User reviews

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.

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.

Very pleasant love-story that wouldn't have been this good without the great performances by Pacino and Pfeiffer. Pacino is the cook with the romantic heart who just got out of jail (of course he wasn't a real criminal) starts working in a Greek restaurant and falls in love with Pfeiffer, the waitress, who just wants to watch videos and eat pizza after a few bad love-experiences. Pacino has to do a lot (read Romeo & Juliet, dance like a madman, chop vegetables and be very patient) to win her love and is finally helped by the sound of Debussy's 'Claire de Lune'.

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 ****

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.

In "Alice in Wonderland", Lewis Carroll popularised the word "uglification"- the act of making something more ugly. I think that this would be a useful word to describe the process whereby some of Hollywood's most beautiful actresses deliberately use make-up to mar their looks in the belief that they will not be taken seriously as actresses unless they do so. Yes, Nicole, I am thinking of you. And you, Charlize.

The role of Frankie in "Frankie and Johnny" might seem to be a candidate for the uglification process, given that the character is supposed to be a plain and drab waitress and that the part went to Michelle Pfeiffer, probably (along with Kim Basinger) the loveliest Hollywood star of the eighties. Fortunately, this temptation was resisted. (I say "fortunately" because, unlike the Academy which handed out Oscars to the uglified Nicole Kidman and Charlize Theron, I am not impressed by that school of thought which equates beauty with shallowness). There is no attempt to hide Michelle's loveliness, even though Frankie is clearly a woman who makes little effort to enhance her looks, dressing dowdily and wearing little make-up.

The film is not based on the well-known popular song about a woman who murders her unfaithful lover, although that song is referred to at several points. It is actually based on a play entitled "Frankie and Johnny in the Claire de Lune", shortened to something rather snappier for the film version, even though Debussy's beautiful piano piece still plays an important part. I have never seen the stage version- as far as I know it has never been put on in Britain- but the film, with its concentration on indoor scenes and greater emphasis on dialogue and character development than on physical action, clearly betrays its theatrical origins.

Frankie is a waitress in a cheap New York diner; Johnny is the cook who has recently been released after serving a jail term for forgery. He learned to cook in prison (where he also acquired a love for Shakespeare and other classical literature) and has been given the job by Nick, the gruff but kindly owner, who believes in giving a man a second chance. Johnny falls in love with Frankie, and tries to persuade her to go out with him, but she is reluctant. It is clear that her reluctance stems from her having been hurt by some romantic disappointment in her past, although we never learn the full story. Eventually, however, she agrees to a date with him.

This does not seem the most promising scenario for a film. Admittedly, "Marty", which told a similar romantic story about two ordinary New Yorkers, was a great success in the mid-fifties, but audiences in the nineties generally demanded more in the way of action. "Frankie and Johnny" works, however, because Pfeiffer and Al Pacino make us believe in their characters. Pacino gets the chance to show that he can shine in films other than crime dramas. Pfeiffer gets the chance to show here (as she was to do later in films like "The Age of Innocence" "What Lies Beneath" and "White Oleander") that she is a genuinely talented actress, not merely eye candy. They are well supported by some of the others in the cast, especially Hector Elizondo as Nick and Kate Nelligan as Frankie's colleague Cora. I was less taken with Nathan Lane as Frankie's gay friend and confidant, Tim, who seemed to have too much of the limp wrist about him.

Director Garry Marshall is noted for his ability to bring out the best in his female stars; Goldie Hawn and Julia Roberts both gave one of their best performances in one of his films, Hawn in "Overboard" and Roberts in "Pretty Woman", and he seems to have done the same for Pfeiffer here. "Overboard" and "Pretty Woman" were both (although good examples of the genre), standard Hollywood rom-coms, based around a zany, and frequently implausible, screwball plot. "Frankie and Johnnie", although sometimes characterised as a romantic comedy, is a very different type of film, based on more realistic characters and situations and with a greater emphasis on the romantic rather than the comic elements. It shows that it is still possible to make an effective, and often touching, drama about the love of Mr and Ms Average. 7/10

It was so good. I literally cry in every scene. Such a classic underrated masterpiece, now it's my favourite of Marshall's movies

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".

Frankie (Michelle Pfeiffer) is an isolated waitress working at a greasy Manhattan diner with a cast of wacky characters. She's recovering from a bad marriage. Her best friend is gay neighbor Tim (Nathan Lane). Johnny (Al Pacino) recently got out of jail. Diner owner Nick (Héctor Elizondo) gives the ex-con a chance as the fry cook.

There is a needed change when a romantic role written for Kathy Bates goes to Michelle Pfeiffer. The switch can be done smartly. Pfeiffer looks like a Hollywood starlet no matter how plain the makeup girls try to make her. The simple fix is every straight male character has to make a pass at her. It would be more believable and it would allow Frankie to reject every one of them. She would be alone by choice which fits her character perfectly. It's really weird when Pfeiffer asks why Pacino wants to go out with her. Get a mirror.

If one ignores that problem, this is a pretty good romance with two of the best actors around. They deliver compelling performances. Pacino has a fun bit of prison sex. Pfeiffer's loneliness is palpable but her beauty does need acknowledgment by the movie.

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.

It's not amazing but Pacino fans will enjoy it. The point of the story is to present regular people in their mid years who want second chances at love.

This film is simply great. One of the reasons I like it is that here romance is not reduced to some sappy idealistic fable, but is instead shown as realistically as life itself. There are no fantastic events or stretches of plausibility here. Just great performances and a well-written story. In short, this is what real movie-making is all about.

OK, i do love romantic comedies and i'm not ashamed of it. And this one is really, really lovely. It's a little bitter but with a nice sense of houmour as well. Michelle Pfeiffer is delicate as always and Al Pacino... well... everything he does is so great!!! Even if he plays a role in an unpretentious comedy like this one. It sounds a bit strange for me the fact i like Pacino so much, 'cause he's the most academic actor we have nowadays (together with De Niro, off course), but he's got such a charisma that makes me forget that man is the Actor's Studio itself. Anyway if you want to spend a lighthearted evening, Frankie & Johnny is the right movie.

Frankie (Michelle Pfeiffer) is a down-on-her-luck waitress in New York City. She lives with a gay roommate (Nathan Lane) who has a partner, but she still can't manage to find anyone.

Johnny (Al Pacino) has just been released from prison and lands a job at a small diner in NYC. The same diner where Frankie works.

Frankie and Johnny embark on a relationship that is predictable but enjoyable.

The film was directed by Garry Marshall, perhaps the king of the sappy romantic comedies, and this one works about as well as any of his movies. Suffice to say if you enjoy romantic films you'll like this - it's sweet-natured, amiable and enjoyable. The performances are a highlight, and as a trivia note, it was Pacino's second pairing with Pfeiffer since the film "Scarface" almost a decade prior.

3/5.

The main reason why I watched this movie was because Al Pacino and Michelle Pfeiffer were in it. Nothing could go wrong with these two actors in it, this would be a masterpiece like I had never seen before, no? Well, no. I'm not saying it is a bad movie, but it just wasn't as great as I hoped it would be.

It tells the story of Johnny (Al Pacino), a lonely middle-aged man who just got out of prison and who gets a job as a cook in a restaurant owned by a Greek family. In this restaurant he meets Frankie (Michelle Pfeiffer), who's a waitress in the restaurant. She is a bit of a loner who doesn't seem like she needs a man in her life. But that's not what Johnny thinks. He has fallen in love with her head over heels and he won't take no for an answer. He'll keep asking her out until she finally admits...

As I said, this isn't a bad movie, but it just didn't always convince me of its quality. Somehow I missed something in this movie or perhaps it was the fact that Johnny worked on my nerves with his eternal begging for a moment of Frankie's attention. Anyway, the performances were OK, but the story could have been a lot better (although I liked the surprising ending). I give this movie a 7/10. It's worth a watch, but it isn't great cinema.

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.

After their "romance" in 'Scarface' they (Pacino and Pfeiffer) decide to have a real romance, and it is a pretty good one. Not that the film is great but in this kind of films all I hope for is a little chemistry, some nice characters and a few laughs. This film has it all.

The chemistry between Al Pacino (Johnny) and Michelle Pfeiffer (Frankie) works because in the movie they have to fight for that chemistry. Al Pacino is a great actor but I think Michelle Pfeiffer was better here. Although I loved a couple of particular scenes with Pacino (his Greek-dance-scene is great) I think the character of Michelle Pfeiffer has more depth and she does exactly the right thing for that character. And of course she is a beautiful woman. You must love her.

The nice characters, besides Frankie and Johnny, are the gay neighbour (Nathan Lane), the boss of the restaurant where almost the whole cast is working (Hector Elizondo) and Nedda and Cora (Jane Morris and Kate Nelligan), two of the waitresses.

The story is simple. Johnny is just released from prison and he starts working in the restaurant where Frankie happens to be a waitress. He falls in love and although she has trouble to admit it she is doing the same thing. Of course there are some (a lot of) complications on the way but you know how it is going to end. A nice feel-good movie.

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.

I was let down after viewing this movie recently. I know that romance movies aren't usually Al Pacino's area and in my opinion, it shows in this movie. He (Pacino) and Frankie have absolutely no chemistry at all. It was like they were forced into these roles and had no joy in doing them at all. Michelle Pfiefer is on auto-pilot as she drags like molasses throughout the entire flick. I've never been a big fan of her films and this is definitely NOT one of them. Come on, Al, you're a darn fine actor! What on god's green earth were you thinking when you agreed to sign on for this movie. $$$$ is the real answer, of course. I'm sure I don't blame him, but I just don't buy into his character at all. He's not convincing at all. Stick to mafia movies, Al, it's what you do best. Carlito's Way, Godfather, Scarface, Dog Day Afternoon, Donnie Brasco, all movies MUCH better than this one was. Even Scent of a Woman, Simone, The Recruit were much better. Pacino is one of my all time favorite actors, but this movie is crap. This is my opinion and I'm sticking to it like a feather on Big Bird's big #$*)ing back! 1/2 * out of 4 *'s

Although I am a fan of both lead actors, I think that Al Pacino is not suitable in the role of a lover. He is simply too persuasive and while desperately trying to convince Frankie about his love he anticipates his upcoming brilliant performances as devil's advocate or merchand of Venice. The movies is saved by some humorous scenes and by Michelle Pfeiffer who plays the role of the lonely woman in her late 30's disappointed by love, but still hoping for the miracle in her life. Some of the dialogs seemed very unnatural in the context and the sex scene between those 2 is simply horrible IMHO. I got the feeling all of the time, that Frankie is trying to convince herself that this is it, just because she is out of options at her age, so she ultimately accepts this big mouth guy in her life. I am rating it 5 because of the failed romance due to Al's exhaustive talking and predictable "happy end".