Review of Frequency (2000) by Kyle A — 30 Jul 2009

Baseball is a game of fathers and sons. The best movies about the game, like Field of Dreams, For the Love of the Game, and The Natural understand this and thrive on it. Ray Kinsella's own Field of Dreams is not in his cornfield: it's merely having a catch with his dad. For the Love of the Game would not be nearly as effective if director Sam Raimi had not included an opening montage that shows a young Billy Chapel being taught baseball by his dad, and then, when Billy reaches the heights of Major League stardom, showing his dad in the stands, a look of unequaled pride in his eyes. The Natural, of course, ends the same way as Field of Dreams: a father having a catch with his son, passing on his mantle to the next generation, and finally finding true happiness in that most simple and enduring of moments.

But I'm reviewing Frequency, a thriller about time travel and how a father and son must team up to stop a serial killer in both the past and the present. That doesn't sound like it has much to do about baseball. And yet, Frequency is, at its heart, a story about baseball, about the passing on of traditions from generation to generation, and above all, about the relationship between a son and his father.

The main conceit: Johnny Sullivan (played by pre-savior of humanity Jim Caviezel) is a New York city cop whose girlfriend has just left him. His father (Dennis Quaid), a fireman, died 30 years ago trying to save people from a burning building. As the anniversary of his father's death approaches, Johnny discovers an old Ham Radio his dad used to use. He hooks it up and, miraculously, talks to his father at the same exact time 30 years in the past.

It is a hard conceit to swallow, but because the movie's main characters also treat it as such, not really understanding what is happening to them, we are able to relate (though we do get an attempt at an explanation having to do with the Northern Lights). Eventually, Johnny realizes he can tell his dad about his death in the fire, and is able to prevent it. Changing the past has serious consequences in Johnny's present, and it sets off a chain of events that leads a cross-temporal murder mystery, all paralleled with the New York Mets unlikely quest for a World Series ring in 1969.

But again, if the time travel murder mystery does not seem like your cup of tea, don't worry. The crux of this movie is in the relationship between Johnny and his father, one exemplified in the movie's most touching scene, where they simply talk to each other on the Ham radio for hours, discussing everything from the Mets to mortality. Both Caviezel and Quaid are excellent in their respective roles as son and father, showing the nuances of a father-son relationship, as opposed to the idealized version in a film like Field of Dreams. It is a relationship that keeps both men going throughout the movie: like Ray Kinsella, all Johnny wants is to see his father again, and all Johnny's father wants is to protect his son.

It's only fitting that the movie ends with a ballgame.

Side-Notes.

- Movie is supported by Michael Kamen's subtle, dramatic, and at times magical score.

- Special note goes to the great supporting performance of Andre Braugher, as the policeman who exists in both 1969 and 1999, and in both cases has to deal with a Sullivan he thinks is going insane. His moment of realization at a crucial point in the movie is a wonderful acting job, providing just the right touch of disbelief, acceptance, and levity.

- Despite the father-son relationship being the film's strongest points, there are great little time travel touches in various scenes, the most interesting involving a wallet, a desk, and the website Yahoo!