Dear Frankie (2004)

With superstar actors, you can often examine their earlier work and think “Wow, I can’t believe they made that garbage.” I mean, as terrific as The Man With One Red Shoe was, Tom Hanks went on to do more distinguished films…like Bachelor Party. As an actor ascends into the major leagues of celebrity, it’s fun to glance back at their handiwork from the days when they were just trying to pay the rent. Then there’s the case of Gerard Butler who, since 300, has made one boring, formulaic film after another. It was by chance that I happened to catch a 2004 film he did called Dear Frankie, and I couldn’t help but lament how far his career has strayed.

Dear Frankie is the story of a deaf boy (Jack McElhone) with a family who frequently moves. Despite his handicap, he is smart, seems to get along well with people his age, and loves to read letters from his father who’s been away at sea since he was an infant. He lives with his nurturing mother (Emily Mortimer) and grandmother in a working class Scottish port city. The problem is that the letters Frankie receives are not from his father at all, but his mother. When Frankie discovers his father’s ship is due in for port, his mother must either own up to the truth or find a father for him in just a few days. It’s a movie, so the latter seems like the more logical solution to her predicament…oh, and the guy she finds is, of course, heartthrob Gerard Butler (who looks considerably younger in 2004, despite only a six year passage of time).

What I appreciate most about Dear Frankie is that the elements are all there for a screwball comedy–complete with jokes playing off Frankie’s deafness–but the humor here is light and subtle. This is a foreign film, so the desensitized attitude Americans carry about disabilities (particularly in comedic films) aren’t present here. And despite the dry Brit wit and Butler’s casting, this is not a romantic comedy. Dear Frankie is a pretty hard-boiled drama with some heavy concepts playing out, much of it clouded by mystery early on. Why is the family moving so much? What secrets does Frankie’s mom keep from him (or the viewer)? Who is Butler’s mystery man character? Director Shona Auerbach performs a delicate balancing act between keeping us guessing and providing answers at just the right moments. The film is extremely well-paced and has its share of tender moments, particularly when Frankie and Butler’s character (his name is never mentioned) are skipping stones along the water and he pockets the best one as a souvenir.

Butler is the key component to what makes this film work. Despite being nameless and flirting with enigmatic, his role keeps the story together, particularly when our suspension of disbelief is frequently challenged. His performance is successful because he manages to play a mystery man without once coming across as creepy, which would be detrimental to a film about a man developing a relationship with a boy. Without ever saying it, Butler’s character seems to have an innate pain, and, through his bond with Frankie, is able to perhaps overcome it. The exact nature of that pain is never revealed to the audience. Butler was great in this role, and it would be refreshing to see him play these kinds of characters again. But Hollywood doesn’t create films with roles like this too often. Jennifer Aniston’s onscreen love interests are usually like a woman’s salsa dancing partners: their only job is to not make her look bad.

It’s sad, though, because this role demonstrated that Butler has something more to offer than just a brawny leading man in mindless action and girly flicks. There’s a real actor underneath that glossy, superstar image, and he’s more than capable of pulling off difficult roles.

(Amazon has plenty of other Gerard Butler movies, and they’ll ship right to your front door. We get a small commission if you buy something via our link, but it doesn’t add anything to your final cost.)