The Flamingo Kid

A few weeks ago, I was posting about some of the forgotten films of Garry Marshall. Oddly enough, I forgot to write about one of his better films, 1984's The Flamingo Kid. I'm not sure how this one slipped my mind. For some reason it doesn't feel like a Marshall movie to me.

Matt Dillon stars as Jeffrey Willis, a working class kid from Brooklyn who takes a summer gig at a beach resort as a cabana boy. He immediately gets sucked into the wealthy lifestyles of the clientele, especially that of Phil Brody, Richard Crenna, who becomes a mentor to Jeffrey, teaching him the ways of how to make an easy buck. Much to the chagrin of his father, Hector Elizondo, who wants Jeffrey to go to college and earn an honest living.

Set in the early 60's, The Flamingo Kid is a sweet, nostalgic look back at a bygone era. The cast, which also includes the future Mrs. Wayne Gretzky, Janet Jones, as Dillon's love interest, is terrific. Especially Crenna as the shady but likable Phil. Mathew Broderick was originally cast in the lead but had to drop out. After Dillon was cast, the script was rewritten to fit Dillon. I guess the original script probably had more of a Biloxi Blues feel to it.

Interesting sidenote, this was the first movie that was rated PG13, but due to a delay in the release, it actually ended up being the fifth film with that rating.

This is a great little film that still holds up nicely.

It's available on dvd.