Frankie and Johnny

R

Released Oct 11, 1991

1h 58m

Romance

Comedy

List

69%

35 Reviews

Tomatometer

68%

10,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

When Johnny (Al Pacino) is released from prison following a forgery charge, he quickly lands a job as a short-order cook at a New York diner. Following a brief fling with waitress Cora (Kate Nelligan), Frankie develops an attraction for Cora's friend and fellow waitress Frankie (Michelle Pfeiffer). While Frankie resists Johnny's charms initially, she eventually relents when her best friend, Tim (Nathan Lane), persuades her to give Johnny a chance.

Read More

Read Less

Watch on Fandango at Home

Premiered Mar 05

Buy Now

Fandango at Home

Prime Video

Rent Frankie and Johnny on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, or buy it on Fandango at Home, Prime Video.

Anonymous P

I think movie is pretty romantic with the poetic aspects and wear and tear of a characters past life and it's aspect on current scenarios.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/15/24

Full Review

isla s

This is a fairly ordinary film - a nice enough type of a film, although with a good cast. Its perfectly watchable but certainly nothing memorable. Its also quite cheesy. If you like a cheesy and sentimental film then you'll likely find this ok but otherwise, its not really notable. Its fairly intriguing in terms of just seeing the (potential?) chemistry between Pfeiffer and Pacino, certainly but it felt a bit like a TV film and so its not the sort of thing I'd be keen to watch again. Its an ok film overall but no more and I wouldn't expressly recommend it as such, no.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

kevin c

Al Pacino plays a man just out of prison, where he was a stellar cook, and gets a job at a New York diner where he meets and is quickly enamoured by tough as nails waitress played by Michelle Pfeiffer. Sparks and conflicts fly as their relationship takes stutter steps. Costars Nathan Lane and Hector Elizondo. Pacino and Pfeiffer are great as expected in their roles.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Al Pacino is not himself in this interesting romantic dramedy. ‘Frankie And Johnny' stars Al Pacino and Michelle Phieffler as two troubled people who eventually become good friends and get to know each other. Pacino plays a hopeless romantic called Johnny who was a previous convict, and Phiffler plays Frankie, a woman who had just undergone domestic abuse from her ex husband. It's odd seeing Pacino playing a romantic lead (save The Panic In Needle Park), especially one who is not a jerk. Al Pacino has been renowned for playing jerks and unlikeable people in his films but here, he's strangely likeable and happy go lucky. Phiffler's character is kind of a shrew albeit one that has a tragic backstory to make her standoffish. Pheiffler has played a variety of different characters in a variety of different films so it isn't too shocking to see her play in romantic comedy as Phieffler doesn't have the type of character she is seen as. It's the same thing with ‘Destination Wedding'. It was odd seeing Keanu Reeves in that film as a romantic lead but easier to buy Winona Ryder as a romantic lead as she excels in a lot of different roles given to her. So is it a bad thing that Al Pacino is not himself in ‘Frankie And Johnny'? No. It's refreshing to see Pacino break type like this and the only downside is that Pacino better known for his other against type role in ‘Scent Of A Woman' as a blind retired war veteran. And even then, that role in ‘Scent Of A Woman' is not too different from his other roles as he's also unlikeable albeit subverted as he does become likeable later on. Nonetheless, it's still considered Pacino's most well known against-type role as he had previously been associated with playing gangsters and cops like Robert De Niro. Pacino is still a very charismatic against-type in ‘Frankie And Johnny' however. Some people have complained that both Pacino and Phiffler are too good looking to play troubled people. I don't think it really bothers when each turn in a great performance. The music in this film also plays a good role. Pacino makes references to the song ‘Frankie And Johnny', a traditional song. And in the climax, Pacino and Phiffler make out with Clair De Lune and Pacino even tries to cheer up Phiffler by playing the song again. In conclusion this romantic dramedy works thanks to how quirky and unconventional it is.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/10/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Play of M. Pfiffer was very charming, natural and delicate but A. Pachino 's line was too homogeneous uniformed from the beginning till end. . His so immediate falling in love with her wasn't convincing . Atmosphere of this movie I liked very much, it reminded me slow and vibrant flows of Woody Allen movies.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/18/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Just the right amount of Al Pacino ham.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/21/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Post a rating

Garry Marshall

Director

Al Pacino

Johnny

Michelle Pfeiffer

Frankie

Héctor Elizondo

Nick

Nathan Lane

Tim

Kate Nelligan

Cora

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

Frankie and Johnny: Official Clip - She Was Just Asking Me Out

2:09

Frankie and Johnny: Official Clip - Open Your Robe

2:11

Frankie and Johnny: Official Clip - Talk About a Load Off

1:56

Frankie and Johnny: Official Clip - When the Bad Comes Again

2:12

Frankie and Johnny: Official Clip - Does It Have To Be Tonight?

2:04

Frankie and Johnny: Official Clip - Johnny's Got a Job

2:09

Frankie and Johnny: Official Clip - He Just Asked Her Out

2:12

Frankie and Johnny: Official Clip - I Have a Cousin Who's Gay

2:11

View more videos

72%

86%

Shirley Valentine

48%

59%

Boomerang

TRAILER

for Boomerang

6%

19%

A Smile Like Yours

10%

45%

The Marrying Man

45%

53%

The Rachel Papers

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Michelle Pfeiffer’s 10 Best Movies

View more photos

Henry Sheehan

Chicago Reader

But this is more than just an irritating movie; it's a disappointing one.

Rated: 2/4

Jan 26, 2019

Full Review

Gene Siskel

Chicago Tribune

Our Flick of the Week is ''Frankie & Johnny,'' which manages to work as a sudsy romantic picture about big city loneliness despite an awkward performance by Al Pacino in the role of a hash-house dispenser of wisdom.

Rated: 3/4

Jan 26, 2019

Full Review

Kenneth Turan

Los Angeles Times

Chances are you'll have a good time with "Frankie & Johnny," but you won't respect yourself in the morning. It's that kind of movie.

Jan 26, 2019

Full Review

Rene Jordan

El Nuevo Herald (Miami)

This beautiful, and touching film seems to say that even a potato can become a rose if its treated with imagination and provided with poetry. [Full review in Spanish]

Dec 29, 2022

Full Review

Common Sense Media Editors

Common Sense Media

A little less hamfisting would have made this a cosier watch, but hey, subtlety was never on the menu.

Rated: 3/5

Dec 14, 2022

Full Review

Edward Porter

Sunday Times (UK)

The starry casting highlights the corn in the film’s attempted realism, but it also makes the whole thing irresistible.

Nov 7, 2022

Full Review

Read all reviews

Synopsis

When Johnny (Al Pacino) is released from prison following a forgery charge, he quickly lands a job as a short-order cook at a New York diner. Following a brief fling with waitress Cora (Kate Nelligan), Frankie develops an attraction for Cora's friend and fellow waitress Frankie (Michelle Pfeiffer). While Frankie resists Johnny's charms initially, she eventually relents when her best friend, Tim (Nathan Lane), persuades her to give Johnny a chance.

Director: Garry Marshall
Producer: Michael Lloyd, Charles Mulvehill, Alexandra Rose
Screenwriter: Terrence McNally
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Production Co: Paramount Pictures
Rating: R
Genre: Romance, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 11, 1991, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 1, 2011
Box Office (Gross USA): $21.5M
Runtime: 1h 58m
Sound Mix: Surround

Most Popular at Home Now