Frankie & Johnny

This film has been overlooked by everyone I know and to me it was one of the best movies of 1991. I didn't think the chemistry between Al Pacino and Michelle Pfeiffer would be any good, but their on-screen romance was very enchanting. Garry Marshall did a great job directing this movie and Terrence McNally translated his play to screen beautifully. All the characters in this movie could have had a film of their own. My favorite character is Nathan Lane's portrayal of the gay neighbor. Lane is very funny and I love the way his character encourages Pfeiffer's character to fall in love. Falling in love can be dangerous, exciting, scary and blissful all in one night. This movie captures love in a way that made me feel really good.

This is one of the best romantic movies I have ever seen. It is not one of those movies that shows love in a fantasy world where there are no rules, this is real love in the real world. Michelle Pfeiffer gives one of her best performances on screen. this movie is not only about a cook who falls for a waitress, but it is about the fears and hesitations we all have in starting a new life. The director did a great job in setting the right environment for the movie, which gave it a real realistic touch. Al Pacino gave a good performance, but Michelle Pfeiffer was perfection. There is a line in the movie that says it all , when Pfeiffer and Al Pacino are in the same room, he says : "everything I want is in this room". Don't miss seeing real love in the real world. Don't miss seeing "Frankie and Johnny".

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 ****

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. 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.

There are some lovely moments,. I liked the scene in the flower market, where the two are standing together and the metal door slides up to display a dazzling backdrop of red and orange flowers. Also, the final scene with the toothbrushes and Claire de Lune is nicely done. Pfeiffer is particularly good here and Pacino backs her up all the way. Still there are so many hackneyed clichés. Perhaps its just that we have seen so many films, good ones in which people are more realistically portrayed that it's annoying to see so many old-timey stock types: the good hearted gay buddy, the good hearted but slutty waitress buddy, the good hearted Greek restaurant owner, the good hearted homely waitress buddy, the good-hearted Puerto-Rican busboy and the good-hearted black busboy. Then there are the good hearted clients. If they had gone for realistic characterizations of some of these people rather than going for heart-warming "types" this could have been a much better film. I blame Garry Marshall for this. Pacino and Pfeiffer did their best to bring some class to this film.

Overall rating: 8 out of 10.

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.