The Last of the High Kings (1996)

An Exercise In Nonsense

Fanciful, disturbing, and wildly original, it announces the arrival of a fresh, bold voice in American cinema.

This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

1977. Awkward teenager Frankie (an excellent and engaging performance by Jared Leto) has just finished his final exams that could lead to him going to college. However, Frankie fears that he may have failed said exams, so he spends the summer pining for two local girls while contending with his eccentric family and trying to figure out exactly what he's going to do with the rest of his life. Director David Keating, who also co-wrote the wry script with Gabriel Byrne, relates the engrossing story at a relaxed pace, offers an affectionate depiction of the 70's era that thankfully doesn't resort to silly kitsch, neatly mines an amusing line in good-natured low-key humor, and astutely nails the bittersweet yearning, confusion, and uncertainty of adolescence verging on adulthood. Moreover, what makes this movie so likable and appealing is the breezy way it just sort of ambles along at a pleasantly laid-back clip, with plenty of well observed moments of warm drama and gentle comedy sprinkled throughout as well as loads of sharp asides at Irish pride, conservatism, and nationalism. The sturdy acting by the able cast keeps the picture on track: Catherine O'Hara almost steals the whole show with her spirited portrayal of Frankie's fiery and domineering mother Cathleen, Christina Ricci makes the most out of her regrettably minor role as bubbly and radiant American Erin, Byrne registers well as Frankie's colorful actor father Jack, Colm Meaney impresses as smug politician Jim Davern, and Stephen Rea has a funny bit as a gregarious cab driver with a knack for telling tale tales. In addition, there are praiseworthy contributions from Lorraine Pilkington as the saucy and vibrant Jayne Wayne, Jason Berry as loyal friend Nelson Fitzgerald, and Emily Mortimer as the pretty and charming Romy Thomas. Bernd Heinl's crisp cinematography provides a pleasing sunny look. Michael Conventino's jaunty harmonic score and the choice rock soundtrack are fine as well. A nice little film.

I mean, it wasn't even a decent metaphor for anything. The plot had elements that could have been interesting, but I didn't care about any of the characters. Every time I thought it was progressing towards being something interesting, the movie would shift gears and start heading in another direction. And in addition, it was so predictable. There were too many cliché situations where I knew exactly what was going to happen next. Aside from Catherine O'hara's character, the movie lacked any real interesting personalities. Please, don't be mislead into thinking that this is going to be a good use of an hour and a half for you.

It is tempting to dismiss this as a condescending survey of the only semi-modernized Ireland of Irish-Americans nostalgia, overbearing on dry humor that is not funny to anyone not broadly familiar with Irish history and sociology, and particularly so since the lead roles are filled by Americans. Yet as anyone who has been to Ireland will discover, it is difficult to draw the distinction between the packaged commercialization of Irish culture and Irish culture itself--partially because entities like the Guinness Irish Pub Co. are just plain good at what they do, so that the Irish themselves get wrapped up in it. (Go to any well-designed "Irish pub" in a major U.S. city and I guarantee you will find Irish people drinking there themselves.) With this in mind, it is a shame they had to change the U.S. title to the rather bland, Hollywood-esquire "Summer Fling" presumably to get into the theaters, since pretty much everyone who would want to see this movie would understand "The Last of the High Kings." But I suppose I digress.Frankie Griffin is desperate to be "normal," yet stuck in a family of idiosyncrasies and waiting painfully for his exam results to return so that he can know whether he will be going to university. The film is not entirely clear what drives this desire for "normalcy," nor does it seem wholly sympathetic toward his somewhat immature proclamation of self-emancipation from the bonds of Catholicism, Fianna Fáil, and chastity. Frankie is apparently highly gifted in the letters and in music, yet he refuses to show this to anyone, even to the end. Perhaps, then, the admonition of his stern and quirky yet very loving mother that "There are plenty of good Protestants... It's a shame they're all dead" (along with accusing Jayne of being a "Protestant bitch," which she is, though not because of her Protestantism) is a hint that his true coming of age will only come with his embracing of his family and identity.The Last of the High Kings is a fun little ride when it takes us into those nostalgic facets of 1970's Ireland and despite its theme, admits that no one these days really comes of age by 17. It is not, however, one of my favorites, owing to its choppy progression and holding back of sympathetic notes for the main characters.

Great performances by Catherine O'Hara and Gabriel Byrne as the parents of the Griffin household; both roles are very different (as far as I know) from what the actors usually play. Jared Leto proves himself to be a good actor and also shows he can do a convincing Irish accent.