In 1973, perky, pretty New York City student (by way of Creekville, SC) is anxious for her new boyfriend to meet her Uncle Frank, an English professor at their college whom she's adored for years; dropping in unexpectedly during a party at his apartment, she's surprised to discover her favorite uncle has a male lover. Something of a disappointment coming from writer-director Alan Ball, who also co-produced the film for Amazon Studios with his partner, Peter Macdissi, who plays boyfriend Wally. Obviously a project made with taste and style, yet the film is lumpy with exposition (everything is spelled out, either verbally or visually) and the character of Wally never becomes real for us. Macdissi has proven to be an actor of marvelous capabilities, but he's overeager here and off-putting (and this appears to be entirely intentional). Paul Bettany's far-away Frank isn't appealing, either; however, young Sophia Lillis, despite a penchant for overdoing her slow-starting crooked smile, is a charmer. Scene after scene feels half-finished and aloof, though the period flavor is kept subtle and some of the dialogue exchanges have a nice, easy flow. Although the film was initially screened at Sundance, it debuted as an Amazon Prime Video selection and thus garnered an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Television Movie.
Review of Uncle Frank
