Uncle Frank is a movie where the performances rule.
The film's occasional tendency to be too pat and overly melodramatic can easily
be forgiven because the performances are so good.
It's the early part of the 1970s, and Frank Bledsoe (Paul
Bettany) is a college literature professor and recovering alcoholic living in
New York. He also happens to be gay. He is adored by his niece, Beth (Sophia
Lillis), but not so much by his conservative family in South Carolina. When his
father (Stephen Root) dies, Frank and Beth have to take a road trip back home
for the funeral, where Frank will have to face his painful past.
As mentioned, the film has a few melodramatic moments, but
it never tips over into ridiculousness. Writer/director Alan Ball (screenwriter
of American Beauty and creator of Six Feet Under and True
Blood) has created a very affecting movie here.
Frank's partner, Wally (Peter Macdissi), is the comic
relief, but he is more than a wacky gay caricature, so audiences in Middle
America can digest the film more easily. Macdissi's performance is good, and
Ball has written scenes between Frank and Wally that are serious and adult.
Bettany's quiet performance is absolutely phenomenal. A
scene late in the movie, when his character visits a grave, is utterly
devastating. Thanks to Ball and Bettany, we completely understand this
character right down to his very soul. And young Lillis once again proves that
she is a real screen presence and a movie star in the making.
Uncle Frank is streaming on Amazon Prime.
