 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Frequency
- Review Date: May 19, 2003
- PG-13
- Genre: Thriller
- 2000
Common Sense Media says
Scary, tense, grisly mystery-thriller.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that there are some very tense scenes, with characters in peril, and that there are some grisly shots of dead bodies. A character drinks to anesthetize sorrow. There is a lot of smoking, though the movie makes it clear that smoking leads to lung cancer.
What's the story?
John (James Caviezel), a policeman, is deeply sad in a way that isolates him from everyone around him, because of the loss of his firefighter father, Frank, 30 years ago. When John is able to talk to Frank (Dennis Quaid) over his old ham radio, John saves his father's life by warning him to turn the other way when trying trying to escape a fire. But in changing history, John and Frank have set into motion a chain of events that will result in an even deeper tragedy. The policeman and the fireman, 30 years apart, try to track a killer before he strikes very close to home. As every event in 1969 has ripple effects into 1999, only John can remember all of the parallel strands. Old newspaper clippings change before his eyes, and events from 30 years before change the way he sees the world in the present. Like George Bailey in It's a Wonderful Life, John gets to see how one person can make all the difference.
Is it any good?
In FREQUENCY, Caviezel perfectly conveys John's sense of loss and his integrity, subtly showing us how each set of experiences affected his behavior and his life in a different way. His talks with Frank are very moving. Quaid has his best role since The Big Easy and gets a chance to let viewers see his enormous charm in the character's devotion to his family and his job. As Frank's wife/John's mom, Elizabeth Mitchell is lovely, warm, and, in a scene with André Braugher as Frank's policeman friend, as strong and determined as her husband and son.
That said, things do get pretty confusing. This is one of those movies where the audience walks out saying things like, "Wait a minute! You mean when the guy came down the stairs it meant ... ?" "How did that other guy get there?" But it's good enough that, like The Sixth Sense, fans may want to watch again just to straighten it all out. Warning, though: It has some of the worst old-age make-up ever.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about the interconnectedness of everything we do -- and don't do. Talk about the way that John and Frank made their talks about baseball into a way for them to feel close to one another. Watching this movie can also be a good opportunity to talk about how we tend to take precious family connections for granted until they're gone, and to ask family members what they'd say or ask if they had a chance to talk to someone close to them who has died. It can also be a good opportunity to remind us to say those things now, while we can.
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AGE
Superb, Scary Thriller with a Great Cast.
Parents: i am gogint o say right away that this should have been rated R for Violence and Disturbing Images. It is extremely intense with much peril and death. The performances are great, especially from Dennis Quiad and Jim Caviezel. Very good; very scary.
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AGE
One of my favs!
One of my all-time favorite movies!
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AGE
PLOT. SUSPENSE. ACTION. MESSAGE. ALL-iN-ONE MOViE!
REALLYYYYYY GREAT!!! LOVED THIS MOVIE! CAN'T SAY ENOUGH! (so I won't waste either of our time going on and on about how amazing it was. GO SEE IT for yourself.)
(of the three things I rated as 'you should know...' it's not "too much" of whatever...just be aware that it is there. It's part of the setting.)
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AGE
Great movie
I would recommend this to all 14+ people. Good morals
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AGE
Good caring son. cool fight scenes. REALLY GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!
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AGE
Only for 15 and up
Scary and grisly images, graphic violence at parts and some intense themes.
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AGE
Great for Tweens and teens
Loved it!! Some uses of "oh my god" and "b--ch" and "a--" but thats it
Rated 12+ because little kids won't get the plot :)
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AGE
great movie! 5 stars
Best movie I've ever seen! Might be too scary for kids under 13.
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| Studio: | New Line |
| Director: | Gregory Hoblit |
| Cast: | Dennis Quaid, Elizabeth Mitchell, James Caviezel |
| Genre: | Thriller |
| Run time: | 118 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | April 28, 2000 |
| DVD release date: | October 31, 2000 |
| MPAA rating: | PG-13 |
| MPAA explanation: | language, intense and gory scenes, peril, and violence |
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