Last Summer

R

Released Jun 10, 1969

1h 37m

Drama

List

78%

9 Reviews

Tomatometer

73%

500+ Ratings

Audience Score

Sandy (Barbara Hershey), Dan (Bruce Davison) and Peter (Richard Thomas) are three affluent, spoiled teens spending a lazy summer on Fire Island, N.Y. Both boys pepper Sandy with sexual advances, which she clearly relishes. Into their tight triangle comes chubby and naive Rhoda (Catherine Burns). Like the injured seagull Sandy both nurtures and tortures, Rhoda becomes a figure of sport, teased and humiliated by the group. Sandy's cruelty and influence brings the summer to a shocking climax.

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TIME Magazine

Like their subjects, they too frequently mistake postures for performances and smartness for wisdom.

Oct 30, 2007

Full Review

Geoff Andrew

Time Out

One of those winsome, nostalgic beach movies.

Jun 24, 2006

Full Review

Vincent Canby

New York Times

The best thing about the movie, however, are the performances that Perry has gotten from his new players, who manage to seem variously awkward and strident, dense and dumb, and sometimes very innocent, without ever being self-conscious about it.

Rated: 3/5

May 9, 2005

Full Review

Jesús Fernández Santos

El Pais (Spain)

The distance between Truman Capote's work and this adaptation is not big, it simply doesn't exist because there's no possible relation between the two. [Full Review in Spanish]

Jul 18, 2019

Full Review

Bernard Drew

Gannett News Service

It is so achingly real, so sensitively written, so sharply directed and amazingly acted by a quartet of young players, that Last Summer stands, in mid-season, as one of the finest films of the year.

Jul 15, 2019

Full Review

TV Guide

A brutal film, as well as an insightful one.

Rated: 3/4

Oct 30, 2007

Full Review

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CodyZamboni

Movie, is a quasi Jules Et Jim like story with tanned and toned Barbara Hershey, Richard Thomas, Bruce Davison and a seagull, cavorting in the sand and surf. Hershey is very attractive , but she's a manipulative psycho, and the two guys are idiots to fall for her. Movie is shot in super fuzzy vision. Movie just observes their behavoir, and offers no judgment. I guess that was the point, but I really didnt care.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

08/02/23

Full Review

Dave S

Other than to catch performances from Barbara Hershey, Richard Thomas, and Bruce Davison from early in their careers, there's no reason to waste any time on Last Summer. The plot is as threadbare as one could imagine – three teens spend their summer at the beach getting high, drinking beer, engaging in inane conversations, and laughing hysterically for no apparent reason, all leading to an ugly final scene that comes out of nowhere. The acting is bad, the writing is significantly worse, and, to top it off, the whole thing looks as though it has been shot through a screen door or cheesecloth. Yeah, there are worse movies out there, but few are as consistently irritating as Last Summer.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

07/27/23

Full Review

chris f

This is exceptionally edgy filmmaking for 1969. Is it good as a film? Does it still hold up? That's... harder to say. It's very slow and plodding. Really building up the core relationships of the trio, while not really going anywhere as an overarching narrative. Is it worth it? EH. It's fun to see what past decades saw as brutal. And given how hard it was to make films, something so avant-garde and depraved is certainly a rarity. But in the 21st century, this seems more like a crass docu-drama than a tense fictional drama. And not in a good way.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

It was a part of me growing up, feelings, sexuality and friendship... great film.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/06/23

Full Review

steve d

There is not a lot here.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Barbara Hershey, Richard Thomas and Bruce Davison star as three affluent teens vacationing on Fire Island for the summer. They meet and bond over the discovery of an injured seagull, and form a tight social unit driven by insecurity and sexual tension. Along comes Catherine Burns, a less attractive, more socially awkward teen who insinuates herself into their group. She may be more awkward, but she's more confident about who she is, and her presence destabilizes the group leading to violence. Frank Perry's follow-up to "The Swimmer" is a brutal, insightful film. The three well-known stars (all very early in their film careers) are excellent, but it's Burns who really shines here.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/01/23

Full Review

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Frank Perry

Director

Barbara Hershey

Sandy

Richard Thomas

Peter

Bruce Davison

Dan

Catherine Burns

Rhoda

Ernesto Gonzalez

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Synopsis

Sandy (Barbara Hershey), Dan (Bruce Davison) and Peter (Richard Thomas) are three affluent, spoiled teens spending a lazy summer on Fire Island, N.Y. Both boys pepper Sandy with sexual advances, which she clearly relishes. Into their tight triangle comes chubby and naive Rhoda (Catherine Burns). Like the injured seagull Sandy both nurtures and tortures, Rhoda becomes a figure of sport, teased and humiliated by the group. Sandy's cruelty and influence brings the summer to a shocking climax.

Director: Frank Perry
Screenwriter: Eleanor Perry
Distributor: Allied Artists Pictures
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 10, 1969, Original
Runtime: 1h 37m