Frankie Griffin (Jared Leto) is a teen dealing with the changes going on in his life. He has just taken his final exams of secondary school, started noticing girls he feels woefully out of league with, and suspects that his mother, Cathleen (Catherine O’Hara), has her eyes on a local politician for more than just his political party. His father (Gabriel Byrne), an actor who is always traveling for the stage, has just left for America for an undisclosed amount of time leaving the family in the sole care of Cathleen who is overbearing in virtually every aspect of her life.
Over the summer, Frankie becomes convinced that he has failed his exams and busies himself planning a beach party complete with musical guest Elvis Presley, a pipe dream that will never happen as Elvis will shortly have died. He also fantasizes about two local girls: Jayne (Lorraine Pilkington) and Romy (Emily Mortimer). While his father is away, Erin (Christina Ricci), a friend of his from the stage in America, comes to visit. She is not afraid to express her feelings and makes it clear she has some for Frankie, telling him outright that when you feel something you need to speak up lest you lose the opportunity. He does, telling her that he does not have the same feelings towards her. Later that summer he ends up sleeping with Jayne and, trying out this advice a little too strongly, professes his love for her only to get thrown out of her house. With a little more context to his feelings he will find that the quieter of the two girls, Romy, is more to his liking and he will make a gesture towards getting to know her better.
On the surface this film isn’t exactly deep. It barely requires wading shoes to plumb the depths of what is being shown on screen. But that is not necessarily a weakness here. This is not a film about exploring the depths of humanity or a look into the psyche of pre-adolescent teens in the 70’s. This is about the struggles of growing up and discovering what type of a person you are, despite, or even because, of how you were raised. It’ll dabble in things like religious intolerance and political differences but never to the point of preaching a side. Most of this stuff is handled by Catherine O’Hara who is playing the mother like a broad parody of Maureen O’Hara from The Quiet Man. Juxtaposed with Jared Leto’s sullen, quieter, performance, Catherine’s bombastic portrayal almost feels out of place. But this levity is needed to liven up the screen. When Frankie suspects her of romantic motives with a local political candidate, Jim Davern (Colm Meaney), he sabotages a party thrown in his honor by over-spiking the alcohol. Jim, highly intoxicated, shows his true colors by making advances on the mother only for her to shut him down.
Erin (Ricci) enters the picture at about the halfway point and brings a distinctly American character to an otherwise Irish cast. While Frankie is being sullen and depressed, she is chipper and instantly earns the approval of Cathleen. Erin’s outgoing nature rubs Frankie the wrong way, embarrassing him in front of the two girls he fancies when, goading on by the girls, she performs a cheerleading routine all about him in front of all of them on a crowded bus. He is only used to this sort of extroverted behavior from his mother and not in a positive way and can’t handle it. It leaves him confused about how he feels towards Erin so later, when she comes to him at night and tells him outright her feelings he tells her he doesn’t like her that way, yet finds himself kissing her anyway. Sensing his confusion, Erin backs off knowing it’s not meant to be.
Frankie’s night with Jayne is a real highlight to the film. It starts out at a pool hall and ends up in her bedroom where Frankie loses his virginity in a way that is absolutely hilarious. After the deed is done he suddenly feels the need to profess his love for her but for her it was just sex and doesn’t mean anything. That says a lot about her character as well as emphasizes just how emotionally stunted Frankie is when it comes to relationships. One night with a girl and he’s ready to propose marriage. She rightfully throws metaphorical water in his face, kicking him out of the house naked, forced to dress outside as he walks home in the middle of the night. It’s an embarrassing lesson to learn and thankfully he learns it quickly.
This is a fascinating look at a time in the world when punk music was blossoming, Elvis was dying, and innocence is lost all told through the eyes of a sullen teen trying to cope with his understanding of the world around him. Leto’s character, here, is almost too dour for much of the film. His night with Jayne will change all that. By the time his exam results arrive in the final act he is a changed man, ready to stand up to his mother and throw her views of Protestants and opposing political parties back in her face. He has learned a few things throughout the summer and now knows who he is, or at the very least, who he wants to be. It’s nothing ground breaking but it is portrayed in a monologue, lashing out at Cathleen, delivered well by a young actor in his first starring role. Jared Leto is fresh on the scene here and delivers a solid, understated performance that is at odds with his more modern-day persona.
The film gets its title from Cathleen’s insistence that her children descend from the high kings of Scotland. It’s a theme throughout the film and Cathleen brings it up to anyone willing to listen. It also symbolizes the emotional self-worth Frankie has for himself. He hears this from his mother but doesn’t see that in himself. Over time he will see his worth and be able to stand up for himself, against her if necessary. He has a more open view of the world that is in stark contrast to her narrow view and in the end she will concede, albeit only a little.
While this film isn’t deep, it does have its moments and it is an easy watch. At the time, Jared Leto took some heat for his overly dour performance but it is this aspect that makes the character identifiable to anyone who is introverted. This performance rang true and is very believable which many see as not being cinematic. A role like this would ring false were it not played so downtrodden. This is a character uncomfortable in his skin and looking for a light in a world he sees dim and depressing. He finds that light in a woman who is also quiet and outwardly composed, someone he can relate to who is interested in him, too. His realization of this and the approach he uses to tell her he is interested in her is cute and closes out his character arc in a way that is believable and relatable. It also puts a cap on a film that is a genuine joy to watch.
Release Date: November 22, 1996
Running Time: 103 Minutes
Rated R
Starring: Catherine O’Hara, Jared Leto, Christina Ricci, Gabriel Byrne, Amanda Shun, Stephen area and Cole Meaney
Directed By: David Keating
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