'Uncle Frank' was my first exposure to the work of Alan Ball. I've never found myself exploring any of his television work ('True Blood, 'Six Feet Under'), his 2008 directorial debut, 'Towelhead,' came out too early in my life to be something I would seek out, and I've weirdly never seen his Academy Award-winning work on 'American Beauty.'

That is to say that this is yet another filmmaker with a pretty established reputation coming into the view of a critic with very little proper context behind said reputation. But that wasn't stopping me from being pretty excited by his latest project for Amazon, 'Uncle Frank.' Ball was putting a lot of autobiographical subtext into the film, the cast looked solid, and the trailers were hinting at something optimistic, but hopefully poignant in its themes of LGBTQ acceptance.

At first glance, 'Uncle Frank' is a bit out of its time, a bright, glossy look at acceptance that might have played better just a decade ago. But below the surface, there's certainly something else here, and Alan Ball makes some mostly smart decisions in the storytelling that help it escalate a bit beyond the easy clichés it could have fallen into. It's not the most dynamic or complete picture of this kind of story, but it certainly works well enough and I can respect a lot of its approach.

In 1969, Betty (played by Sophia Lillis) lives with her extended family in Creekville, South Carolina. Betty's uncle, Frank (played by Paul Bettany), is the black sheep of the family, mostly focusing on his career as a literature professor in New York, but enjoying Betty's company whenever he comes home. Frank instills a sense of independence in Betty, encouraging her to see the wider world and not pay too much mind to her family's traditional values.

Four years later, Betty, now going by Beth, is attending her first year at New York University, where Frank is teaching, albeit slightly busy. In an attempt to reconnect with her uncle, she crashes one of his parties that he and his girlfriend are throwing, being let in by Frank's roommate, Wally (played by Peter Macdissi). Beth finds Frank who eventually reveals the truth: he is gay and has been in a relationship with Wally for a decade, unknown to any of their family.

As Beth gets to know Wally, Frank receives a call explaining that Beth's grandfather, Daddy Mac (played by Stephen Root), passed away and asks them to come home for the funeral. Persuaded by Wally, the three of them make the trip to South Carolina, with Frank fearing what his truth means for his family and Beth wanting to give her uncle the same confidence he gave her.

So much of the film's emotional weight rests on Paul Bettany's performance and he absolutely delivers here. He's mostly had the shadows of J.A.R.V.I.S and Vision from the Marvel Cinematic Universe to work off the last few years and he's certainly been compelling enough, although I unfairly forget about the kind of range he can deliver from 'A Beautiful Mind' or even 'Wimbledon.'

Bettany nails the dichotomy of Frank as a character. On the one hand, he can be open, charming, and loving, but he also keeps the right amount of subtle restraint to him as well. He's a character who has seen all too much of what the world thinks of people like him and believes that his upbringing defines him more than any modern maturity, resulting in some absolutely heartbreaking moments.

Not only does this make Frank's individual arc incredibly fascinating, it also offers him a great space to interact with the supporting cast. Sophia Lillis plays Beth much like a co-lead and has more than enough charisma to grab the attention of the audience. We don't get too much into her own development once Frank enters the picture, but she still plays a significant role as Frank's one link left to a relationship with his family. Meanwhile, Peter Macdissi is delightful, and while he sometimes is a little to energized for the film's tone, he makes up for it with a natural chemistry that is just irresistible.

While I'm not too familiar with Alan Ball as a storyteller, I will say that I was impressed with how often he can convey this material. I mentioned earlier how there's a bit of autobiographical influence on here (Ball is openly gay and Macdissi is his real-life partner, as well as a producer on the project) and what comes across feels mostly genuine.

The film really works when it wants to feel smaller, when all of the larger issues to deal with are out of the way and we're just left with the characters. It's why the road trip sequences work so well, with Frank, Wally and Beth feeling like their own surrogate unit and some great, caring conversations throughout.

I've heard some rather on-the-nose comparisons to 2018's 'Green Book' and, while I would absolutely recommend this film over that one, there is something to be said about it. 'Uncle Frank' plays a lot of its drama close to the chest, certainly with grace and purpose to it, but Ball can't help but reach for some of those grand moments.

Those things might have worked a decade ago, but I would like to think that audiences (and societal expectations) at large have become a bit more complex. The kinds of struggles with identity that Frank goes through are complicated, messy, and real, and the steps to get to there shouldn't feel like a checklist.

For as much depth and insight as 'Uncle Frank' tries to go for, the end result is actually a pretty straightforward family drama. Alan Ball certainly delivers on a compelling story with some legitimate emotional heft and performances that I'd almost argue are worth overshadowing any unfocussed subtext. It's not going to rewrite any standards of LGBTQ cinema and I have no idea if it'll have legs in awards season, but nowadays, I'm not going to argue with a movie like this getting attention, especially if when you can tell there's legitimate love behind it.

Overall, I give 'Uncle Frank' 8/10

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