Woodyanders Review of Last Summer

Last Summer (1969)

A potent, poignant and overall disturbing teen coming-of-age drama sleeper

[8/10 · 6 April 2007]

A strikingly clear-eyed and nonjudgmental portrait of adolescent explorations into sex, friendship, loyalty and cruelty which deftly captures the essential amorality and irresponsibility of that uncertain period of one's life with considerable candor and an admirable dearth of sentiment. Three carefree, unsupervised teenagers -- conniving, domineering, flirtatious strumpet Sandy (a deliciously wicked Barbara Hershey, wearing a skimpy bikini outfit that shows off a lot of her toothsome, voluptuous figure), aggressively libidinous Dan (Bruce Davison in his solid film debut), and the slightly more thoughtful Peter (a strong turn by Richard Thomas) -- become involved in a playfully steamy menage a trois on Long Island's tranquil Fire Island resort. The two guys are both completely infatuated with Sandy and vie with each other to seduce her. The rowdy trio engage in a wild group grope in a movie theater, drink beer, smoke grass, nurse a wounded seagull back to health, bask in the sun's unwavering rays, and cut loose during an especially crazed impromptu heavy petting/hair washing session. Their delicate, uninhibited fantasy world gets upset when pallid, pudgy, deeply uptight and morally responsible plain jane Rhoda (superbly played by the endearingly ungainly Cathy Burns, who deservedly got an Oscar nomination for her first-rate performance) enters their precious circle and steals Peter's attention away from Sandy. Eleanor Perry's astute, keenly observed script offers many painfully truthful moments as the gawky, confused main characters grapple with mortality (Rhoda's monologue about the untimely death of her mother is simply incredible), intense, unfulfilled sexual longings, sexual rivalry, and feelings of extreme callousness. Directed with great tact and restraint by Frank Perry, gorgeously shot in dewy, creamy, golden-hued soft focus by Gerald Hirshfeld (the expansive beachside scenery is positively beautiful), and marvelously acted by a fine cast, "Last Summer" rates as a quietly potent, poignant and disturbing sleeper.