The Last of the High Kings (1996)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

David Keating

Writers:

Gabriel Byrne (writer)
David Keating (writer)

Release Date:

10 April 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

When school ends... and life begins.

Plot:

It is 1977, Dublin rocks to the music of Thin Lizzy and the world is stunned by the death of Elvis Presley...

Plot Keywords:

Coming Of Age | Political | Absent Father | Actor | Beach Party

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Catherine O'Hara	...	Cathleen
Jared Leto	...	Frankie Griffin
Christina Ricci	...	Erin
Gabriel Byrne	...	Jack Griffin
Stephen Rea	...	Cab Driver
Colm Meaney	...	Jim Davern
Lorraine Pilkington	...	Jayne Wayne
Jason Barry	...	Nelson Fitzgerald
Emily Mortimer	...	Romy Thomas
Karl Hayden	...	Hopper Delaney
Ciarán Fitzgerald	...	Noelie Griffin
Des Braiden	...	Teacher
Darren Monks	...	Davy Dudley
Peter Keating	...	Ray Griffin
Alexandra Haughey	...	Dawn Griffin

Also Known As:

Summer Fling (USA) (video title)

MPAA:

Rated R for sexuality, brief language, and some drug use.

Runtime:

Argentina:102 min | Spain:102 min | UK:104 min

Country:

Denmark | Ireland | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | Finland:K-12 | Singapore:PG | Spain:13 | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Cape Breton Highlands, Nova Scotia, Canada

Company:

Nordisk Film

Goofs:

Anachronisms: When the boys go to get drinks for everyone after the election, one of the bottles of alcohol is Malibu brand rum, which was not distributed world wide until the early 1980s.

Quotes:

Frankie: It feels like a badger died in my mouth.

Movie Connections:

References "Whicker's World" (1959)

Soundtrack:

The Happy One Step

A better slant on coming of age stories.

A coming of age story for people who don't usually like coming of age stories, unfortunately renamed for American audiences a Summer Fling, which it is not about at all. Nor is it really much of a coming of age movie, in the sense the strongest character is the proddy hating Irish Catholic mother, played by Catherine O'Hara, a red haired overly political passionate nutcase who steals the movie from the kids. The kids, by the way, are interesting, amusing, and not idiotic, like those found in most Hollywood comedies. I found the movie entertaining and I appreciated not being patronized. If you're looking for something light, a little Irish, and a pleasant way to pass the time, check this out.