the boys will loathe. Frankie and Hazel are girlfriends. Frankie has been studying ballet for nine years, standing in the shadow of her mother, who had been a prima ballerina before her untimely death. Since then, Frankie has been raised by her grandmother, who wants nothing but that she follow in her mother's footsteps. It's not that Frankie doesn't want to be a ballerina, but that she doesn't "just" want to be a ballerina. Indeed, the day comes when she starts thinking about boys, and that leads her to taking an interest in baseball. That is, she tries out for membership in a baseball team composed entirely of boys her age.

In contrast, Hazel is something of an outspoken feminist, who at the age of thirteen presumes to run against the mayor of their obviously small town. In fact, there are recorded cases of adolescents from small towns doing that, so it is at least believable. Also, there is no reason to deny that a girl interested in ballet couldn't also take an interest in baseball, unlikely though it may seem. Therefore, the story makes a convincing case for both of their interests. The reason why the "girls" will love it is because girls are represented seriously, unwilling to stand on the sidelines of life, and for just that reason, their ambitions tend to annoy the boys. Boys don't "want" girls to be competing with them on their turf because it adds too many other complications. Not much depth here, but a pleasant story.