FRANKIE AND JOHNNY. Directed by Garry Marshall; written by Terrence McNally, produced by Garry Marshall for Paramount. Starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Al Pacino. Rated R.
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All that's gritty, isn't the real world. Frankie and Johnny claims to be a love story from real life. And as far as the look of the movie goes, and in some sideline details, this is true.
But don't let the surface fool you. This is as much a fairy tale as Sleeping Beauty or Snow White (with a not dissimilar storyline, now that I think about it).
Now, this is not necessarily bad. But moviegoers made nauseous by hokey, seemingly endless courtships involving characters contrived to fit the story's needs rather than drawn from reality, should be warned. Despite the working-class identities of its principals, and despite the seedy look of most of its locations, Frankie and Johnny is nothing more than boy-meets-girl, boy-chases-girl, boy-finally-wins-girl-over.
Required warnings taken care of, moviegoers who do like this kind of mushy romance will enjoy Frankie and Johnny thoroughly. This particular boy and girl combination is a winner. Pacino and Pfeiffer make it easy to forget, at least while you're watching, how unrealistic their characters are.
Johnny (Pacino) is particularly two-dimensional, but very appealing in spite of it. He's an ex-con with a heart of gold who wants nothing more than to settle down with Frankie (Pfeiffer) and be a perfect husband and father.
His shortcomings as a character aren't the actor's fault, though; Pacino's enormously engaging performance may completely resurrect his heartthrob image. (A job started with Sea of Love, but sidetracked by Godfather III.)
Since the script is written from Frankie's point of view, we get to know her much better and her character makes a lot more sense. She's appealing, too, but in a different way. We like her because we understand her and sympathize with her.
Frankie and Johnny isn't all mush. Several of the supporting characters, and even Johnny and Frankie at the beginning, have enough witty dialogue to make the whole thing a "romantic comedy" instead of a less desirable "melodrama." A stand-out is Nathan Lane as Frankie's gay friend and neighbor.
October 23, 1991