Customer Reviews

Frankie & Johnny

5 star:		(37)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Thre are a lot of things to like about this movie. The supporting actors to a person are perfectly cast. It's hard not to believe that the director just took over a Greek greasy spoon in New York and used its employees. You can literally smell the grease as the short-order cooks scramble the eggs and bacon. And you can feel the loneliness in the pit of your stomach as these characters go home to their less-than-fine apartments. They are the people Barbara Ehrenreich writes about in NICKEL AND DIMED. Robert Frost would say they have nothing to look backward to with pride and nothing to look forward to with hope. Paul McCartney would call them Eleanor Rigby. Many of them will never rise about their minimum wage-plus tips jobs; yet they show a resilence and endurance and manage to find laughter in their dismal jobs that is heart-warming.

This film has as good a portrayal of gay characters as you are likely to see. Terrence McNally has created here two, believable, likeable gay men who act like real people. There is a quite funny scene when Al Pacino meets the gay couple for the first time and makes all the usual mistakes though well-intentioned-- he didn't realize, you would never know, he just found out that his cousin is gay-- to which Nathan Lane quips that he will check the cousin out in the new listings.

This movie says that a short-order cook (Al Pacino) recently released from prison can find happiness with a waitress (Michelle Pfeiffer) with broken dreams. That may be a tall challenge, but most of us would like to believe in that possibility. It's all about starting over, taking a chance, tearing down the walls that separate most of us from each other and taking a chance on love.

Michelle Pfeiffer cleans up well and is almost too pretty to be a down-and-out waitress. But then, nobody's perfect.

This is one of the lesser known and appreciated screen gems of the 90's. It's a superior romantic-comedy-drama which stars screen legend Al Pacino and screen goddess Michelle Pfeiffer. The movie is so much more about the love story. It is a very perceptive movie about people who are lonely and people who are trapped into their own lives. The movie has an achingly melancholic mood.

The casting of Michelle Pfeiffer was controversial at that time because the original role on Broadway was played by Kathy Bates and a lot of people think Pfeiffer was too beautiful for the role. Bates reportedly laughed when she learned hat Pfeiffer got the role. Granted that the reason Pfeifer probably got the role was because at that time she was at the height of her popularity, she was the "it" girl then. But Pfeiffer was phenomenal and proved that she deserved the part. Her beauty was toned down to make her look as ordinary as possible. The character she played has so much depth and layer that is pretty uncommon for films generally regarded as romance films.

Pacino of course was good, this is his and Pfeiffer's second team up after Scarface of course I love the fact that he played the role with such ease and charm which is a lot different from his more serious roles before. The supporting actors Nathan Lane and Kate Nelligan stole some scenes

Of all the movies of Pfeiffer this is one of my all time favorites together with Fabulous Baker Boys, Married to the Mob, One Fine Day, and Batman Returns to name a few. I whole-heartedly recommend this film.

Grade: A-

Al Pacino and Michelle Pfeiffer have wonderful chemistry! Pacino plays Johnny, an ex con who just happens to have gotten out of jail. Pfeiffer plays Frankie, a waitress with a really bad romantic history. Johnny meets Frankie when he applies for the short-order cook position at the diner, owned and run by Hector Elizondo's character. Instantly, he has a crush on her but Frankie rebuffs his advances. The two have remarkable chemistry...and there are some funny scenes that will make you laugh as well.

This movie means so much to me. The script, the acting, the directing-- it all comes together with a great story to offer up some really amazing moments. It captures the intrinsic quality of loneliness, the fear of being close to someone, the courage to be true to yourself. Al Pacino's character is almost creepy, and the elegant Michelle Pfeiffer is, believe it or not, downright dowdy. Even on the fifth viewing, I found myself feeling embarassed (alone in the room), my heart aching, and my idealism & hope returned to me.

For those of you who want a storyline: Al Pacino is an ex-con on his first post-prison employment. Michelle Pfeiffer is the main character, a waitress who catches his eye, and he persues her. But he's kind of creepy, and she has that post heartbreak love of being alone, so she rejects him. And so he persues her more, showing more of his creepy touchy-feely idealistic self, and a bunch of stuff happens, and they live happily ever after. It is a romantic drama, after all. Many funny moments, and an excellent cast-- early classic work for Nathan Lane in here as well.

This is one of my favorite movies. Like other reviewers, I didn't see it until it went to TV. I caught it on WPIX one afternoon and have since rented it many times. Pacino and Pfeiffer are wonderful as the two protagonists, one who is out of just out of prison and looking for a better life and the other in a prison of her own making, disillusioned with her life and afraid to try again. The bedroom scene is sensual and sensitive without being graphic or predictable. Hector Elizondo, Kate Nelligan and Nathan Lane play their parts with panache and help create a wonderous world out of a seedy, rundown diner and neighborhood. If you're in the mood for a romantic comedy-drama, this is the movie to see.

I was channel surfing, and all of a sudden I see Michelle Pfeiffer, so I figure, "I may as well watch this". I am a great admirer of Michelle Pfeiffer and her work, and i thought that this movie was very sweet and sentimental. Michelle Pfeiffer (Frankie) is a waitress who isn't a very bright and cheery person. She has been burned by boyfriends in the past, and is very edgy about ever getting into a situation where she might be hurt again. Al Pacino (Johnny), has just been released from Prison, and is looking to start anew. He moves to NYC, and gets a job as a short order cook in a small greek diner, coincedentally, where Frankie slaves. He is the new guy, and is also the nice, but lonley guy. Johnny hits on Frankie in a touching and funny way, but she refuses to date him. Eventually, she and Johnny do get together, and Frankie tells all about how she was beaten, and oooh, you can find out the rest 4 yourselves. But the ending is touching, and both actors give very good performances. Very sweet, reccomened to the sentimental person.

This is a story about lonely people constantly coming into contact with other people, but never really connecting. Everyone can relate to this movie! Al Pacino is fabulous, and you really feel like you're looking into another persons apartment window watching the events inside. This feeling correlates into the story as Frankie(Pfeiffer) stares out her window eyeing her neighbors going about their daily life. One man takes off his toupee, another couple eats dinner silently. This movie is wonderful, and the characters in it are strong, lonely, and loveable.

I believe that every woman, including myself, can relate to this type of relatinship. You believe that keeping to yourself is better than getting hurt. In reality we all want to be loved. That the time and effort he (Pacino) puts into trying to get her (Pfeiffer), to come around to his way of thinking, make him, and his qualities more desireable. Everyone wants to find that Mr./Ms. right. We all want to be loved and wanted.

I first saw this film in the theatres and was not enthralled until several years later when I chanced upon it in video. And WAS enthralled. I have seen this movie many times now, and get more out of it each time. Al Pacino plays one of his best (and to me, sexiest) roles ( and I am a huge Pacino fan having seen every one his movies) as someone (Johnny) whose deep, powerful optimism gets him back from seeing "the end of the world." Michelle Pfieffer is completely sublime as Frankie, her range, sensitivity, and bravery as an actress create a complete character. I really cared about these people. The supporting cast adds so much, from Nathan Lane as a darling friend to all the waitresses. (Kate Nelligan could have been a leading lady too, she is spectacular). The colorful sets, the breathtaking love scenes, ( I will never think of leftover meatloaf without sighing a romantic sigh. See the movie , you will see!) Give this touching and character-driven story a chance, it is truly a wonderful movie experience!

My husband and I love this movie because of its unabashed romanticism --- and the clair de lune piece at the end. in fact, we loved it so much, we used clair de lune at our wedding 8 years ago. al pacino is lovable and earnest and perserving; michelle pfieffer (nothing can cover up such gorgeousness)is touching and sad and funny; nathan lane is hysterical;hector elizando is lovable; kate nelligan is just perfect; loved the rest of the cast. it's a dear story (don't need to repeat it here) about hope and taking chances and getting on with the rest of your life. i like to think that frankie and johnnie made it.