Karry Best movie of this year hands down!

VividSimon Simply Perfect

Vashirdfel Simply A Masterpiece

PodBill Just what I expected

NateWatchesCoolMovies Dear Frankie is a sad yet life affirming little modern fairytale set on the evocative Scottish coastal region, in a small fishing village home to many trawlers and vessels which are always coming or going. This is the place that Lizzie (Emily Mortimer) has chosen to raise her young son Frankie (Jack Mcelhone). The one thing missing is a father, who has been missing ever since he was born. Filled with love and a need for Frankie to know at least who he was, she writes him letters as if she were his dad, telling him tales of life at sea and corresponding with him for some years. As he gets older she wishes he could have met him at some point, and comes up with a slightly strange plan. She meets a Stranger (Gerard Butler) in town, who is a sailor himself, and hires him to pose as Frankie's father, and spend some time with him. Butler agrees, but it's clear he hasn't spent much time around kids in his life, and the meeting is awkward at first. Soon they get on well enough, which pleases Lizzie and is good for Frankie. Still, the issue remains that the Stranger is not Frankie's real father and Lizzie knows this, torn between the cathartic interaction she sees for her son, and the facts that she knows to be true. Mortimer is sorrowful and harbours clear hurt and loneliness, the reaching out she does to Butler as much for herself as it is for Frankie. Butler starts off charming and be used by the proposition, until he realizes the gravity of the situation he is in and learns so,etching about himself that was dormant in his life until he met Lizzie and Frankie. The human relationships are explored tenderly and with patient reverence that ebbs and flows with the English Channel tides. Beautiful stuff.

maxpuppydaddy Despite the negative reviews seen posted here by folks who might not have their expectations in proper alignment for what this movie was trying to "say" about the foibles, flaws, hopes, and joy in all of us...........this movie hits many perfect notes about the true human condition that links us all. I am a classic movie aficionado.....as well as a contemporary movie buff and enthusiast...but I am the farthest from a critic or movie "snob" as one can possibly be. But....this little gem hit me so hard between the gut and the heart that it has been one of the very, very few movies that I've insisted those closest to me must watch. There is at least one superlative and quite detailed positive "10 star" review already posted here; a reviewer that nailed what this movie "is about"....and that reviewer quite succinctly described why "Dear Frankie" is a movie that should be part of your collection as a treasure to be shared with your family and loved ones, so I will sum up my $.02 by only saying.......if you've ever been hurt, or loved, or been abused, betrayed, or left all alone to face the ugly, hard aspects of normal life...or have lost your desire and your hope for a true love.....or have truly loved a child......quite simply, if you are a normal human being with a heart capable of the feeling the broadest, deepest, enduring love and the abysmal, horrific depths of human despair - this movie will touch you in a place that almost no movies do. This movie is unique, frank, real, and remarkable.

Shelley Mansfield I first saw this movie when I borrowed it on DVD. It opens with a lovely piece of music and gently eases you into the storyline - and what a lovely story it is. Something different. Intriguing. It held me all the way through. Everything about this movie is handled with just the right amount of sensitivity, humour, romance, and drama. It is so well written and directed. It spans the bonds of friendship, love between a grandmother and her daughter, a mother and her young son, and an unexpected attraction between two strangers.I hadn't seen a Gerard Butler or Emily Mortimer movie before. I thought they were perfect in their respective roles and I've been a fan of both of them ever since. And Jack McElhone, as the little boy, made his character so lovable and real. The support characters were also very well formed. I cared about the people in this quaint Scottish town by the sea. I was rooting for them all the way.I've wanted to buy my own copy of 'Dear Frankie' on DVD but have never seen it in the specials. I reckon I've borrowed it six times from the Video Hire outlet. And then, this week, I got lucky. I went in to hire a DVD from my local Blockbuster store, only to discover them right in the middle of a closing down sale. Everything in the shop was for sale. And there it was, on the shelf, in the Foreign movie section. And now it's sitting on my shelf at home. Yeay!If you're in the mood for an original story, that will actually make you feel something, and maybe even make you cry a little (for a good reason) then get a hold of 'Dear Frankie' and treat yourself to a wonderful movie experience.

antoniotierno A gentle drama that would have deserved far better, in terms of reviews and box office. Auerbach depicts perfectly the mother-son relationship, makes that pair's relationship not a minor concern but something secondary. The affecting life of Mortimer and McElhone is described wisely, it's certainly an appropriate setup for a feel-good family drama, with Lizzie and her stranger getting together for a possible happy ending. Dear Frankie is a pleasant and agreeably told film with a surprise as well as a plot twist there. It reminds and resembles I'm Not Scared, both focusing on the foolishness of the adults and the intelligence of the sons. Definitely it's about an enjoyable film.