Frankie Starlight (1995)

Frankie Starlight (Fine Line, R) Don't be turned off by the twinkly title—this adaptation of Chet Raymo's more aptly named 1993 novel, The Dork of Cork, is a down-to-earth gem. An Irish immigration officer (Gabriel Byrne) and his family take in an unwed French stowaway (La Femme Nikita's Anne Parillaud) during World War II. Her dwarf son, Frankie (Alan Pentony), grows up to be an astrology-loving novelist (Corban Walker) who recounts his family's story in a series of flashbacks. Matt Dillon cruises into the film after the first hour as an American motorcyclist who romances Parillaud. He wrestles with a Texas drawl, but at least he didn't have to tackle an Irish brogue. Director Michael Lindsay-Hogg (codirector of Brideshead Revisited) gives Starlight a warmly burnished look, and he coaxes remarkable performances from newcomers Pentony and Walker. A marvelous little movie. A-