A mix of both science fiction/fantasy and police thriller, "Frequency" is the type of movie you need to see twice just to catch everything. You'll need to accept the space-time continuum fantasy plotline (and Dennis Quaid's Queens accent) to enjoy the film, but you'll enjoy it. Halfway through the film, my box of nachos hit the sticky floor of the theater. Luckily, the box was empty.
The film is filled with great performances, especially Quaid (yes, regardless of the accent, his performance was more than convincing) as Frank Sullivan, the firefighting father of John Sullivan (Caviezel of "The Thin Red Line"). Frank is killed in a warehouse fire in 1969, and in 1999 John, now a cop, finds his father's old ham radio and discovers that the man he meets on the radio is his own father in the past. This story is kind of farfetched, but it's fantasy (millions of us have accepted "Star Wars" and "Star Trek"--why not accept this?), and the moviemakers pull it off well. John convinces his father, through predictions in the 1969 "Amazin' Mets" World Series against the Baltimore Orioles, that he is in fact John Sullivan of the 1990s, and Frank survives the warehouse fire in a scene that expertly captures the mood of the audience--suspense mixed with a need for visual splendor, as director Gregory Hoblit ("Fallen") cuts back and forth between 1999 and 1969. Of course, changing the past changes the future.
From there, the movie becomes a police thriller, as a 30-year-old murder case is reopened. This is the plotline that'll make you want to see the movie twice. It's all there in the first half of the film; you just don't see it until the second half. I won't spoil it for you, but it was a well-written plotline and very interesting.
I really enjoyed this film and would recommend it to anyone who loves fantasy movies. I was also especially pleased to see Andre Braugher as a veteran homicide detective. Those of us who watched "Homicide: Life on the Street" loved Braugher as Baltimore Homicide detective Frank Pembleton, a role which won him an Emmy. Elizabeth Mitchell also caught my attention, as Julia Sullivan, Frank's wife and John's mother.
One thing I must point out--and which you'll notice--is when, in the second half of the film, something happens that moves the focus from 1999, where most of the action had been taking place, to 1969, and John (in 1999) is left helpless to save the fate of all those in his past. Some great moments in the second half that never seem too detached from the first half.
For those of you psyched up to see the film, leave your expectations at the door and enjoy the ride. Though overly sentimental at times, it's a great film that you'll really love. Maybe you won't be clumsy and spill your empty box of nachos like I did, but you'll be too caught up in the moment to care.
The film is filled with great performances, especially Quaid (yes, regardless of the accent, his performance was more than convincing) as Frank Sullivan, the firefighting father of John Sullivan (Caviezel of "The Thin Red Line"). Frank is killed in a warehouse fire in 1969, and in 1999 John, now a cop, finds his father's old ham radio and discovers that the man he meets on the radio is his own father in the past. This story is kind of farfetched, but it's fantasy (millions of us have accepted "Star Wars" and "Star Trek"--why not accept this?), and the moviemakers pull it off well. John convinces his father, through predictions in the 1969 "Amazin' Mets" World Series against the Baltimore Orioles, that he is in fact John Sullivan of the 1990s, and Frank survives the warehouse fire in a scene that expertly captures the mood of the audience--suspense mixed with a need for visual splendor, as director Gregory Hoblit ("Fallen") cuts back and forth between 1999 and 1969. Of course, changing the past changes the future.
From there, the movie becomes a police thriller, as a 30-year-old murder case is reopened. This is the plotline that'll make you want to see the movie twice. It's all there in the first half of the film; you just don't see it until the second half. I won't spoil it for you, but it was a well-written plotline and very interesting.
I really enjoyed this film and would recommend it to anyone who loves fantasy movies. I was also especially pleased to see Andre Braugher as a veteran homicide detective. Those of us who watched "Homicide: Life on the Street" loved Braugher as Baltimore Homicide detective Frank Pembleton, a role which won him an Emmy. Elizabeth Mitchell also caught my attention, as Julia Sullivan, Frank's wife and John's mother.
One thing I must point out--and which you'll notice--is when, in the second half of the film, something happens that moves the focus from 1999, where most of the action had been taking place, to 1969, and John (in 1999) is left helpless to save the fate of all those in his past. Some great moments in the second half that never seem too detached from the first half.
For those of you psyched up to see the film, leave your expectations at the door and enjoy the ride. Though overly sentimental at times, it's a great film that you'll really love. Maybe you won't be clumsy and spill your empty box of nachos like I did, but you'll be too caught up in the moment to care.