The Last of the High Kings (1996)

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:

Beach | Beach Party | Exam | Party | Brother

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, Cape Breton Island, 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:

[first lines]
Frankie: I had it all planned. College. A place of my own. Hang out all day in cafes with beautiful girls, with legs and blonde hair, that you could talk to about The Stranglers and Hemingway, and who you could spend loads of time in bed with. Instead, I've blown my exams...

Movie Connections:

References Rocky (1976)

Soundtrack:

O'Keefes

Not a coming of age story.

Many people may believe that "Summer Fling" is a coming of age story. From my perception, I see that this movie is about a 17 year old boy growing up in 1977 Dublin, named Frankie Griffin(played by Jared Leto) trying to discover his destination in life. The movie starts out with Frankie taking exams for his completion of school. The results to these exams will play an important matter if either Frankie is going to further his education or has to get a job. Catherine O'Hara plays Frankie's mother, Cathleen, who is very political and devoted to her country. Frankie's father, played by Gabriel Byrne, is a steady stage actor who is a minor influence in Frankie's life and also to the film, but plays an important element in the storyline. Throughout the film, Frankie tries to gain the respect of two protestant girls that Cathleen is not to fond of. However, Christina Ricci plays Erin, a girl who is from America, is of Irish decent, and not protestant. Cathleen welcomes Erin with open arms, and Frankie just ignores her. Many people may think that "Summer Fling" is about a boy who has a fantasy about being in love with one of the two protestant girls. But to everyone's surprise, "Summer Fling" is about a boy who is on his journey into coming into manhood and along the way picking his own path in his life. I believe that this film a great original story that will make you rethink about important matters in your own life and making dreams of your own.