ChAlMovinCo To call this movie a romantic-drama would be unjust, because it is one of its kind and doesn't fall into any particular genre. Don't take a peanut-sized-brain to watch it, as it is not one of your regular candy-floss rom-coms that are full of superficial characters, who lack the most important dimension (Depth).Instead, what you have in Frankie and Johnny are real people with real problems. Treat them as such.Johnny(Pacino) is a lonely man with a broken life behind him. He makes inconsequential love to inconsequential women -which is his "band-aid on loneliness". But deep within him is the desire to make his life more meaningful by finding and settling down with someone he can connect to; not just make love to.When he meets a "kindred spirit" in Frankie(Pfeiffer), he is attracted to her. Gradually, he notices her all-too-obvious desolation and believes that they could each be an antidote to the other's wounds. But failed traumatic relationships in the past have left Frankie so bitter that even when someone as sweet as Johnny walks into her life she is wary of taking him in (although she is herself beginning to like and love him); wary of being hurt again -physically and mentally.She takes time to realize how earnest and committed he is to this relationship. While Johnny on the other hand wants to hasten the process because: In his own words "I'm trying to improve my life, Frankie. And I'm running outta time. And I'm so scared...I'm scared that you're going to retreat back".How their relationship grows and starts to heal them is a treat to watch.And so is the tuneful denouement, where morning begins to break in, bringing with it a new day and a new beginning. POETIC!!!.If I get down to talking about all the things that I like about FnJ, I guess, it will never end. But I must mention the beautiful line with which Johnny chokes me up every time, "I can't make the bad go away. You're right, I can't. But...when the bad comes again...I will be next to you" Now, that's love.Al is -as always- PERFECT. His Best Actor tag is so well-deserved. Michelle surprises. Together they instill their challenging characters with charm and warmth. If someone tells me they were miscast as cook/waitress, lemme tell you, I will not believe it. Not in the least.This is MY Godfather. MY Casablanca. MY Citizen Kane.Infinite stars out of 10

lisacamillek 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.

Framescourer A light-touch - soft-touch - but by no means flippant romantic comedy between two middle-aged, working-class New Yorkers. Franky and Johnny also has the considerable clout of some great acting and proved chemistry. Surely this film secured its green light when Pacino and Pfeiffer agreed to come together eight years after their doomed romance in Scarface?Whatever its provenance it's a delight although, like many romcoms the drama fizzles out somewhat when the lovers finally come together. The drama of Franky and Johnny is in the seduction against a background of disappointment and failure. Al Pacino's Johnny is an ex-con; his job as a grill man in a diner might not be the last chance saloon but the table of options for his life has been seriously depleted. Frankie (Pfeiffer) is also heading for a permanent position on the shelf until Johnny gets a crush on her. Cue all sorts of easy-going shenanigans familiar from the likes of When Harry Met Sally and Pretty Woman (also directed by Marshall) and churned up with some super cameo interjections from Nathan Lane as the beard-in-proxy. A great date movie. 6/10

Michael_Elliott Frankie and Johnny (1991) *** 1/2 (out of 4) Overly dramatic love story about a sad cook (Al Pacino) and a sad waitress (Michelle Pfeiffer) trying to get together. I could probably go on for paragraphs talking about all the negative things this film has to offers. There's no doubt this is a flawed film but at the same time these flaws just add to some joy due to the great performances by the two leads. This is certainly no where near Pacino's best performance but I might call it his most underrated and most fun. After two decades of hard, dramatic roles it just seems like Pacino is having the time of his life doing "fun" stuff compared to various roles that I've been rewatching this month. The film is sweet and touching, even though the director goes overboard with some of the stuff, and the laughs are great as well. Not a great film by any means but one of my favorites.