Rocket Gibraltar

This movie invoked in me a funny kind of feeling. What feeling exactly, or why I don't know, but it was with a definite contentment that I watched it. Just go and rent it, you'll see. Maybe it was the time that I watched it, Sunday afternoon, or the fact that I felt good for other reasons, but the interaction between Lancaster and Culkin is so nice and touching ('cuse the sappy language) that it makes you feel good with the world. The movie just has the right atmosphere and incomparable good acting by Culkin (8 years at the time) especially.

I don't want to go into the story line or that kind of crap, just go and see it.

I think that some viewers overlook a lot of what the movie is trying to tell its audience. The portrayal of the adults in the film along with that of the children and the dying grandfather is quite accurate. The film chooses to portray the adults of the film as being selfish or "shallow" because it strives to show us the connection between the very young and the very old. It is often thought that there is a wisdom found only in early childhood and lost in later life that is regained with old age. The magical connection between the grandchildren and their grandfather is something both entertaining and touching to view. The film is well done and I do agree that the children really do make the film, with the help of a great veteran actor.

On the 77th birthday of the widow patriarch Levi Rockwell (Burt Lancaster), his son and daughters come to his house by the sea with their families to celebrate his birthday. The promiscuous Aggie Rockwell (Suzy Amis) comes alone but soon finds male company. Rose Black (Patricia Clarkson) comes with her husband Crow Black (Bill Pullman), who is a baseball player with problems, and their children Cy Blue (Macaulay Culkin) and Dawn (Angela Goethals). The workaholic Rolo Rockwell (John Glover) comes with his wife Amanda 'Billi' Rockwell (Sinead Cusack) and their children Orson (John Bell), Kane (Dan Corkill), Flora (Sara Goethals) and Emily (Emily Poe). His daughter Ruby Hanson (Frances Conroy) comes with her husband Dwayne Hanson (Kevin Spacey), who is a comedian, and their children Max (Nicky Bronson) and Jessica (Sara Rue). During the night, the children are on the beach with their grandfather and they ask him what he would like to receive as a birthday gift. Levi tells that he would like to have a Viking Funeral since the worms eat buried corpses. When Blue sees an abandoned boat on the beach, he suggests his cousins to repair the boat to give to their grandfather for his funeral. Levi and his doctor hide from the family that he has an aneurysm and may die in any moment. When their grandchildren find him dead on his bed, they decide to honor his wish and give a Viking Funeral to him.

"Rocket Gibraltar" is one of the most beautiful and sensitive films of reunions ever made. The story and the screenplay are perfect with the combination of death and the innocence of children, showing a sensitive work of the writer Amos Poe. The cast is a constellation with inspired performances, highlighting Burt Lancaster and Macaulay Culkin in his debut in the cinema industry. This film is also the debut of Kevin Spacey. The soundtrack with Billie Holyday and David Bowie among others is classy. Unfortunately this wonderful film is not available on DVD or Blu-Ray in Brazil. My vote is nine.

Title (Brazil): "O Rochedo de Gibraltar" ("The Rocket Gibraltar")

Rocket Gibraltar was definitely a film in a class of it's own. It is the story of an aging patriarch brilliantly played by Burt Lancaster, a formerly blacklisted poet, and widower , his children, and grandchildren who gather to pay homage to him for a birthday. The interesting thing is how eccentric they all were. What I found most interesting was the way the characters were portrayed. This is one of the few films in which almost every character is portrayed in detail. Among them is the Suzi Amis character. She is portrayed as a bit of a libertine, a part that she plays with style and flair. The grandchildren however steal the film. The way those kids were able to dominate the film was a true work of genius on the part of the director/s. The ending to the film which I will not describe is truly a grand finale. The film is quite entertaining, leaning a bit towards a black comedy.

I'm told that this was Burt Lancaster's last film. I happen to like his acting, but the script for this effort could have been better. There are the adults, who are rather shallow caricatures of real people with problems. The kids who play grandpa's grandchildren, however, make the best part of this opus. I could almost see myself in their places so many years ago. Of course, my siblings and I wouldn't have done some of the things these grandkids end up doing. The last 10 minutes of the film make up for some rather boring parts spent on the adult characters.