terrible... so disappointed.

Surprisingly incoherent and boring

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

This is ultimately a movie about the very bad things that can happen when we don't address our unease, when we just try to brush it off, whether that's to fit in or to preserve our self-image.

I wanted to like this movie more a lot more than I did, but it did have a lot going for it in the first 80% of the film--and most of that was the pleasant acting of veteran star Burt Lancaster. The acting, plus the music and direction, made this a film that is worth seeing--even if the story itself was a bit dopey towards the end. No...it got a LOT dopey.Lancaster plays the patriarch of the family. He's obviously older and nearing death when he invites all his kids and grandkids to come and celebrate his birthday. During most of the film, not a lot happens--just lots of nice, subdued little vignettes. I liked this and Lancaster's laid back performance. Unfortunately, late in the film, it got dopey and seemed like a combination of a Disney film and a remake of the Kirk Douglas classic "The Vikings"....if directed by Dr. Kevorkian!! I mean, it really, really got weird when all the grandkids found dead grandpa and decided to honor his last request (probably a joke) and give him a Viking funeral!! It's done in such a way, that it's like the Spielberg or Disney-type film where the kids know best and the parents, begrudgingly, agree when all is said and done. However, common sense says you don't barbecue grandpa on the beach!! Remind me now to go swimming at Westhampton Beach, Long Island!

********SPOILER ALERT!**************** All that matters here...and what i think everyone seems to be missing is......this is a movie, where 7 little kids, drag the corpse of their grandfather into a van, load him on a boat, and shoot flaming arrows at him until the boat explodes in a firey ball. And the movie ends when the parents arrive and have a heartwarming moment over the FLAMING CORPSE in the ocean....at a time when the tide should be coming in and that boat full of burning flesh would come shooting right back at them....A touching tale...really....its a weekend at bernie's meets (insert random Disney crap movie here)

Daniel Petrie's "Rocketship Gibraltar" was shown recently on cable. It is an elegiac tribute, in many ways, to the great Burt Lancaster, whose last movie this was. The film's message seems to be telling us how impressionable children are as they interpret facts told by a grandfatherly figure.When we first meet Levi Rockwell, he appears not to be well. His upcoming birthday is the occasion for a family reunion. We watch as the clan descends to the patriarch's home in Long Island. The adults are all self-absorbed in their own little dramas. The eight grandchildren take the occasion for reacquainting themselves with Levi. In turn, the grandfather tells them his views on dying and how he would love to be buried at sea, which he loves more than anything in the world. The film last sequence is amazing, as we see the children take charge of the situation.Burt Lancaster is fine. It seems he must have known his own end was near as we watch him looking mistily toward a family that love him, but are somehow distant. The children, especially a sweet Macauley Culkin, are delightful to watch because being so young, they still know of malice, and other evils they will learn later on.The film is sad and uplifting at the same time. We, in turn feel grateful Levi, the great writer has been given his last wishes.

How glad I am that I had the Bravo channel and insomnia last night! I ran across this movie and couldn't look away even when I finally got tired. This is a really interesting look at what happens as families grow older - dynamics change yet stay the same, and new additions add layers of complexity and sweetness. And the Hamptons as a background = eye candy to remind you (or take you to) every summer vacation you (n)ever had. The plot is unique, but the cast is the biggest treat: this felt like a flip through an old yearbook with surprising faces popping up everywhere! Burt Lancaster... Kevin Spacey and Suzy Amis together again, before their turn in The Usual Suspects... Macauley Culkin in a performance that reminds us why we adored him in the first place... cameos by Frazier's David Hyde Pierce (as the head caterer) and NYPD Blue's James McDaniel (as the sheriff)... a sleeper (or not, in my case) that you really should try to catch.(My only issues: Bill Pullman's subplot seemed a bit superfluous, except as an additional feeling of mystical well-being and closure - and the character was very one-dimensional... also... at the end I couldn't help but think "would I trust the CPR of an eight-year-old?")