Last Summer in the Hamptons (1995)

Filmed entirely on location in East Hampton, Long Island, "Last Summer in the Hamptons" concerns a large theatrical family spending the last weekend of their summer together at the ... See full summary »

Director:

Henry Jaglom

Writers:

Henry Jaglom, Victoria Foyt

Stars:

Victoria Foyt, Viveca Lindfors, Jon Robin Baitz

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Victoria Foyt	...	Oona Hart
Viveca Lindfors	...	Helena Mora
Jon Robin Baitz	...	Jake Axelrod
Savannah Smith Boucher	...	Suzanne (as Savannah Boucher)
Roscoe Lee Browne	...	Freddy
Andre Gregory	...	Ivan Axelrod
Nick Gregory	...	George
Melissa Leo	...	Trish Axelrod
Roddy McDowall	...	Thomas
Martha Plimpton	...	Chloe Garfield
Ron Rifkin	...	Eli Garfield
Diane Salinger	...	Marian Mora Garfield
Brooke Smith	...	Lois Garfield
Kristoffer Tabori	...	Nick Mora
Holland Taylor	...	Davis Mora Axelrod

Storyline

Filmed entirely on location in East Hampton, Long Island, "Last Summer in the Hamptons" concerns a large theatrical family spending the last weekend of their summer together at the decades-old family retreat which economic circumstances have forced them to put on the market. Victoria Foyt plays a young Hollywood actress whose visit wreaks havoc on the stellar group of family and friends - led by matriarch Viveca Lindfors and made up of an extraordinary mix of prominent New York actors, directors, and playwrights. In the course of a very unusual weekend, comic as well as serious situations arise, and the family's secrets - of which there are many - begin to unravel.

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Plot Keywords:

actress | long island | mother daughter relationship | death in family | written and directed by cast member | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language

Details

Official Sites:

synopsis,bios

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 September 1996 (USA)

Filming Locations:

East Hampton, Long Island, New York, USA

Box Office

Gross:

$402,091 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Jagtoria Films, Rainbow Film Company, The

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Henry Jaglom's inspiration for this movie came from the summers he spent with his parents in the Hamptons on Long Island, mostly involving his father Simon Jaglom (1896-1992), who died in East Hampton at the end of the very last summer. The film is dedicated to his memory.

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Quotes

Jake Axelrod: The dirty little secret of the avant-garde is they are jealous of money.

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Connections

Features Night Unto Night (1949)

User Reviews

Jaglom finally gets it right

This film is a real triumph for Henry Jaglom. It's his first really mature film. His previous works have been patchy, to say the least. Though never uninteresting, as works of art they are flawed by Jaglom's personal fascinations which might not necessarily be shared by others. He's come a long way since his first movie "A Safe Place" where he gathered the likes of Jack Nicholson, Orson Welles and Tuesday Weld, but still managed to produce a confused, over indulgent and basically forgettable film.

However all is forgiven. Jaglom finally gets it right. The characters are truly interesting, more so of course, if you have an interest in the theater. While keenly critical of the often insufferable egos on display, there's an underlying affection for them all which is genuinely winning.

Jaglom has assembled a large, varied and extremely colorful cast playing their characters with a level of identification that it's almost like watching a documentary. After these are actors playing actors, or in the case of Jon Robin Baitz, a playwright playing a playwright. And then there's the luminous Viveca Lindfors at the helm. The scene of her watching her past movies on television and commenting on them, has a touching poignancy.

Lindfors is fascinating to watch. It's a role she must have relished and one far more revealing than she may have realized. While she's wise of life and the theater, she's manipulating, demanding and all in all highly egoistic. Lindfors was a beauty and an undoubtedly very capable actress, particular in her later roles. She made some 100 movies and yet not one of them is in any way remarkable or indeed memorable. Yet to watch her in this semi-documentary role, one senses she has a sense of self importance as an actress not at all related to what was by all accounts a mediocre career.

"Last Summer in the Hamptons" has a sense of celebration about it. While the celebration is the production of Chekov in the garden of wonderful house about to be sold, it's a celebration of the theater itself and the dreams, frustrations and passions of those who are captivated by the illusions and delusions of the theatrical ethos.