- Movies -
The Last of the
HighKings
- 1996 -



 Produced by:  Parallel Films Productions
 Certification:  USA:PG
 Cast  
 Christina Ricci  Erin
 Catherine O'Hara  Cathleen
 Jared Leto  Frankie Griffin
 Gabriel Byrne  Jack Griffin
 Stephan Rea  Cab driver
 Colm Meaney  Jim Davern
 Lorraine Pilkington  Jayne Wayne
 Jason Barry  Nelson Fitzgerald
 Emily Mortimer  Romy Thomas
 Karl Hayden  Hoppy Delaney
 Ciaran Fitzgerald  Noeli Griffin
 Darren Monks  David Dudley
 Credits  
 Director  David Keating
 Producers  Keith Northrop,
  John Woltenholme,
  Gabriel Byrne
 Editor  Ray Lovejoy
 Disign  Frank Conway
 Music  Michael Convertino
 Special Effects  Kevin Hannigan
 Written by:  Gabriel Byrne,
  David Keating
  
 Summary: Dr. Harvey (Bill Pullman), a roving psychologist to the "living impaired," and his teenage daughter, Kat (Christina Ricci),
  are brought to Maine by Carrigan Crittenden (Cathy Moriarty), the owner of the very large and very haunted Whipstaff Manor. Their assignment is to rid the house of its troublesome ghosts so that Carrigan can collect the treasure said to be hidden on the premises. The story then branches out in several directions, including Casper's crush on Kat, Kat's insecurity around her new classmates, Dr. Harvey's netherworldly search for his dead wife, and everyone's evolving relationships with the three obnoxious problem spooks.

The acting in the lead roles is consistently good, and Ricci is flat-out excellent as the cheeky but lovable teenager. Alternately projecting disdain and affection for her bumbling, ghost-shrink father, she is the very picture of adolescent hip: when the doctor is surprised to hear that she has seen a ghost in their new home, she haughtily comes back with, "Dad, please. Do not think I'm as crazy as I thought you were." The key to the film's success is the remarkable ability of the computer-animated spooks (who have more than forty minutes of screen time) to match Ricci's dramatic presence. Once we embrace the interaction of girl and phantoms, the film's slapstick moments are quite enjoyable. And then there's the added bonus of Dan Aykroyd, Clint Eastwood, Rodney Dangerfield, and Mel Gibson in outrageous cameo appearances.


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