In 1973, 18-year-old Beth Bledsoe moves from her home in Creekville, South Carolina, to attend college in New York City. Her uncle Frank Bledsoe is a college professor there, and is the relative she feels closest to as he is more refined and thoughtful than the rest of the family.... (Full plot summary below)
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In 1973, 18-year-old Beth Bledsoe moves from her home in Creekville, South Carolina, to attend college in New York City. Her uncle Frank Bledsoe is a college professor there, and is the relative she feels closest to as he is more refined and thoughtful than the rest of the family.
Leave your thoughts about Uncle Frank.
| Boston GlobeTy BurrThe movie rarely takes the easy way out of a scene, and the observational details can be rich. |
| Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperWhen the material in Uncle Frank wades into soapy, melodramatic waters, the performances are pure and powerful. |
| Film ThreatLorry KiktaThere are some intense, heartbreaking moments in this film, but I am glad to say that the ending is not as sad as it could have been. |
| The Film StageDan MeccaFor the first half of the picture, Bettany’s soft, contemplative performance investigates Frank’s self-hatred with such beauty that the re-introduction of the rest of the family feels like a detriment, despite the talent of the cast. |
| VarietyDennis HarveyUncle Frank recalls plenty of prior coming-out (and coming-of-age) sagas, but revisits their familiar terrain with a confident and skilled mix of humor and character-dynamic shorthand. |
| Wall Street JournalJohn AndersonUncle Frank feels like a memoir, and also feels extraordinarily true, and fresh, thanks to the untrammeled terrain it visits, at least in New York. |
| Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzBettany is outstanding. He infuses Frank with just the right amount of inner turmoil and confusion as he tries to balance his love for his family with the wounds they have inflicted upon him — and as he tries to come to terms with his own identity among them. |
| Austin ChronicleRichard WhittakerUncle Frank revolves around Uncle Frank, and Bettany's career-great performance as a man who knows where the gaps are in his life, and how much his whole relationship with his family is about holding his breath. |
| EmpireBen TravisIts mix of coming-of-age and homecoming stories doesn’t fully gel, but Uncle Frank is a funny and entertaining road movie with likeable performances – just brace for a closing dollop of sentimentality. |
| Los Angeles TimesGary GoldsteinA finely acted, often deeply emotional period piece that, despite its share of strong moments, stacks the deck too much for its own dramatic good. |
