Ironically, this was the second film in a row I saw that got its theatrical release long after being completed. It received a limited awards qualifying run in December of 2010, but didn't see a wide release until just recently. Basically, it was Oscar bait, but the Oscars didn't bite.
The film is not terrible, but neither is it ever truly compelling. Movies like this that focus on a character battling mental illness (in this case, multiple personality disorder) need to really connect with the audience right away to create real dramatic tension. "Frankie & Alice" doesn't manage to do that. It got me to feel, at most, mild interest in where the plot was headed. Halle Berry's performance is, just like the film, blatant awards bait (as most performances by A-list actors playing mental patients are). I haven't been able to decide if there was something in her performance that was too over the top, making it hard to connect with her character, or if the problem was with the script itself. I lean toward the latter. There have been other, better films about similar struggles with mental illness, and with nothing new to offer, the script feels like an unnecessary retread.
I did enjoy Stellan Skarsgard's performance as Berry's psychiatrist. He brought a strong presence to the film and anchored it as well as could be expected. His character was, in some ways, even more of the protagonist. He was, more than anyone else, the character with clear goals he was trying to accomplish. The film was at its most compelling when he was on screen.
Overall, while there is nothing flat out horrendous about the film, there is nothing new or special in it, either. It is the kind of film that would typically escape notice, falling between the cracks of the national cinematic consciousness. Which, considering its delayed release, seems to be exactly what it did.
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