A rare atmospheric phenomenon allows a New York City firefighter to communicate with his son 30 years in the future via short-wave radio. The son uses this opportunity to warn the father of his impending death in a warehouse fire, and manages to save his life. However, what he does not realize is that changing history has triggered a new set of tragic events, including the murder of his mother. The two men must now work together, 30 years apart, to find the murderer before he strikes so that they can change history--again.
I dare anybody to watch this entire movie with a dry eye,its very touching especially to those who have lost loved ones at a young age. The movie travels at high speed never letting up till the credits start rolling.The low down on the film is this, John Sullivan a young imbittered cop (played flawlessly by James Caviezel who in my opinion is an actor with unbridled talent and ability who keeps impressing me in each movies he's in) is able to come in contact with his father over an old ham radio his father (played by Dennis Quaid who is at his best in this film)thirty years in the past by a freak electrical storm which occuring at the same time in the past. I don't want to give to much away but it gets into the whole theory of time travel and the paradoxs that could occur if someone meddles in the past, one tiny little eventcould be catastrophic to the future and so forth. This film is a rare gem and I highly recommend it to everybody.
I really liked the movie, the suspense was great. I was on the edge of myseat during the whole thing. James Caviezel was great, too. Besides thefactthat he's hot, he can act good. This movie is deffenatly the best movieI'veseen since Never Been Kissed!
I hadn't read reviews of Frequency before seeing the movie. I didn't expectmuch because it was at our first run theater for a very short time, maybebecause there was little gratuitous violence, no overt sex, the language wasmodest, it involved an intact family. But it was gripping, challenging,emotional, and surprising. You should see it.
Since the 21st century began, there have been several movies withseveral interconnected stories ("Traffic", "Syriana", "Babel"). In thatsense, maybe Gregory Hoblit's "Frequency" was a sign of things to come.Granted, it focuses on one story, but uses two other topics (auroraBorealis and baseball) to move the plot along.Of course, it's probably not too important that aurora Borealis andbaseball play the roles that they play. The movie brings up the paradoxof time travel, all the while understanding that this is a fictionalstory. It's not a great movie, but you gotta admire how they layeverything out, with the changes in the past and present. Worth seeing.Starring Dennis Quaid and Jim Caviezel.
This review is from: Frequency (DVD) Frequency is a remarkable movie. I just discovered it and am glad to see that others continue to add their comments here. First, I must applaud the premise - the use of a ham radio as the device that connects father and son in a supernatural way. My uncle was a ham radio operator and even taught classes. It had a tremendous mystique all its own.Dennis Quaid is fabulous. He effortlessly portrays Frank Sullivan, a man who is passionate about his values, devoted to his family, and larger than life as a fireman. The movie opens to this father's heroic rescue of a pair of workers trapped underground after a tanker crash. He comes right home to the wife he loves, the son he loves -- John, his "Little Chief" -- in the home he loves; he has it all. Moving forward thirty years, we meet the adult John. James Caviezel tears me to pieces in these early scenes as we learn that this father died in a fire 30 years ago. John is a cop working homicide. He is still living in the house he grew up in. He did not completely recover from his father's death. He drinks to find numbness and his girlfriend (who he loves) walks out on him. But he is a good man in his own right. His mother's phone number is on his speed-dial and he takes the time to stay involved in her life. On this difficult night in October 1999, as he approaches the anniversary of his father's death, his childhood friend Gordo (Noah Emmerich - The Truman Show) helps set up his father's old ham radio that they find looking for fishing gear under the stairs. Later, with the aurora borealis glistening overhead, father and son make contact on this radio over the distance of 30 years. Awesome! My favorite scene on the DVD is captioned "Catching Up," and takes place after a skeptical Frank, up to his ears in smoke and flames, follows his son's frantic warning that he should "go the other way" to safety rather than the death that John remembered. On returning home unscathed, Frank, accidentally wakes his six-year old son, evolving into a joyous bike-riding lesson. He then finds adult John's voice on the ham and they catch up. At one point, Frank asks adult John if he is still his "Little Chief" and James Caviezel's tearful reply "I'm trying to be" is profound. Dennis Quaid and James Caviezel run with their roles here. They are two great American actors at work.The entire cast is wonderful. Elizabeth Mitchell as wife and mother plays so much love and strength into her role. The screenplay, by Toby Emmerich, brother of Noah, is tight, tender and imaginative. (The brothers do a great commentary together on the DVD special features.) The crime-thriller sub-plot is gripping and the ending satisfying.
One of the best movies I have watched in a real long time. It surprised me, although I started reading about it when the movie was still inpre-production. The key issue in this movie is whether your choices willaffect and possibly change your future. That they do. It is about free willand consequences. I love that topic. I love Dennis Quaid, and think that he is one the most underrated actors inHollywood. He is good in all parts and should have gotten an Oscar manytimes by now. I think that Hollywood is against really handsome man. Besides that Dennis in an independent person. He does not even have anagent! Good for you Dennis. Don't have to sit and wait for phone calls. There is a lot of politics in Hollywood. I loved Dennis and Meg Ryan. I don't like to get involved in people'spersonal life, I have tried in my own way to be fair, I will watch oneDennis Quaid movie and then one Med Ryan movie right away not to showpartiality. As if their divorce was any on my business. I have had such ahard time with their split. That I just can not begin to tell. I have themaround my house all the time, as I have purchased almost all of theirmovies, both of them. I just wish that this whole entire thing was not true.O my! But back to the movie. It blew my mind! BIG TIME! I expected one of thosemovies that one is dead and talks to the person who is lived. But I was sowrong. I will get a Dennis Quaid movie, even if he sits there and doesnothing. What a PRESENCE! What a nice guy! The movie is so exciting, andfull of nuances. I don't want to tell you the story, all I can say is that Irented the tape, and before I rented I had already ordered the tape. I amglad a did. It ones of those movies that I will watch bizzilion times. Likeme and "You Got Mail", and man with "The Godfather: "Monday, Tuesday,Thursday Wednesday." "You have go to the Mattresses" (Godfather). Both myhusband and I were thrilled to have watched it on our 23th WeddingAnniversary!Favorite scenes: " Frank Sullivan" Dennis Quaid (Flesh and Bone) says:"Iam here. Son"Favorite quote: " I am here son." What a comforting sentence! Speciallyfor someone like me who loved my dad! I HIGHLY recommend thismovie.
A victim of a bad marketing campaign that made it seem like a warm, fuzzy, family ties movie, FREQUENCY is actually a thriller darkened considerably by the main plotline, a murder investigation that involves the collaboration across a 30 year time gap via a ham radio between a police detective and his deceased firefighter father, with an oddly moving performance by Quaid as the father. Plays kind of like a old Twilight Zone episode colorized and lengthened to feature film.
This film I've seen at least three times and always found myselfenjoying it immensely each time. I gave this film a 9,but in truth,Iwould've probably rounded up to either a 9.5 or 10,my only reservationsbeing that this being a "time-travel" movie(or type thereof),it causessome amounts of credibility to be stretched due to an almost linearsense of coincidence. I'd elaborate on this,but that would give awaythis flick,and I'd just as soon NOT give away any spoilers to this orany film I'm reviewing. Not if I can help it anyways.Det.JOhn Sullivan(Jim CAviezel,who,regardless of what you think of hepersonally,NEVER over or under plays his characters in film,and thismovie is one of the best showcases of his talents) stumbles upon a oldham radio in his folks' house that he now lives in since his motherretired. He finds out that not only does the radio work,but that he cancommunicate with his father Frank(Dennis Quaid,here excellent), a NYCfireman who's been dead for over thirty years. NAturally skeptical atfirst,when Sullivan discovers that he can communicate through time tohis dad,he figures a way to save his father from the way he dies(whichhappens to be on the job,rescuing someone from a burning building). Thejoy of bringing back his dad from an unfortunate fate unleashes anotherterrible fate,this time to his loving mother(a warmly beautiful andsympathetic Elizabeth Mitchell),and now Sullivan has to again team withhis dad,through space and time,to correct that outcome as well.A stirring supporting performance by Andre Braugher(one of my favesfrom TV's "HOmicide")as a longtime family friend of the Sullivans,mixedwith a deft script and alert,capable direction by Gregory Hoblitt,isable to make this film into something a little more than asci-fi/fantasy tale OR a murder/thriller suspense caper. It is one ofthose rare films that is as good to see on a big screen for main priceor as a cheap rent! Contrivances aside,I really got my money's worthwatching this movie and highly recommend it!
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I have always loved time travel movies. Back to the Future, Somewhere inTime, Timecop, and my favorite tv show Quantam Leap, but Frequency wasthat and more. It involved the travel of information through time andit lets you see what happens when time is messed with. Plus, I love thefather/ son angle of the movie. It is very touching to see a son whonever really knew his dad, connect with him that way. The film keepsyou going and will touch your heart. I give this movie a 10 +++. One ofmy favorite movies ever. It is the only movie at Blockbuster that Ihave ever seen with a you will love it guranteed or your money backoffer, and so far no one has complained because I work atone.
This review is from: Frequency (DVD) We saw this movie on television last year during the Christmas holiday while being snowed in. It was such a great movie that I ordered it from Amazon for Christmas this year. You won't be disappointed....
An interesting idea that blends family and crime drama with sci-fi elements to make a highly entertaining movie `Frequency' is one of the most entertaining films of its kind. Quaid and Caviezel hand in very good performances and make the unbelievable, well.... believable. Usually these types of films can be confusing and tedious, but because the center story about a boy losing his firefighter father at an early age is heartfelt, it makes up for any minor plot holes. Look fast for a young Michael Cera as John's son. The DVD has an excellent transfer and there are some interesting extras including commentary, deleted scenes and feature-ettes.
"Frequency" is one of my wife's favorite movies, and it's one of mine to. The movie intorduced Dennis Quaid to me all over again, and Jim Caveezel for the first time. I thought both of these actors did an outstanding job in their roles. The catch line is "what if?" What if your life took a turn in a totally different direction? What if someone in your life who died when you were young, didn't. How different would your life be? This movie says loudly,your life would be very different. I really enjoyed this movie, it had a pretty suspenseful plot line, and some comedic scenes as well. The song you here in the background throughout the movie is "Suspicious Minds" by Elvis, and centers around the World Series with the "Amazing Mets". With that as the backdrop the movie is a modern day fairy tale of "what ifs" come to life that every child probably dreams about every night in bed.
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This is a great film about human kind and how people need each other. Idon't want to spoil anything, but the way in which people communicate (theham radio, through time) in this movie is a little far-fetched. I findmyself thinking throughout the movie, "Wait a minute, if he's talking tohisdad 30 years ago, his dad NOW would remember it but it just happened!"Ayeyi yi....a big headache ensues.
For the most part, Frequency delivers engrossing, suspenseful entertainment.
This movie is awesome from start to finish.. It made me laugh cry and at theend, cheer.. It is a beautifully written and wonderfully acted movie . Evenmy 10 year old loved it.If your in the mood for a moive that will make you feel good when you areleaving the theatre THIS IS THE ONE. I plan on going to see it again(itwould be the fourth time)I am counting down the days till it is out on video10**********
Very enjoyable entertainment. I have read a few of other viewercomments and am taken aback by people getting upset about the centralidea behind the time travel communication (the aurora borealis letsFrank Sullivan's ham radio in 1969 communicate with his son JohnSullivan (using the same ham radio in the same house) in 1999). People- it's a PLOT DEVICE - get over it! It's just there to get the storystarted and to add drama. When the writers put in a plot device likethis, that's OK - you have to "willingly suspend your disbelief". Whatcounts next is, are the writers being internally consistent with therules they have set up and the conditions in the movie? In "Frequency",yes, they are. (Other movies aren't so good about this - don't get mestarted about "Independence Day", where Jeff Goldblum is able to hackinto the alien ship's computer system - apparently the aliens useMicrosoft Windows too! Come on! They're aliens!)The rules of the plot are that there is the ham radio communicationbetween eras; that it's October 11, 1969 on one end and October 11,1999, on the other end, and that the two eras are runningsimultaneously (in a sense). That is, if Frank Sullivan (thefather)spends 7-11 p.m. on Oct. 11 in 1969 talking with John Sullivan(his son), this happened for John at 7-11 p.m. on Oct 11, 1999. Ifsomething is changed in 1969 at 3:00 p.m. based on information sentfrom 1999, then the world of 1999 doesn't "update" till 3:00 p.m. ofthat same date in 1999. This is set up and reinforced by the goodediting, constantly flashing back between one era and the next. So thewriters set up these groundrules, use them as a basis, and then go intoa very moving tale of father-son love, growing up, redemption, andsecond chances. I found the contact between the two men very believable. At firstthey're just chatting together on the radio; Frank says something about"You think the Mets will win Game One of the Series tomorrow?" John, ofcourse, knows that the Mets lost Game One because it was 30 years agofor him, and makes some comment about that. ("It was all over afterBuford's homer in the second inning.") Then, of course, the ham radioloses contact. But the next night, Frank asks John, "How'd you knowabout Buford's homer?" And John says, "It wasn't hard, buddy, it was 30years ago." Then John gets more information (Frank's name, callletters, etc) and realizes who he is talking to. He desperately wantsto warn his father about Frank's upcoming death in the warehouse firewhich is going to happen tomorrow. But Frank doesn't want to listen,thinks John is crazy or a stalker or something - just can't believe it.John says "If you had just gone the other way in the fire you wouldhave gotten out - if you had just gone the other way!" Then, of course,the ham radio stops working.Frank is pensive the next day, because everything so far has turned outas John has said it would (Al Weis hits a game-winning RBI in the9th)and he is thinking, "Is this guy for real? Might I be going to dietoday?" When the climactic moment in the fire comes, Frank does go theother way, and saves his own life. John is sitting in a bar drinkingwith his friends in memory of his father, 30 years after his death.There is a very effective sequence where Frank is making his decisionand escaping from the fire, and John is in the bar and getting newmemories of a life where Frank lived on. I particularly like theintercutting where John drops his glass in the bar (in slo-mo), Frankhas thrown his fireman's hat out of a window and that is falling (inslo-mo), and Frank and the person he saved from the fire are going downa warehouse chute (in slo-mo)away from the fire, into the river. Theeditors cut from shot to shot with very moving music from MichaelKamen, the composer, here. At the end of the scene, Frank is outsidethe warehouse watching it burn and realizing he is alive! and that thisguy on the radio is for real; John is in the bar with his friendsrealizing that his father didn't die in a fire 30 years ago, but diedfrom lung cancer 10 years ago, and John has memories from both of thesetimelines. That evening, Frank comes home, and talks to John. He realizes thathey, this is not a fake, it's really my son from the future (wow!)andthey have a long talk together. This, to me, was the best part of thefilm. In the beginning of the movie, John Sullivan is a bitter, jaded,cigarette-smoking alcoholic cop who is breaking up with his girlfriend.As he talks w/his father, you can see him smoothing out oldbitternesses and fears. His father is there for him now and that makesall the difference. You see the two of them chatting about varioustopics, sort of "guy talk" that is a coverup for their deep joy inbeing able to communicate with each other. At the end of the scene,Frank is able to say, "I love you, son", and John responds, "I love youtoo, Dad. I've missed you so much!" and Frank knows what he means/meantto his son. Of course, up to this point is only half the movie, so they still haveto continue the plot with the serial nurse killer stuff. That waswell-written and a good thriller, but to me, not as moving as just thequiet conversation between the two men on the ham radio, the father andthe son connecting. Advice to the viewer: be sure to check on EVERYTHING in the background- photographs (who's in it right now? Is Dad missing? Is Mom missing?Is the dog missing?); newspaper headlines ("Fireman Dies In WarehouseFire" is changed to "Fireman Saves Runaway From Warehouse Fire"); radioand TV commentary (note that the physics professor talking about theaurora borealis is on the Dick Cavett show in both 1969 and 1999!) andeven the decor of the house in 1999. At first, when John's father died30 years ago and his mother is living in an apartment somewhere, it's arather gloomy cop dwelling. Then John changes the past & his fatherdidn't die; John comes home from work, and notices that the lamps havechanged, things look different. Next, it turns out that his mother hasdied in 1969, and again the house looks more bachelor-ish and less likea woman has done stuff to it. At the end, (SPOILER WARNING) in thefuture where both his parents lived, there is a major morph, and thingslook shipshape, tidy, and well-decorated. This is the kind of thingthat you have to see the movie a few times to pick up on. It's also notalways obvious due to camera angles, editing, etc. The ending is a major cop-out (no pun intended) in terms of beinginternally consistent to the rules that were set up. (SPOILER WARNING)In 1969, Frank has managed to expose Jack Shepard as the serial killer,so Jack comes to Frank's house to kill him and his family. In 1999,"before" Frank exposes Jack Shepard, John Sullivan meets Jack Shepardin a bar and tells Jack that he knows that Jack is the serial killer.So now Jack Shepard in 1999 is coming to the house to kill John. Thereis very effective and exciting intercutting between the twoconfrontations (Frank vs Jack, John vs Jack 30 years later) but if youthink about it, it doesn't hold water. Frank shoots Jack in 1969,(shoots off Jack's right hand), and then you're supposed to believethat a one-handed ex-cop murderer fugitive from justice was able tohang around for 30 years to come and mess with John? If you listen tothe director's commentary on the DVD, the director does make note ofthis and suggested a different, internally consistent ending be filmed.However, apparently test audiences reacted so positively to the currentending (SPOILER WARNING) (Frank is still alive in 1999, comes in andblows away Jack Shepard with his shotgun) that the other ending wasnever filmed. I have to admit that the ending as it is right now, ispretty satisfying emotionally, though. I'm a sucker for a happy ending and this movie does have one (SPOILERWARNING): It's a neighborhood softball game in Queens. Frank is stillthere, alive and well, having neither died of lung cancer or in a fire;Julia (Frank's wife) is also there, happy and healthy; John gets agame-winning RBI hit to knock in his father; John's wife (hisgirlfriend that he broke up with at the beginning of the movie in his"alternate history") is there with their son; Frank has quit smoking,John either never started smoking or quit smoking, and nobody is analcholic; life is good. I thought it was a tightly edited movie as well; John and Frank talk onthe ham radio; Julia, John-as-a-6-year-old, and John's friendGordo-as-a-6-year-old also talk on the ham, but the only one who knowsthat this is the future talking, is Frank. The writers could have hadit that other people know, but they maintained the dramatic tension byhaving it be just Frank and John talking to each other. (Frank doestell his cop friend Satch, but Satch doesn't believe him and the radiois broken so Satch can't talk with the 1999 John). I'm the kind of person that asks hypothetical questions about movies,so now I'm wondering, If Frank comes in in 1999 and saves his son John,and the ham radio is still active, does Frank in 1999 talk to himselfin 1969? Does he tell himself, "Hey, we've gotta be here at this dateand time to save John - write it down in your dayplanner?" What wouldit be like, talking to your future self, anyway? Did Frank in 1969 evertell Julia (his wife) about his conversations with their future son? AsFrank lives through 1969-1999, does he ever talk to young John abouttalking with the 1999 John? Or does he just know that he can't talkabout all this till it happens for John in 1999? (He does know somethings that will happen to John - e.g., John blows his arm out, can'tbe a baseball player, goes to the police academy, becomes a cop.) Atthe end of the movie with all the changes that have been made in John'slife, does he have three sets of memories? (one with Frank dying in1969, one with Frank living and Julia dying in 1969, and one with bothof his parents living through to the present day). Or does the currentreality gradually supersede the "old" memories and the old memoriesfade away? Or do they remain? (hey, in my previous life, I was asingle, alcoholic, bitter, jaded cop and now I have a family)?I guess that both Frank and John could look at it this way: We eachcame close to death and cheated it by an amazing set of coincidences;let's make the most of the life we have left. In the end, that's goodadvice for all of us.
I hate it when a movie blows my socks off to the point where I'm the first guy in line when it's out in stores, but dosen't do well in theatres. Dennis Quaid makes an amazing return to the silver screen in a beautiful movie all about time travel. One of my favourite subjects. The intensity between father and son when it's discoverd they can talk through time is simply awe inspiring. I had not known who James Caviezel was before veiwing the film and immediatly did a background check, the man is gifted and I hope Hollywood gives him his due. If you like movies that show you the same place and two different times then this is the right film for you.
THE NUTSHELL: In 1969 New York City, as the "Miracle Mets" are poised forWorld Series greatness, hero firefighter Frank Sullivan (Dennis Quaid) likesto spend free time at night talking to the world on his ham radio. In 1999,his son Jack (Jim Caviezal) still lives in the house. His mom is now a widowof 30 years who lives alone elsewhere. Without his dad for guidance allthose years, Jack is now a semi-drunk cop losing his girlfriend. In both '69and '99 a spectacular display of the aurora borealis lights up the big Appleskyline. And when Jack turns on his dead dad's radio, Frank's voice comesover the ether and decades between them. Somehow they can talk across time.Unfortunately, Jack can also warn Frank about his imminent demise and savehis life. The consequences of that action begin to affect Jack's present andthey must now try to undo the damage it does.The cause and effect relationship is the usual theme of any film that dealswith time travel. FREQUENCY eschews the oft-used device of a time machine infavor of some sort of worm hole tied to solar flares, but the rest is prettystandard for the most part. The classic story from science fiction is of thehunting party that goes back to the age of the Thundering Lizards to killT-Rex's. The hunters are told to stay on a special path, but one stupidlysteps off for just a second to (not kidding) smell a flower. When he returnsto the present, everything has changed including language. He finds abutterfly pancaked to the bottom of his boot. The big difference between stories of that ilk and FREQUENCY is that anychange is looked upon as extremely verboten because of those consequences inmost stories and in the movie they are viewed as little fires that just needstomping out for all to return to peace. Because the link between presentand past is exactly 30 years and moves ahead concurrently with time, Jackand Frank cannot undo anything by simply going back and starting over. Theymust use their wits to overcome all setbacks as they occur.When a movie tries so earnestly as FREQUENCY does to be a crowd pleaser,pointing out its weaknesses is something akin to spanking a puppy who'smisbehaving. Gregory Hoblit and Toby Emmerich, the director and writerrespectively, try a juggling act between the three balls of logic-defyingplot, cleaver plot twists and feeding audience expectations. By keeping thestory moving pretty quickly and physically cutting it down to short shots,the audience isn't given much time to ponder the inexplicable. They alsotrust that the audience doesn't need to be spoon-fed some loopy reason whyit's possible. For instance, even though there's a set-up for it that suggests it wastaken out, neither Jack or Frank seek out help from the Eminent Scientist InThe Field to explain how the premise is possible. Probably because saidscientist would then be compelled by the Official Handbook of Obvious MovieDialogue to warn of the consequences, ala the dinosaur-hunting story above.Very little time is spent waiting for the characters to accept that what ishappening is possible. Little or no mention is made of the fact that this isthe fall after man had just walked on the moon, making just about anythingseem possible. The filmmakers understand that it's highly unlikely thatanyone watching the film could have arrived in their seats without at leastsome vague notion that communication across time will be part of the story.As with any film made by bright storytellers, the biggest problem withFREQUENCY is the flip-flops it makes between respecting the audience'sintelligence and insulting it. To example the former: a crucial bit ofinformation that will later explain why 3 women become 10 (excuse thevagueness, but more info would spoil it for first time viewers) is socasually presented many will miss it if they look down to get their soda.But later, a rescue in a burning warehouse begs credulity as Quaid goes fromBrave to Super Fireman. It's best not to think too long over the logicconcerning the changing past and present. For those who like a good Guilty Pleasure, FREQUENCY is the perfect film ofthat sort. It has a nice balance of original premise, exciting sequences andpull-on-the-heartstrings moments between a father and son who were robbed ofgrowing up together. Similar, but not nearly as good as the superb FIELD OFDREAMS. Be warned, it will fall apart if you begin to dissect the timetravel aspect after seeing it. A willing suspension of belief is a bigrequirement of watching FREQUENCY. RECOMMENDATION: you can skip thetheatrical release, but well worth a look on a slow video rentalnight.
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