Dear Frankie **** (2004, Emily Mortimer, Jack McElhone, Gerard Butler) – Classic Movie Review 1901

Emily Mortimer stars as single mother Lizzie, who has a deaf wee Scots lad Frankie (Jack McElhone) as her son. Constantly moving about, the duo have recently arrived in a seaside Scottish town. Mum wants to protect the kid from the idea that they’ve run away from his father, so she has invented a story that he is away at sea on the HMS Accra.

Pretending to be the father, Lizzie has responded to numerous letters by her husband to the nine-year-old Frankie and written make-believe letters from his dad every few weeks, telling of his pretend adventures in exotic lands.

Then Frankie discovers that the real ship is due to dock in his hometown in a fortnight. But, rather than tell the boy the truth, Lizzie finds the perfect stranger (Gerard Butler) to pose as her husband for a day to please her son.

All three excellent actors are spot on in director Shona Auerbach’s extremely cute, beautifully acted, expertly handled 2004 heart-warmer. The pleasure all starts with the exquisitely honed screenplay by writer Andrea Gibb. It’s one of those rare, perfect, haunting little films that you wouldn’t want to change a thing about.

Emily Mortimer is the daughter of writer and barrister Sir John Mortimer and his second wife, Penelope. By 2014, she has 60 acting credits, including three films for Martin Scorsese. During the making of Love’s Labour’s Lost (2000), she met her husband, actor Alessandro Nivola. They have two children, Samuel and May. She says: ‘Until Dear Frankie, I didn’t realise that feeling part of a film was about staying up late, getting drunk, smoking and all that.’

Gerard Butler was born on November 13 1969 in Paisley, Scotland. His film debut was as Billy Connolly’s younger brother in Mrs Brown (1997). In 2006, he became a star as Spartan King Leonidas in 300, based on the Frank Miller graphic novel.

Jack McElhone was born in 1994 in the UK and has made three films so far, Young Adam (2003), Dear Frankie (2004) and Nowhere Boy (2009).

© Derek Winnert 2014 Classic Movie Review 1901

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