Frequency Review

by Tim Wick

How does one fairly review a film that begins with a premise that is absurd?

First off, I'll say that I liked it. Then I'll try to explain why.

You may notice that I don't get around to review every film that comes out. The reason here is pretty simple. I have a real job, help run a convention and am the father of a seven month old baby. If I want to go see a movie, I have to work it into my busy schedule and find a sitter because my wife gets crabby when I go see movies all on my own. With all that, I still manage to see about one new movie a week. It does mean that I have to pick and choose. This week, I had to pick between The Flintstones, Where the Heart is and Frequency......well......the choice wasn't too hard. I've seen the preview for Where the Heart Is and it just looks stupid, and the original Flintstones movie is the only film I have ever just turned off rather than finishing it (I swear this is true - I typically watch bad stuff to the bitter end, but that one just bored me). Besides, I actually wanted to see Frequency. The trailer was decent enough (it gave too much away) and I like Dennis Quaid (commonly known as Mr. Meg Ryan these days).

I won't put many spoilers in here, but let me tell you the premise because that's where I'll lose most of you. Those of you that are willing to wait out the silly premise can probably enjoy the movie as much as I did.

Basically, the deal is that sun spot activity is causing really bright northern lights and that somehow allows a policeman communicate with his father who died thirty years before using an old ham radio. Sound dopey? Sure does. Most movies would stumble over this concept and never be able to make anything work. This movie does not.

Now let me tell you I am operating from a biased point of view here. My dad died when I was 19. He wasn't there for my wedding, he has never met my son, he missed my graduation from college - you get the point. I would give anything for the chance to talk to my dad before the heart attack and get him to a doctor. The central premise touches something at my very core - that being a chance to have my father be there for the last thirteen years. For that reason, this premise was not so ridiculous for me. Sure it couldn't happen, but I was watching my own dream made "real" on screen.

But I think that you don't have to have my bias to like this movie. First of all, Dennis Quaid gets my vote as one of the most underappreciated actors in Hollywood (I use that phrase a lot, but I really think we need more movies with Tim Robbins and Dennis Quaid and less with Tom Cruise and Arnold Shwarzenagger). He has a humanness to him that most marquee actors lack. As the everyman that most of us actually are, he does a great job here. The situation is as weird and unreal to his character as it is to the audience and he plays on that. The film was his to make work or destroy and for me, he made it work.

Second, the movie recognizes that its premise is shaky. The central characters make sure to keep the details of this special bridge between the past and the future to themselves - because who would actually believe them? When they actually need to start telling people, everyone decides they are crazy - because who wouldn't believe they were crazy? The concept of changing timelines is dealt with well - with the future character somehow able to remember each of the timelines he might have lived through.

More to the point, the movie deals with consequences. Sure, you can save your father's life, but at the expense of your mother's. Sure, you can find a way to deal with that problem, but it might just cost your father's life again. For a Hollywood movie, they manage to give you enough twists and turns to make it interesting - even if you have a pretty good clue how it's all going to end up.

There were a few moments that I found myself a bit put off by the effort to deal with the shifting time lines. Once or twice, things just didn't quite work for me. But given the fact that they were trying to sell a premise that is - as I've said - basically stupid, they did a good job making it believable.

In a month or so, this movie will probably be gone. I think most people will either have the emotional attachment to it that I did, or they will be unable to work past the premise. That's too bad. I don't mind realism in a movie, but I don't think that a movie must be realistic to be enjoyable. This movie is enjoyable and I think you should give it a chance.

Frequency

Four out of Five Beakers

Dennis Quaid gets my vote as one of the most underappreciated actors in Hollywood