Frankie & Hazel

Nicely and intelligently played by the two young girls, Mischa Barton as Frankie, and Ingrid Uribe as Hazel, although the plot is rather a stretch of the imagination. Young Hazel running for mayor seems out of place, to be honest.

While the acting is well done by all concerned the movie tends to lack a genuine atmosphere of drama. Perhaps we've grown to expect gritty reality in movies, rather like comparing Pollyanna to How Green Was My Valley! Never mind, each of them are good in their own way.

I do admire Joan Plowright even if her role is somewhat subdued here. Middle of the road entertainment well suited for younger viewers, and how nice at times to be exposed to fine classical music which is almost a rarity!

I find this movie to be a welcomed change as it reflects quieter, thoughtful values for the growing up years, and no violence thank goodness. A warm family film to enjoy.

An excellent family movie... gives a lot to think on... There's absolutely nothing wrong in this film. Everything is just perfect. The script is great - it's so... real... such things could happen in everyone's life. And don't forget about acting - it's just awesome! Just look at Frankie and You'll know what I thought about... This picture is a real can't-miss!!!

This is a very enjoyable "coming of age" film that the girls will love and the boys will loathe. Frankie and Hazel are girlfriends. Frankie has been studying ballet for nine years, standing in the shadow of her mother, who had been a prima ballerina before her untimely death. Since then, Frankie has been raised by her grandmother, who wants nothing but that she follow in her mother's footsteps. It's not that Frankie doesn't want to be a ballerina, but that she doesn't "just" want to be a ballerina. Indeed, the day comes when she starts thinking about boys, and that leads her to taking an interest in baseball. That is, she tries out for membership in a baseball team composed entirely of boys her age.

In contrast, Hazel is something of an outspoken feminist, who at the age of thirteen presumes to run against the mayor of their obviously small town. In fact, there are recorded cases of adolescents from small towns doing that, so it is at least believable. Also, there is no reason to deny that a girl interested in ballet couldn't also take an interest in baseball, unlikely though it may seem. Therefore, the story makes a convincing case for both of their interests. The reason why the "girls" will love it is because girls are represented seriously, unwilling to stand on the sidelines of life, and for just that reason, their ambitions tend to annoy the boys. Boys don't "want" girls to be competing with them on their turf because it adds too many other complications. Not much depth here, but a pleasant story.

This film struck me as a project that had a lot of the right ingredients, but somewhere along the way they didn't quite come together. I don't know who made it, but it has a slightly Disney-esque feel. While parts of it are improbable (like when a pre-teen runs for a public office) and tend to prevent the story from being taken seriously, there is a healthy dose of normalcy (whatever that is) to keep things balanced and in perspective. The acting is alright. Strangely, the relationship between Frankie and her grandmother is convincing, but the relationship between Hazel and Frankie is a bit...off. It's interesting to see how she has to work hard to keep a balance between her best friend, her grandmother, and her two passions: ballet and baseball. Being a baseball player myself, it was quite painful to watch Frankie try to hold her own on a team of boys, but it does a good job of showing the struggle she faces. I read somewhere that she isn't really ballerina, but the editing in this film did a very good job of making her dancing look not only natural but beautiful. Overall, it was a good film about honesty and ambition, but its star Mischa Barton didn't quite achieve the level of realism we saw during her performances in "Lawn Dogs", "Lost and Delirious", and her small but shocking performance opposite Haley Joel Osment in "The 6th Sense."

Boring children's fantasy that gives Joan Plowright star billing but little to do. Sappy kids pursue their dreams. Frankie wants to be a ballerina and a baseball player (yuk) while best-friend Hazel runs for mayor---she's 13! Totally pedestrian in every way, plus the added disadvantage of syrupy performances by the girls as well as the baseball boys. Certainly a lesser effort for Showtime---no limits?