Frankie and Johnny (1991 film)
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Frankie and Johnny | |
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Original movie poster |
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Directed by | Garry Marshall |
Produced by | Garry Marshall |
Written by | Terrence McNally |
Starring | Al Pacino Michelle Pfeiffer |
Music by | Marvin Hamlisch |
Cinematography | Dante Spinotti |
Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release date(s) | October 11, 1991 |
Running time | 118 min. |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Gross revenue | $22,774,000 |
Allmovie profile | |
IMDb profile |
Frankie and Johnny is a 1991 American motion picture. The original music score was composed by Marvin Hamlisch. The film was marketed with the tagline "You never choose love. Love chooses you."
Terrence McNally's screenplay was adapted from his 1987 off-Broadway play Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune, although it differed dramatically from the original, which had only two characters and was set in Frankie's apartment. The film version added several characters and different locations, but its most notable difference was in the casting of Michelle Pfeiffer (who was nominated for a Golden Globe Award) and Al Pacino in the lead roles, while the original featured two people with average appearances. Its basic premise remained the same: Johnny is convinced he has found his soul mate in Frankie, while she is far less certain they have a future together.
The cast, directed by Garry Marshall, also included Nathan Lane, Hector Elizondo, and Kate Nelligan, whose performance won awards from both BAFTA and the National Board of Review.
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[edit] Plot summary
While serving an 18-month sentence on a forgery charge, Johnny discovers the joys of cooking and classical literature. Upon his release, he is hired as a short-order cook by gruff but good-hearted New York diner owner Nick. Also working at the diner is tough-skinned waitress named Frankie. When Johnny expresses interest in Frankie, she keeps him at arm's length, her mistrust of men stemming from a traumatic experience in her past (dropping her child when her ex-husband hit her in the head and causing her to lose the ability to have any further children). Eventually, Frankie and Johnny do come together, their curious relationship setting the stage for a dramatic denouement in which both lovers bare their souls.
[edit] Trivia
Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones. |
- One scene called for actor Al Pacino to be surprised after opening a door. Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country was filming in a nearby studio, so director Garry Marshall arranged for Kirk and Spock be on the other side of the door that Pacino opened. Pacino was unfamiliar with the series, however.
- The football team on the poster behind Nick when Johnny enters the restaurant for the first time is PAOK FC from Thessaloniki, Greece, with a Two-Headed eagle as its emblem.
- Terrence McNally originally wrote the role of Frankie for Kathy Bates, who starred in the 1987 Off-Broadway production of Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune alongside Kenneth Welsh. Bates campaigned to get the role in the film, but lost out to Michelle Pfeiffer. Barbra Streisand also campaigned.
- In a scene at the beginning, Frankie is on a bus reading a magazine. On the front cover is Penny Marshall, the sister of director Garry Marshall.
- Al Pacino and Michelle Pfeiffer had previously starred together in the 1983 film Scarface.
- In an appearance on Inside the Actors Studio, Pfeiffer divulged that she took the part because "it wasn't what people would expect of me" (in the context of the interview, likely referring to her conventionally attractive appearance), and that her only filmable skill as a waitress was opening jars.
[edit] Main cast
Actor | Role |
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Al Pacino | Johnny |
Michelle Pfeiffer | Frankie |
Hector Elizondo | Nick |
Nathan Lane | Tim |
Kate Nelligan | Cora |
[edit] External links
- Frankie and Johnny at the Internet Movie Database
- Frankie and Johnny at Allmovie
- Frankie and Johnny at Rotten Tomatoes
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