Frankie and Johnny (1991)

Frankie and Johnny is a 1991 American drama film directed by Garry Marshall, and starring Al Pacino and Michelle Pfeiffer in their first film together since Scarface (1983). Héctor Elizondo, Nathan Lane and Kate Nelligan appeared in supporting roles. The original score was composed by Marvin Hamlisch.

The screenplay for Frankie and Johnny was adapted by Terrence McNally from his own off-Broadway play Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune (1987), which featured Kenneth Welsh and Kathy Bates. The most notable alteration in the film was the addition of several supporting characters and various locations; in the original play, only the two eponymous characters appeared onstage, and the entire drama took place in one apartment.

The title is a reference to the traditional American popular song 'Frankie and Johnny', first published in 1904, which tells the story of a woman who finds her man making love to another woman and shoots him dead.

Another film of the same name, Frankie and Johnny (1966) starring Elvis Presley and Donna Douglas, takes its name from the song but is in no other way related to this film.

Synopsis

Johnny (Pacino) is a middle-aged man, just released from prison who's looking for a job. He's hired as a short-order cook in a local diner where he meets Frankie, a pretty but emotionally damaged waitress who is trying to move on with her life after getting out of an abusive relationship just a couple years prior to the start of the film. Her only friends seem to be her friendly gay neighbor Tim (Lane) and her fellow waitresses at the diner. Johnny attempts to win Frankie's heart but quickly realizes it will be quite a challenge in this true-to-life romantic dramedy.

Actors