From NetFlix:

Faced with the prospect of raising her son, Frankie (Jack McElhone), with a good-for-nothing man, the resourceful Lizzie (Emily Mortimer) spirits him away to Scotland with good intentions and pretends the boy’s father is aboard the HMS Accra. But after years of Lizzie’s skillful lying, the jig is up when Frankie learns the ship is docked right by their home. Now, the only way to protect Frankie’s heart is to find a man willing to pose as his dad.

“Dear Frankie” is one of my favorite films and I’m not sure why. Perhaps I feel sorry for the mother and son on the run from an abusive father. Perhaps the way a stanger enters their life to help out in a bad situation is touching. At any rate it is a quiet film with some very poignant moments.

You will recognize Emily Mortimer as one of the Rachels in “Shutter Island”. Gerard Butler plays the stranger. Considering his slide into mediocre potboilers, this might be one of Butler’s best films. The fighting scenes between Frankie’s parents could be too much for children to watch.