Dear Frankie (2004)

Director:

Shona Auerbach

Writer:

Andrea Gibb (screenplay)

Release Date:

16 March 2005 (France)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

After having responded to her son's numerous letters in the guise of his father, a woman hires a stranger to pose as his dad when meeting him.

Plot Keywords:

Stranger | Letter | Ship | Sailor | Map

Awards:

8 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Emily Mortimer	...	Lizzie
Jack McElhone	...	Frankie
Mary Riggans	...	Nell
Sharon Small	...	Marie
Sophie Main	...	Serious Girl
Katy Murphy	...	Miss MacKenzie
Sean Brown	...	Ricky Monroe
Jayd Johnson	...	Catriona
Anna Hepburn	...	Headmistress
Rony Bridges	...	Post Office Clerk
Douglas Stewart Wallace	...	Stamp Shop Keeper
Elaine M. Ellis	...	Librarian (as Elaine Mackenzie Ellis)
Carolyn Calder	...	Barmaid
John Kazek	...	Ally
Gerard Butler	...	The Stranger

Also Known As:

Natural History (UK) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for language.

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English | British Sign Language

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

UK:12 (video rating) (2005) | UK:12A (edited for re-rating) | UK:15 (original rating) | Malaysia:U | Finland:K-7 | Iceland:LH | Iceland:LH (video rating) | Portugal:M/12 | South Korea:12 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Hong Kong:I | Netherlands:AL | USA:PG-13 | Brazil:10 | Spain:13 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Buchanan Street Stamps, Glasgow, Strathclyde, Scotland, UK

Company:

Pathé Pictures International

Trivia:

Jack McElhone (Frankie) is not deaf but worked with a speech coach so that his one spoken line would sound correct.

Goofs:

Continuity: In one of Frankie's letters to his dad, the text of the letter does not correspond to the voiceover. We hear Frankie say, "Ricky Munroe told me. Trust him to put his big feet right in it." but the letter reads, "Trust him to put his size threes right in it."

Quotes:

Lizzie: It must be some life, seeing all those different places.
The Stranger: You should know... you've been writing from them for years.

Soundtrack:

The Midges

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

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.