Film Friday

This week's pick: Dear Frankie
Dear Frankie it a story about the 9 year old deaf boy and his mother. They have been constantly moving for as long as Frankie can remember. His mother Lizzie, is overly protective of him urging new teachers and acquaintances to not treat him any differently and warn them he is a champion lip reader. But she is keeping a secret for him. Frankie thinks his father is aboard the boat HRH accra and communicates to him through letters, in reality she left his father when Frankie was quite young. Lizzie has been writing Frankie letters as his father for years, and although she promises to stop after everyone, she cannot give up because as she says, reading the letters Frankie's writes is the only way she can hear his voice. One day at school one of Frankie's classmates gives him an article detailing that the HRH accra, his returning to port in 1 week. Frankie is excited and sad- his fathers letters never mentioning returning. When Lizzie reads this in Frankie's next letter- she is instantly torn between having to break the horrible truth to Frankie, to the desire to continue to protect him. She seeks to find a man to play the role of Frankie's father for just one day. When she meets the stranger, she explains to him that she only wanted to make Frankie happy- he agrees to step in. Frankie's day with his father is heartwarming and joyous. He is clearly delighted to show him all he holds dear. The stranger quickly falls for Frankie too, enjoying things so much that he offers to spend a 2nd day with Frankie. Lizzie is initially frightened, scared that someone will be able to take Frankie away from her, which is misplaced fear of her husband taking Frankie away. We find out Frankie's father's family has been trying to track them down for several months- Davey, his father, is very ill and wants to see Frankie before the end. Lizzie is unwilling to let him see Frankie, but goes to see him herself, the meeting doesn't go well, and she leaves even more certain she will not take Frankie to him. Lizzie, Frankie, and the stranger share one more day together. Lizzie even starts to enjoy herself and clearly she and the stranger are fighting feelings for each other. Near the end of the evening the stranger asks Lizzie, how could Frankie's father possibly have left her and Frankie? She heartbreakingly replies that she left him, and that Frankie was not born deaf. That his deafness was a gift from his father, and that when she left her mother came with her to prevent her from returning. They all share a heartwarming goodbye, a few days later Frankie's real father dies and Lizzie breaks the new to him. As she goes to close out the P.O. box where the letters were sent she finds one last letter from Frankie- it is to the stranger, telling him that his real father has died, but he hopes the stranger could come back one day.

My Thoughts: Amazing movie! I cried several times, and yelled at the tv- that's when you know you are into to the outcome! The beginning was a little slow- but mostly because I was waiting for a good looking Gerald Butler to finally show up!