Kathy Griffin

The Last of the High Kings (1996)

Actors: Gabriel Brady (actor), Des Braiden (actor), Gabriel Byrne (actor), Ciarán Fitzgerald (actor), Karl Hayden (actor), Luke Hayden (actor), Peter Keating (actor), Jared Leto (actor), Jack Lynch (actor), Oliver Maguire (actor), Colm Meaney (actor), Darren Monks (actor), Mark O'Regan (actor), Elvis Presley (actor), Jason Barry (actor),

Plot: 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.

Keywords: abbey-theatre-dublin, absent-father, actor, actress, adultery, american, apology, aquarium, asphyxiation, bare-breasts
Genres: Comedy, Drama,
Taglines: An Offbeat Family ... An Off-The-Wall Comedy! When school ends... and life begins.

Quotes:

Frankie: Ah, look at them. Jane Wayne and Romy Thomas: the fruit of the gods. I'm never gonna slow-dance on a moonlit beach and whisper, "I love you, Romy." Or "Jane," whichever one I happen to be dancin' with. No, I'm lookin' at a life sentence. Solitary confinement. What am I gonna do?

Frankie: [Frankie wakes up hungover after partying to celebrate the end of classes] Seventeen years I've been waitin' for this day. Freedom. The oyster of my life about to open. Instead, it feels like a badger died in my stomach. And I've an awful feeling that nothing will ever change.::[His mother enters the boys' bedroom]::Cathleen: You, Frankie Griffin, are a useless article. You don't do a hand's turn from one end of the day to the other. Look at the state of ya! Eyes fallin' out of your head with the drink. And, and, and the smell of ya! You'd never think of helpin' out around the place, not in a million years. What do you think? You think your shirts and trousers get washed by magic, and march down the path, and throw themselves up on the line? Do you? And what about these socks I keep findin' under your bed? Stained with what, I'd like to know?::[She indicates his younger brother in the bed opposite]::Cathleen: Ray's the only one of you with any decency! I was too soft to use the wooden spoon on your arse when you were growin' up. Shoulda had you put to sleep.

Jack Griffin: [Frankie knocks on his father's door] Come in. I know this is an important summer for ya, Frankie, and, uh, I'm sorry that I'm gonna miss it. I don't even know if I'm gonna be back for your birthday. So, so just in case, I, uh...::[He presents Frankie with a goldfish swimming in a bowl]::Jack Griffin: Happy birthday, my boy.::Frankie: [Frankie takes the bowl] Thanks.::Jack Griffin: You're welcome. Now, you're goin' to University, and you're gonna need spendin' money. So here's what I suggest. You get yourself a summer job.::Frankie: Da. About University. I don't think my exams went all that well.::Jack Griffin: Ah, Frankie, you'll be fine, you'll be terrific. I know it!::Frankie: I been thinkin', maybe I should go away, see the world or something.::Jack Griffin: Oh, no, Frankie. Let the world wait for you!::Frankie: Why do *you* always get to go away?::Jack Griffin: Well, this is something that's very important to me, Frankie. There's even, there's even talk about a film.::Frankie: What I'm tryin' to tell ya is that I probably won't even get into college!::Jack Griffin: Ah, you know, Frankie, I remember, when I was your age, I felt, I felt exactly the same as you.::Frankie: So, how did you do?::Jack Griffin: Oh, I did, I did, I did great. Great. Well, in English.::Frankie: Da, please. I'm serious!::Jack Griffin: I know ya are, son. Look, um, do you have anything special lined up for the summer? Do you have, um, a girlfriend, maybe?::[He laughs a little. Frankie doesn't answer and looks away in annoyance]::Jack Griffin: Look, Frankie, "these few precepts in thy memory keep. This above all: to thine own self be true, for it follows as the day the night, thou canst not be -"::Frankie: [Frankie finishes the quote from Hamlet:] "not be false to any man."::Jack Griffin: Yes.::[He looks defeated, but looks up as Frankie turns to leave, and he says urgently:]::Jack Griffin: Frankie! There's special instructions for feedin' that fish! You can't over-feed him, or, or he'll burst!

Frankie's mom: Did you commit sex with a Protestant?

Frankie's mom: There are plenty of good Protestants.::Frankie: Yeah?::Frankie's mom: Yea. It's a shame they're all dead

Frankie's mom: Up with the Republic! Up with the Republic!

Cathleen: Have you forgotten about the Famine?::Dawn Griffin: [trying to get his attention, as his mail has arrived] Frankie?::Cathleen: How the Brits starved millions of our innocent people just so they could make cakes for that fat bitch Queen across the water? What about 1916? They shot down thousands of innocent Irish revolutionaries! Think of Parnell and Wolfe Tone and poor old Robert Emmet! And now you, you've become a Proddy lover!::Dawn Griffin: [still trying to get his attention] Frankie.::Frankie: [Frankie finally gets angry with his Ma's lecture and shouts] Most of the Irish revolutionaries were Protestant! Emmet, Parnell, Wolfe Tone - all Protestant! Half of the so-called heroes who you think of as havin' noble blood were Protestant!::[She looks astounded. She looks over to Father Michael for help, but he nods apologetically. Frankie is right]::Cathleen: [trying to rally her own spirits] I suppose Pearse was a Prod. And DeValera!::Frankie: No. DeValera was American. That's how he missed gettin' shot in 1916!

[repeated line]::Nelson Fitzgerald: Nothing's ever gonna be the same.

Cathleen: Romy Thomas. Her and the other one she runs around with. All hair and legs.::Frankie: At least they aren't hairy legs.::Cathleen: Ha. Watch it, mister. You know what those two girls are? Protestants! You stay away from them. There's an international conspiracy between Communists and Protestants, and I'm not havin' you in the middle of it!

[Cathleen Griffin furiously confronts her next-door neighbor after he shoo'ed her youngest daughter off their adjoining wall]::Cathleen: You! You! Yes, you with the head on ya! Get over here! How dare you order my child down from her own family wall!::Mr. Figgis: Mrs. Griffin, I have no desire to be confrontational...::Cathleen: This is our wall and my children have every right to walk on it whenever they wish!::Mr. Figgis: All I'm saying is that my wife and family deserve a little privacy. This little girl is walking the wall, making gestures at my children. Now, surely you can see that this is...::Cathleen: Let me tell you something. These are Griffin children. Pure Irish blood, descended from the High Kings of Ireland! They can walk their Celtic wall any time they want, day or night! We're a free people now! No thanks to the likes of you. Why don't you hump off back to Britain!::Mr. Figgis: You seem to be under a misconception as to my nationality.::Cathleen: You're a Proddy, aren't you!::Mr. Figgis: I am Protestant; I am not British!::Cathleen: Well, let me tell you something. My country has been a Republic for nearly thirty years and I'm not about to let our sovereignty be undermined by a bunch of blow-ins.::Mr. Figgis: Madam, I was born and raised in Ireland. I am Irish through-and-through. I am not British, and I did not order this little girl down from her precious wall! I merely requested politely that she refrain from spying on my family.::Cathleen: Spying! Spying, is it?::Mr. Figgis: Well, all I meant...::Cathleen: Oh, yes! The Brits accusing the Irish of spying! Well, this is one family you'll never conquer, you Proddy blood-sucker.