"I'm still here, Chief..."

FREQUENCY (PG-13)

Reviewed April 30, 2000 - Check out the Frequency Website.

Studio Synopsis: What if you had the chance to travel back in time and change just one event in your life? What would it be? For John Sullivan (James Caviezel), there is no question. He would undo the events of October 12, 1969, when the out-of-control Bruxton fire took the life of his father Frank (Dennis Quiad), a heroic firefighter.

Ever since he was a kid, John dreamed of being able to stop the tragedy of that fateful day, which set into motion the anger and loneliness that have haunted his adult life as a cop in the 1990s. Now John may get exactly what he has wished for, and more than he bargained for. One day before the anniversary of his father's death, in the midst of the spectacular storm known as the aurora borealis, John Sullivan discovers in the house he inherited his father's old ham radio and begins to play with it. Through the electrical static, he finds himself talking to a man who claims to be a firefighter and who appears to be awaiting the World Series of 1969. Is John really talking to his own living father on the very same day, in the very same house, but exactly three decades ago?

At first neither can believe it, but soon John is carrying on an all-night conversation with his young father, sharing for the first time his deep love and regret over his future death. Yet John realizes that now he may be able to change all that. By alerting Frank to the mistake that cost him his life the first time around, John saves his youthful father from dying in the Bruxton fire. On October 12, 1999, John Sullivan discovers that he now has photographs on his walls of his father as a gray-haired man. By changing the past, the Sullivans have forged a new present. John is ecstatic with his new memories of his father--until he discovers other things have been altered. Subtle changes caused by his father's survival have led to a string of unsolved serial homicides, including the grisly murder of John's mother. Now Frank and John must race against the clock-divided by three decades and connected only by a radio-to prevent a murder that will seal their destinies. And each time Frank changes something in his universe, John wakes up to a whole new reality.

Fuzzydog Review: Frequency is a film that all at once feels oddly familiar and refreshingly original.  Drawing themes from such films as Contact, Field of Dreams and even Backdraft (to name a few), Frequency plugs away in the science-fiction-meets-suspense/mystery genre and, for the most part, it works.  Much of the credit here has to go to Dennis Quiad and James Caviezel for two very likeable performances as father and son, but also to director Gregory Hoblit for keeping the "Twilight Zone" factor under control.  Don't get me wrong, suspension of disbelief is a definite requirement for enjoyment of this story, but Hoblit manages to move the story along in a way that allows one to do this fairly painlessly.  One part father-and-son story and one part murder mystery, Frequency contains enough drama, action, humor and good old fashioned sentimentality to keep things interesting.  The audience I saw the movie with laughed heartily in some places and applauded enthusiastically in others...always a good sign, I say.  Heck, even the Yahoo! joke worked!  (You'll just have to watch it to know what I'm talking about...)

Admittedly, some of the father-son sentimentality gets a bit schmaltzy in this film, particularly during its final minutes.  Overall, however, Frequency is a nicely produced, nicely acted piece that should generally entertain.  Give it a chance if you're up for a little time-bending drama...