The Last of the High Kings (1996)

It is 1977, Dublin rocks to the music of Thin Lizzy and the world is stunned by the death of Elvis Presley. Frankie, caught between acne and adulthood, has just completed his final exams in... See full summary »

Director:

David Keating

Writers:

Gabriel Byrne, David Keating,

Stars:

Catherine O'Hara, Jared Leto, Christina Ricci

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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 (as Ciaran Fitzgerald)
Renee Weldon	...	Maggie Griffin
Des Braiden	...	Teacher (as Des Braden)
Darren Monks	...	Davy Dudley
Peter Keating	...	Ray Griffin

Storyline

It is 1977, Dublin rocks to the music of Thin Lizzy and the world is stunned by the death of Elvis Presley. Frankie, caught between acne and adulthood, has just completed his final exams in school. Convinced he will fail, he survives the summer organising a beach party, having lustful thoughts about two girls he believes are unobtainable and fending off the advances from a visiting American family friend, all whilst coping with his oddball family.

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Plot Keywords:

death | death of elvis presley | exam | american | friend | 

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Taglines:

When school ends... and life begins.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Details

Official Sites:

Miramax

Country:

Denmark Ireland UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 April 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

Summer Fling

Filming Locations:

Cape Breton Highlands, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada

Company Credits

Production Co:

Irish Film Board, Nordisk Film, Northolme Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Director David Keating met with hundreds of young actors and conducted casting sessions in Ireland, England and America to find the right actor to play Frankie.

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Goofs

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.

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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. How absolute was Louis the Fourteenth? Absolutely no idea. Ah, God, I've ruined my life before it's even started. They might as well take me out and shoot me. If I fail, I'm gonna have to get a job. I'm not cut out for ...

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Connections

References Carrie (1976)

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Soundtracks

"Blackbird"
Performed by Sharon Shannon and Donal Lunny

User Reviews

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.