Slowly, Frank begins to win over the hearts of everyone in the family. Grumpy dad Colin is stuck working during vacation on an ad campaign for Doggie Ciao, a dog food product he is pushing, when all he really wants to do is be a writer. Mom Jennifer is trying hard to get over her dad's death and being at her childhood home is difficult. Anna is simply trying to fit in with the local kids and although she catches the eye of Sean (Brian Burnett), local hottie who works at the soda shop, the small town girls do their best to shut her out. Patrick is just an oddball kid who isn't afraid to have fun and Frank quickly becomes his best friend. Of course, Frank saves the day, not only helping Dad achieve success with his campaign, but bringing the family together like never before.
This is a really predictable movie, with adequate acting but the kids seemed a little over the top - especially in the crying scenes. Garrett Morris (WKRP in Cincinnati) is amusing as the local animal control officer, but Jon Gries disappointed me a little bit. He was just a little silly, but again, perhaps that was the role.
Although I say the film is predictable, sometimes predictable can be nice, especially when it comes to a family friendly film. This is a movie you can pop in and not have to worry about any offensive content for the kiddies. Sure, Dad passes a little gas at times, and there's some innuendo when the dog makes a lot of noise and the landlord thinks Colin has a lady-friend visiting, but that's as rough as it gets. Frank is a bit of a tear-jerker at times, but it has a nice moral to it and it is a sweet story. The special features include a handful of deleted scenes, which added a little to the backstory, plus a music video and a featurette on being on location at Littlebrook Farm, where the film was made. Frank is not bad, but not great and would make a nice little rental to keep the kids busy on a Saturday afternoon.
