Whenever I go home to visit my parents (in Philadelphia), my dad and I try to catch a movie together. Sometimes we go downtown to see an obscure independent flick, the likes of which are scant here in Pittsburgh; sometimes we just hit the stadium-seating theater in a nearby suburb. This past weekend, when my dad asked me what we were going to see, I scanned the Weekend section of the newspaper to read up on new releases. I read only that Frequency took place in 1969, that its plot turned on elements of the Mets World Series game, and that there were a bunch of guys in it. Guys = good dad movie, baseball = good dad movie, nostalgic era = potentially good dad movie. Plus, I'm also a sucker for movies about baseball and America's past. And guys are cool, too. So we saw Frequency, knowing little about it beforehand.
The movie's not as much about baseball as I thought it would be. It's actually about time travel and family and cheesy ideals related to prosperity and upbringing. If you see this film, think about what the ending (as well as key points throughout) says about the way family life relates to future success. I'm going to stay vague about that, however, and let you determine how to interpret it.
But I'm making it sound bad. Frequency isn't bad. In fact, it's quite good, at least through its first three-quarters or so. A 36 year old cop with a failing relationship starts playing with his deceased father's old ham radio and ends up - through the mystical powers of the aurora borealis - contacting his father, thirty years in the past. He prevents his father from dying in that fatal fire, and instantly sees the results: the furniture in his house has morphed from shabby to chic, and he is successful and full of happy memories. But then other things change. It's kind of like how in Back to the Future when Doc warns Marty not to interfere with his family members, because it's sure to alter innumerable other things about the course of history.
Well, so it goes. As a result, the father/son team have to work to save both family members and themselves. And the ending is messy and just a little out of control. But the rest of it is well worth watching. It's not high on humor, though; indeed, I turned into a watery sap during some of the early parts, when I knew (or thought) the father (played by Dennis Quaid, by the way) was doomed to a tragic demise and was trying to teach his son how to ride a bike, as well as later, when he hadn't died and successfully taught his son the art of biking. The latter scene was even way too drawn-out and overdone, but I still couldn't stop the tears. I had to blow my nose on a receipt (not recommended).
Frequency's primary strength is its ability to keep viewers on the edge. Also, Jim Caviezel's performance as the son is stellar and right on. And even though the movie gets sticky and gives us two supercheesy end scenes (the first of which is unwarrantedly ridiculous), it at least provides a sense of satisfaction.
Despite all the complaints, I still thought Frequency was worth my time. In the end, the movie is really about a dad and his son. And for me, it was about a dad and his daughter.
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