Certificate:15
Running time: 95 minutes
Starring: Paul Bettany, Sophia Lillis, Peter Macdissi, Steve Zahn, Judy Greer, Margo Martindale
Directed by: Alan Ball
The story: In 1970's South Carolina, eighteen year old Beth is looking forward to leaving for New York University where her Uncle Frank works as a professor. Both the odd ones out in the family, Beth discovers that Frank is keeping a big secret when they end up on an unexpected road trip together.
The verdict: Both a coming of age film and a coming out film, Uncle Frank is a film which arrived on streaming services with little fanfare. This is a shame as it features Paul Bettany and Peter Macdissi in two standout performances.
Uncle Frank is billed as a road trip movie but essentially not that much happens whilst on the road, the real drama is based around the family's home in the small town of Creekville and in New York where both Beth and Frank reside.
I always think that it is a little unfair and possibly very presumptuous to say that a film will appeal more to a certain audience or hit a certain audience harder, however in the case of Uncle Frank there is definitely something to be said for being able to relate to the material on a personal level. Although I enjoyed this film, it was when I was able to relate to what was happening that it really hit me and it hit me hard. By the end, I did find that I had tears rolling down my cheeks.
Uncle Frank is a film that does visit a lot of genres. As mentioned above it is both a drama and a road movie, but it also has comedic moments. The drama does switch from more light-hearted drama to very serious drama, and sometimes that does not always work and feels a little contrived. Uncle Frank fits in several storyline threads and I could not help but think that there were two films in one here.
However, at ninety-five minutes, Uncle Frank is well paced and engaging. Along with good performances and a touching third act, this was a film that I had minimal expectation of but that I ended up finding a lot to like about.
The rating: ★★★ and a half
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