Frankie (Mischa Barton) and Hazel (Ingrid Uribe) are best friends in the small town of Percaucus, New Jersey. Frankie--called by some Francesca--is being raised by her grandmother, Phoebe (Joan Plowright); Frankie's parents were killed in a car accident when she was just a baby. Frankie's mother had been a famous ballerina, and Phoebe wants Francesca to follow in that path. But while Francesca does want to continue her ballet studies, Frankie has also joined the Percaucus Pups Little League team, without her grandmother's knowledge. Meanwhile, Hazel has decided to clean up the town, running for mayor against the hapless incumbent who has been in office for 22 years.

FRANKIE AND HAZEL, directed by actress Jobeth Williams (TEACHERS, THE BIG CHILL), is a charming look at the struggles and desires of two girls on the brink of adulthood, trying to find their place in the world. This Showtime original is filled with famous classical music pieces and plenty of baseball, although there are a number of liberties taken with the games as filmed. But the true stars of the movie are the relationships between Frankie and Hazel and Francesca and Phoebe, which poignantly bring to life many of the problems that face teenagers every day.