Flick of The Day: Frequency

A fantasy in the mould of Frank Capra, this film was a modest hit upon its release in 2000, but like  many films before it, it was discovered by a whole new audience when it was released as a DVD, garnering fresh praise and becoming somewhat of a cult film.

Frequency (New Line Platinum Series)

Starring modern every-man Dennis Quaid and Jesus Christ himself, otherwise known as Jim Caviezel, Frequency is the kind of old fashioned film that many would argue Hollywood makes too few of. A character driven tale that features common themes that anyone can relate to; Family, Loss and Death. Without giving too much away, John Sullivan (Caviezel) is a homicide detective in modern day New York City, coming home one night after a break-up and with a few beverages consumed, he pulls out his father's old ham radio and begins transmitting. Due to unusual activity involving the Northern Lights, he manages to make contact with his father 30 years in the past, before he died fighting a blaze in a warehouse. Of course, he intervenes, setting in play a chain of events that change both their lives forever. Part fantasy, part murder mystery, this is a film with a warm heart that will draw you into it.

Dennis Quaid plays the kind of role he has played his whole life. The handsome family man who acts with honour in everything he does. The kind of universalistic good man that only exists in Hollywood cinema. The Quarterback, The Firefighter, The Businessman or The President, Quaid plays them all as the same man with a few minor changes. That's not to criticise his range, you need only look at his performance as a gay man in '50s America in Far From Heaven or as Doc Holliday in Wyatt Earp to see that he can play different merely that his every-man his perhaps the modern equivalent of Jimmy Stewart. Jim Caviezel manages to portray John Sullivan as the kind of damaged man who has grown up without his father and he gradually changes as the film plays out.

All in all, a fine film with a strong cast and a compelling and entertaining story. It is well worth the effort to rent this one out if you get the chance.