Uncle Frank

R

2020

1 hr. 35 min.

Drama

LGBTQ+

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List

77%

122 Reviews

Tomatometer

83%

500+ Ratings

Audience Score

In 1973, teenaged Beth Bledsoe (Sophia Lillis) leaves her rural Southern hometown to study at New York University where her beloved Uncle Frank (Paul Bettany) is a revered literature professor. She soon discovers that Frank is gay, and living with his longtime partner Walid “Wally” Nadeem (Peter Macdissi) -- an arrangement that he has kept secret for years. After the sudden death of Frank's father -- Beth’s grandfather -- Frank is forced to reluctantly return home for the funeral with Beth in tow, and to finally face a long-buried trauma that he has spent his entire adult life running away from.

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Critics Consensus

Uncle Frank finds writer-director Alan Ball still untangling the modern American family dynamic, aided by standout work from Paul Bettany and Sophia Lillis.

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PridePosterStudios

Beth “Mr Jiggerson? But he’s so…religious?” Frank: “HA”

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

04/24/24

Full Review

Mark F

Beautifully written, marvelously acted, and with wonderful cinematography, I can't say enough good things.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

05/02/23

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Audience Member

Heart-warming drama that put a smile on your face

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/03/23

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isla s

I expected this to be more of a carefree, funny road trip type of a film than the LGBT guy seeking family acceptance tale that it definitely is. I do appreciate the message and it has a good cast and everything but its certainly cheesy and a bit predictable perhaps...not entirely original and I'm not sure I'd personally categorise it primarily as a comedy. I'd say its more a drama. Its an ok film, yes but nothing amazing really.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Paul M

What a wonderfully sweet and poignant exploration of Frank, a middle aged gay man as he navigates through a relationship with his lover of ten years and his facing the consequences of his disapproving father and his unsuspecting family. Woven into the story is Frank remembering his first love as a teenager and how his father's influence upon catching him with his teen love forever changed Frank's life. It's great to see gay characters who are just regular guys and not the over-the-top flamboyant characters Hollywood loves to push out onto movie audiences. This one is a gem.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/24/22

Full Review

Audience Member

patronizing with little character development

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

01/14/23

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Alan Ball

Director

Paul Bettany

Frank Bledsoe

Sophia Lillis

Beth Bledsoe

Peter Macdissi

Walid "Wally"

Steve Zahn

Mike Bledsoe

Judy Greer

Kitty Bledsoe

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Uncle Frank: Movie Clip - We Can Take Turns Driving

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Uncle Frank: Movie Clip

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Uncle Frank: Trailer 1

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Mark Kermode

Kermode & Mayo's Film Review

I thought this is the best performance [Paul Bettany's] given since Gangster No. 1... secondly it's really funny.

Dec 2, 2020

Full Review

Richard Whittaker

Austin Chronicle

Uncle Frank revolves around Uncle Frank, and Bettany's career-great performance as a man who knows where the gaps are in his life, and how much his whole relationship with his family is about holding his breath.

Dec 1, 2020

Full Review

Kevin Maher

Times (UK)

Even Paul Bettany firing on all available cylinders can't quite save this mixed-bag melodrama from its flimsiness.

Rated: 2/5

Nov 29, 2020

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Michael Cuby

them.

Uncle Frank is sure to be one of Amazon’s future awards season players.

Sep 28, 2022

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Tom O'Brien

Next Best Picture

It's a film with too many instances where characters do completely out-of-character actions simply to advance the plot.

Rated: 5/10

Jun 14, 2022

Full Review

John Paul King

Washington Blade

Solid, compassionate, accessible film that pleases.

May 20, 2022

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Synopsis

In 1973, teenaged Beth Bledsoe (Sophia Lillis) leaves her rural Southern hometown to study at New York University where her beloved Uncle Frank (Paul Bettany) is a revered literature professor. She soon discovers that Frank is gay, and living with his longtime partner Walid “Wally” Nadeem (Peter Macdissi) -- an arrangement that he has kept secret for years. After the sudden death of Frank's father -- Beth’s grandfather -- Frank is forced to reluctantly return home for the funeral with Beth in tow, and to finally face a long-buried trauma that he has spent his entire adult life running away from.

Director: Alan Ball
Executive Producer: Isaac Ericson, Andrew Golov, Bob Osher, Josh Peters
Screenwriter: Alan Ball
Production Co: Miramax, Parts and Labor, Amazon Studios, Your Face Goes Here Entertainment
Rating: R (Drug Use|Some Sexual References|Language)
Genre: Drama, LGBTQ+
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 25, 2020
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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