Stephen Frears lies securely in the halls of cinema greatness. In addition to two Oscar nominations for Best Director for The Grifters (1991) and The Queen (2006), Frears’ works have been nominated for and won dozens of Academy and BAFTA awards through the years. Born in Leicester, England, Frears began his career in law before shifting to theater and climbing the ranks of London’s Royal Court as assistant stage manager. Shifting once again, Frears began working as assistant director under Karel Reisz (The French Lieutenant’s Woman) and Lindsay Anderson (If….). He finally breached the world of feature direction with his debut noir-tribute Gumshoe in 1971, and joined the ranks of greatness after 12 years of television work with his LGBTQ+ classic My Beautiful Laundrette in 1985, simultaneously launching the career of current undisputed silver-screen heavy-weight Daniel Day Lewis.
Only a handful of directors has produced such genre staples as Dangerous Liaisons (1988), High Fidelity (2000), and My Beautiful Laundrette, while simultaneously avoiding being pigeonholed to one respective genre.Frears exists on the cusp of a band of elites such as directors Robert Zemeckis and John Hughes, who drive their narratives through powerful lead characters experiencing real-world social and emotional struggle, while remaining tragically, and often tenderly, relevant to their constantly shifting social realities.
Frears continues his streak of highly anticipated work with The Lost King premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival in September, featuring previous collaborator Steve Coogan and Sally Hawkins who are in search for the remains of King Richard III. 2023 will also see the release of yet another likely awards season favorite from Frears with Billy Wilder & Me, per Collider, teaming up once again with her Oscar-winning writer and Dangerous Liaisons’ collaborator Christopher Hampton (TheFather, Atonement) as well as Oscar-winner Christoph Waltz. In the meantime, have a look at some of Stephen Frears’ finest works, ranked.
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8 Prick Up Your Ears
Zenith Entertainment
Prick Up Your Ears follows John Lahr (Wallace Shawn), a biographer writing a book about the tragic love affair between sprouting playwright Joe Orton (Gary Oldman) and mentor Kenneth Halliwell (Alfred Molina). After a short stint in prison for theft and defacing library books, Orton writes a radio play providing him recognition by the BBC and beginning a pattern of jealous, angry outcries by his lover and “mentor” Halliwell. Riding the wake of Oldman’s recognition for his roll as Sid Vicious in Sid and Nancy in 1986, he and Molina soared with audiences and critics alike, earning Oldman a BAFTA nomination for the role. Prick Up Your Ears remains, even today, an unsung queer classic.
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7 Dirty Pretty Things
BBC Films
Knodded as Hitchcockian by some critics, Dirty Pretty Things tells the riveting story of two illegal immigrants working in the frays of a London hotel, thrust into a series of tumultuous events after stumbling upon evidence of a murder in the hotel. Senay (Audrey Tautou), a sex-worker, and Okwe (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a taxi driver, drive this story, highlighting the many exploitations existing for immigrants then and, arguably more so, now. The two harrowing performances from Ejiofor and Tautou feel ever more tangible with every scene, each facing not only the plights of avoiding their deadly pursuers, but facing the impending threat of deportation at every turn. Dirty Pretty Things not only continues to adhere to Frears’ desire to illuminate stories of the socially neglected, but solidified his mastery of storytelling unbound by genre lines and expectations.
6 Philomena
Pathé
Based on a true story as written in the 2009 novel The Lost Child of Philomena Lee, Philomena follows political journalist Martin Sixsmith (Steve Coogan), who is losing his faith in humanity and decides in a last ditch effort to shift his sights to a human-interest story. Sixsmith sets out on a journey to find the son of Philomena Lee (played by Judi Dench), who was taken from her at the age of 15, when she was forced to join a convent. Full to the brim with laughs thanks to the Oscar-nominated script, co-written by Coogan, Philomena not only rekindles Sixsmith’s faith, but the faith of each one of us in ourselves, and the unwavering power of a mother’s love. A buddy road movie, disguised as a human interest piece in and of itself, Philomena functions gloriously on all fronts, and will leave, as the critics say, “not a dry eye in the house”.
5 High Fidelity
Touchstone Pictures
Moving on to what most assuredly wears the crown as Frears’ most notorious cult-classic, enter: High Fidelity. Based on the internationally best-selling novel by Nick Hornby, High Fidelity follows desperate record store owner Rob Gordon (played by John Cusack) as he indulges his compulsion for list-making by revisiting his top five most formative break-ups to better understand his current fizzling relationship. Fortified by the indelible talents of previous collaborator Joan Cusack, as well as Jack Black, Tim Robbins, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Lisa Bonet, and many more, High Fidelity rose to the status genre staple and cult classic in a single blow, providing a rare mirror for men as to how they are perceived in romantic relationships rather than how they perceive them, shaking loose the commonly inaccurate tragic-victim role many men so easily assign themselves — beautifully depicted in John Cusack’s portrayal of Rob Gordon. Though only receiving one BAFTA nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay, co-written by Cusack, with arguably one of the best soundtracks in cinematic history, and inspiring the 2020 comedy-series remake on Hulu, High Fidelity will remain among top lists for music enthusiasts and hopeless romantics for decades to come.
4 The Grifters
Cineplex Odeon Films
Produced by Martin Scorcese, and further deepening Frears’ genre adaptability, The Grifters finally earned Frears his long deserved Best Director Oscar nomination. The director lines up yet another all-star cast featuring Anjelica Huston, Annette Bening, both earning Oscar nominations themselves, as well as John Cusack in the duo’s first collaboration. The Grifters toes a twisted line between its three leads, all high-rolling grifters themselves, with betrayal and deceit lurking around every corner.
3 The Queen
Hailed for its depiction of one of the most influential figures of this century, The Queen depicts the days and months following the death of Princess Diana on August 31, 1997. Beginning with the tragic accident, the subsequent events unveil the tug-of-war between Tony Blair’s Labor Party and the interests of the royal family. Masterfully paced and delicately told, The Queen earned Frears his second Oscar nomination for Best Director, while also scoring four other nominations including Best Picture, and one win for Best Actress for angel-in-disguise, and queen in her own right, Helen Mirren.
2 Dangerous Liaisons
Lorimar Film Entertainment
Closing in on number one, second in command lies firmly in hands of Frears’ most highly regarded work by The Academy: the 1988 classic Dangerous Liaisons. Wrangling seven nominations, including three wins for Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design, and Best Adapted Screenplay, Dangerous Liaisons tells the timeless, steamy tale of lust, seemingly playful deception, and heartbreak, shining bright with legends Glenn Close, Michelle Pfeiffer, and John Malkovich depicting the frivolous romantic deceptions amusing of the French aristocracy of the 1700s. With viciously tongue-in-cheek dialogue reminiscent of the whips and clashes of the rapiers in the climactic duel, and remarkably ornate sets and costumes alike, Dangerous Liaisons shines a necessary light on the cruelty that slithers secretly, entangled in the lives of those with extreme privilege. For millennials and gen-X through Z’ers, you may recognize a similar storyline in the 1999 adaptation Cruel Intentions.
1 My Beautiful Laundrette
Working Title Films
My Beautiful Laundrette lies securely at the top of the list, while simultaneously revisiting the origins of Stephen Frears. This masterwork depicts a shockingly real slice-of-life for the immigrant and queer communities amid Thatcherism in 1980s London. Setting new cinematic standards and tackling racial discrimination and homophobia with a glaze of breathable humor, “prodigious”, “milestone”, and “revelatory” are only a few words use to describe this 1985 classic, and crown prince(cess) of the Frears legacy. My Beautiful Laundrette also charmingly launched the career of the titan in actor’s robes, Daniel Day Lewis, only one of many offerings this picture has provided the film industry and the world.
