Frankie and Johnny (1991)

This is definitely one of my all time favorite movies. It has an amazing positive atmosphere, great romance and a good handful of funny moments. But it also has serious stuff in it that connects to the realism of love. It shows the damage of what love does to people and when the right person comes along to make it better.

Frankie (Michelle Pfeiffer) has had bad experiences with love in the past and it causes her to retreat when Johnny, (Al Pacino) an ex con newly hired in the restaurant where she works, asks her out. With the help of her friends, she agrees to go on a date with him. But the more their romance blossoms, the more Frankie becomes scared of being hurt again.

There are important things to learn from this movie. If you found someone really special, don't let the mistakes of the past ruin it for you. The film itself has a lot of references to songs which makes it even more romantic. Romantic dramas often end in tears, but this one doesn't. It's truthful and simple. 10 out of 10.

Fmovies: I watch this movie over and over and never tire of it. Each time I notice more nuance. A great exploration of despair and hope, of class consciousness, and true eartly aliveness. Poignant and honest.

Michelle plays a depressed soul, beaten down who has given up completely. And Pacino is a beaten down battered ex-con, who somehow, has held onto "the dream". Nathan Lane is great - It's romantic, poignant, funny, sad, ecstatic. I love the last scene so much. What more can I say?? Don't miss this film - it's a treat.

Nancy Mehegan, Montclair, NJ

The scene where Al Pacino kisses Michelle Pfeiffer in front of the flower truck is, I think, so romantic it makes me want to lay down and SCREAM. But beyond that, there's a lot in this movie. It makes you think very hard about the negative impact of bringing emotional baggage from the past into your present relationships, and it also makes you ponder the positive impact -- well, the need, really -- to bring healthy new people into your life. I found each character to be interesting, and you find yourself caring about them all -- hey, they're all trying to get by the best they can in a mean world. And what might seem like "gratuitous" sex in the film (to some), really isn't -- if you're paying attention, you learn something about the characters, and even a little bit about yourself. I'm aware that this film didn't get great critical reviews, and there are the inevitable comparisons to the play (which I have not seen, but which I think I would like, even though it's reportedly much grittier than the film). IMNSHO, I think the critics totally missed the boat on this one. "Spoon up" with your lover on a rainy Saturday night and watch this one!

Frankie and Johnny fmovies. 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 ****

Frankie and Johnny is one of the best love stories in the history of cinema. The scipt is excellent and all the performances are superb. Pacino and Pfeiifer seem to be made for each other, while all the supporting roles are equally impressive.But the most important element of this picture is that it is truly realistic. We can at last identify ourselves in this movie. It's a movie about real people not about cinderella-like characters that once thay find love are happy. Frankie and Johnny fall in love but can't stop being hurt by this love. They are two every day characters that live in today's world and face their lives and problems with realism. With a pessimistic mood Frankie refuses to fall in love as she is afraid she'll get hurt, while Johnny thinks that the only thing that can give a tone of optimism and satisfaction in his life is Frankie. In short. Frankie and Johnny is a delightful picture that no one should miss.

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.