Frankie And Johnny (1991)

A middle aged ex-con (Al Pacino) by the name of Johnny answers an ad for a short order cook at a small diner. He's hired and begins romancing an emotionally scarred waitress (Michelle Pfeiffer) called Frankie. Based on the play FRANKIE AND JOHNNY IN THE CLAIR DE LUNE by Terrence McNally (who adapted it for the screen) and directed by Garry Marshall (PRETTY WOMAN). McNally may have adapted his play for the screen but it's still all wrong. The play had only two characters and took place in a one bedroom apartment. The movie adds a bunch of new characters, most of them cliches like the gay best friend (Nathan Lane) and the tough broad (Kate Nelligan) with a heart of gold. But McNally's play, unlike the film, wasn't a romantic comedy. It was about two lonely middle aged people. In the original play, they were played by Kathy Bates and F. Murray Abraham, fine actors but average looking. The film gives us bona fide movie stars in the parts which throws everything off kilter. They try to diminish Pfeiffer's porcelain beauty with little success but don't even bother to tone down Pacino's sexy bad boy. So what are we left with? With Garry Marshall at the helm, we get a slick well acted piece of commercial cinema with a not very convincing storyline. They may be miscast but you can't fault Pacino and Pfeiffer's performances. I suppose if one were not familiar with the source material (I've read it but never seen it performed), it might work better. With Hector Elizondo and Jane Morris.