Frankie y Johnny

with an excellent performance as a waitress in a down-at-heel coffee shop in NYC. Sounds unlikely, but she actually adapts to the role. Having seen "Dangerous Minds", which was a good film, but somehow she didn't fit that role. "Frankie and Johnny" is a great film to watch; I happened to watch it after a bad day, and it does take you out of your own problems.

Pacino plays a man just released from prison, who lost his wife and child to another man, trying to remake his life; this was based on a play by the same name, "Frankie and Johnny in the Claire De Lune" and basically addresses loneliness and isolation, even in a city as overcrowded as NY.

I wish Pfeiffer had done more of these roles. She was so often used as a decoration, her acting ability was not allowed to standout ("Scarface", "Witches of Eastwick") etc. She was also very good in "White Oleander" an excellent film based on the novel by Janet Fitch.

Overall this film is particularly good if you are having problems in your life, and happen to watch this basic story of people, how they stay isolated, how they eventually find each other and a commonality in their life. It is also not an over the top romantic comedy, so it has credibility. 10/10.

You have to give the filmmakers credit: they did attempt to deglamorize Michelle Pfeiffer to fit into Kathy Bates' off-Broadway role of a waitress with no prospects who finds herself attracted to the new cook at the restaurant. Michelle's innate sparkle manages to shine through the dowdy clothes and plain-Jane appearance, and yet the miraculous thing is, her casting doesn't hurt the movie and her performance is one of the best things about "Frankie and Johnny". Pfeiffer and Al Pacino are a good screen match, and if they don't especially resemble the characters they're playing, they at least don't throw the tone out of whack (this is a Garry Marshall movie after all, so it's bound to have a bumpy narrative). Terrence McNally's play was about hard truths and sex on a low income; this is a big, charming commercial comedy-drama, directed with energy but no real flair. Pacino lays on the Prince Charming-pizazz a bit heavily, and Nathan Lane works overtime at being adorable as the proverbial gay best friend, but it certainly isn't a bad movie. It works on a certain level, even if it doesn't resemble reality or the original play. *** from ****

After their brief encounter in SCARFACE, Al Pacino and Michelle Pfeiffer were reunited for FRANKIE AND JOHNNY, a charming romantic comedy about an ex-con hired to work at a restaurant where he falls in love with one of the waitresses there. I absolutely love this move...Pacino has rarely been more sexy and appealing on screen and no matter how much they tried to make her look like a Plain Jane, Michelle Pfeiffer is just beautiful and also gives a very affecting performance as the repressed Frankie, afraid to release the love she has to give due to a troubled romantic past. Pacino and Pfeiffer make the most of a clever script, buoyed by Garry Marshall's sure-footed direction and solid comic support from Nathan Lane, Kate Nelligan (hysterically funny as another waitress at the restaurant) and Marshall's good luck charm, Hector Elizondo, as the restaurant owner. A warm romantic comedy with an unexpectedly quiet denouement.

Love CAN be scary. Especally if you don't expect it. This movie is very good at describing how love can be. Fate can bring two people together. Believe in it. And how perfect the theme song Clair de Lune is. It's worth a listen. Love can happen....only if you believe in it.

The first time I saw this movie, I fell in love. The second time around, I was already in love, watching it with my love who also fell in love and now we're all in love. All because of this movie.

Set in New York, the movie deals with loneliness, different ways of coping or letting go, it deals with love, the yearning for it and also the fear of it, this magical feeling you almost don't dare hope for. The simple but genuine approach to these important themes makes the story stand out and makes you want to believe, because deep inside you already do.

You can tell the movie is based on a play, primarily because of the special atmosphere created by the careful progression of the story, scene by scene, not to mention the wonderful and individual characters we get acquainted with. Both Michelle Pfeiffer and Al Pacino make outstanding performances and the on screen chemistry between the two is perfect.

This is an absolute must see for all you dreamers out there, and if you ever come across the play, you probably should check that out as well. Remember, the elephant must face the window and a VCR will never be a substitute for love. Sit down with this movie, and I promise you, from the first shot of the Greyhound accompanied by Terence Trent D'Arby's wonderful title track, you'll never want it to end.