Frequency (2000)

Frequency is sometimes referred to as a "tearjerker for men," since it deals movingly with the bonds between a father (Dennis Quaid) and son (Jim Caviezel). But a more complimentary gauge of its power is to compare it to Back to the Future. That's because both films require a major suspension of disbelief for the viewer to swallow the otherwise preposterous time travel conundrums at their core. Once the viewer accepts the framework -- that a rift in the space-time continuum could allow Caviezel to talk to his dead father, 30 years in the past, over ham radio waves -- the enjoyment that follows is pure and unfettered, because the movie stays true to the rules it establishes. Both leads turn in earnest, energetic performances, and the script doesn't fail them. It's the small elements of a cleverly devised time-twister story that really resonate. For example, in one memorable scene, Quaid hides a key piece of evidence that may help his son solve a murder in the floorboards of the house where Caviezel still lives. "Moments later," Caviezel digs it up, covered with dust and cobwebs. Sports fans and New Yorkers will appreciate the nostalgic 1969 the film conjures, when everyone in the borough of Queens was electrified by the "Amazin'" Mets and their appearance in the World Series. It's a tall task to ask any film to duplicate the sublime experience of Back to the Future, but the fact that this is even in the ballpark, so to speak, is a real testament. ~ Derek Armstrong, All Movie Guide