''Rocket Gibraltar'' is a 1988 American

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

directed by

Daniel Petrie Daniel Mannix Petrie (November 26, 1920 – August 22, 2004) was a Canadian film, television, and stage director who worked in Canada, Hollywood, and the United Kingdom; known for directing grounded human dramas often dealing with taboo subjec ...

and starring

Burt Lancaster Burton Stephen Lancaster (November 2, 1913 – October 20, 1994) was an American actor. Initially known for playing tough characters with tender hearts, he went on to achieve success with more complex and challenging roles over a 45-year caree ...

, Suzy Amis Cameron,

Patricia Clarkson Patricia Davies Clarkson (born December 29, 1959) is an American actress. She has starred in numerous leading and supporting roles in a variety of films ranging from independent film features to major film studio productions. Her accolades incl ...

Frances Conroy Frances Hardman Conroy (born March 15, 1953) is an American actress. She is best known for playing Ruth Fisher on the television series '' Six Feet Under'' (2001–2005), for which she won a Golden Globe and three Screen Actors Guild Awards, a ...

, Sinead Cusack, John Glover,

Bill Pullman William Pullman (born December 17, 1953) is an American actor. After graduating with a Master of Fine Arts degree in theater, he was an adjunct professor at Montana State University before deciding to pursue acting. Pullman made his film debut i ...

Kevin Spacey Kevin Spacey Fowler (born July 26, 1959) is an American actor. Known for Kevin Spacey on screen and stage, his work on stage and screen, he List of awards and nominations received by Kevin Spacey, has received numerous accolades, including two ...

and

Macaulay Culkin Macaulay Macaulay Culkin Culkin (born Macaulay Carson Culkin; ) is an American actor and musician. Considered one of the most successful child actors of the 1990s, Culkin has received a Golden Globe Award nomination and other accolades. In 200 ...

in his film debut.

Plot

Levi Rockwell is a retired, widowed

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

screenwriter A screenwriter (also called scriptwriter, scribe, or scenarist) is a person who practices the craft of writing for visual mass media, known as screenwriting. These can include short films, feature-length films, television programs, television ...

and

patriarch The highest-ranking bishops in Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, the Roman Catholic Church (above major archbishop and primate), the Hussite Church, Church of the East, and some Independent Catholic Churches are termed patriarchs (and ...

who reunites his entire family at his

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...

estate for his 77th birthday, but personal and social problems abound. His four children - son Rolo, and daughters Ruby, Rose and Aggie - arrive, along with their spouses and children, to help him celebrate his 77th birthday. During the course of the family reunion he bonds with his youngest grandson, 4-year-old Blue. One afternoon, Blue brings his grandfather some lemonade. Blue sees a scale model ship and Levi explains that it's a

Viking ship Viking ships were marine vessels of unique structure, used in Scandinavia throughout the Middle Ages. The boat-types were quite varied, depending on what the ship was intended for, but they were generally characterized as being slender and flexi ...

. Later that evening, Blue and his older cousins are discussing what to get grandpa for his 77th birthday. While bike riding, Blue and his cousins see a boat in the tall grass. They decide to restore it as a birthday present for their grandfather. Levi's health begins to fail, and he voices a sentimental request that he be given a Viking funeral after his death. With his adult children consumed by their own personal worries, his 7 grandchildren honor Levi's last wish.

Cast

as Levi Rockwell * John Glover as Rolo Rockwell *

Sinéad Cusack Sinéad Moira Cusack ( ; born 18 February 1948) is an Irish actress. Her first acting roles were at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin, before moving to London in 1969 to join the Royal Shakespeare Company. She has won the Critics' Circle and ''Eve ...

as Amanda "Billi" Rockwell *

as Ruby Hanson *

as Dwayne Hanson *

as Rose Black *

as Crow Black * Suzy Amis Cameron as Aggie Rockwell * Sara Rue as Jessica Hanson * Angela Goethals as Dawn Black *

as Cy Blue Black *

David Hyde Pierce David Hyde Pierce (born David Pierce; April 3, 1959) is an American actor. Known for his portrayal of psychiatrist Niles Crane on the NBC sitcom ''Frasier'' from 1993 to 2004, he received four Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting A ...

as Monsieur Henri

References

External links

* * * 1988 films 1988 drama films American drama films Columbia Pictures films Films about dysfunctional families Films about old age Films directed by Daniel Petrie Films set on Long Island Films shot in New York (state) 1980s English-language films 1980s American films {{1980s-US-film-stub