Halle Berry’s latest vehicle is old-fashioned as a leisure suit, but better-looking and a lot more fun. She’s Frankie, a stripper in early 1970s Los Angeles grappling with two other personalities: a little girl, and a racist white woman.
Stellan Skarsgård plays Frankie’s shrink, and his gently rasping voice could coax anyone back to sanity. Berry plays both tough heroine and villain; this is supposed to be a true story, but it’s also an actor’s dream.
It’s predictable, down to the straitjacket and the hypnosis. But the soul music and the costumes groove you along, while director Geoffrey Sax’s misty shots of grungy streets show why some people miss the ’70s.
“Frankie & Alice” has been shelved since 2010 for reasons no one can explain — this movie has wit, and tenderness and Halle Berry. Be glad it’s arrived.