Garry Marshall’s comedy, The Flamingo Kid, is set in 1963, centering on a Brooklyn youth named Jeffrey Willis (Matt Dillon), the 18 year old son of blue-collar worker Arthur Willis (the always reliable Hector Elizondo)
Jeffrey begins to experiences the Good Life by joining his friends at “El Flamingo,” a Long Island beach club.
The wealthy car salesman Phil Brody(Richard Crenna), the uncle of Matt’s girl, Janet Jones, takes Jeffrey under his wing, becoming his friend, mentor and role model.
With Phil’s influential connections, Jeffrey lands a good job at the Flamingo. The boy is bedazzled by Phil’s lavish lifestyle, and by the older man’s reputation as the Flamingo’s reigning gin rummy champ. Soon, Jeffrey’s new lifestyle alienates his down-to-earth father.
There are some funny, if self-conscious scenes, such as the one in which Phil, using his new remote control, watches a clip from the TV sitcom “The Real McCoys,” starring no other than himself–Richard Crenna.
Credits
MPAA: PG-13.
Running time: 105 minutes..
Released: December 21, 1984
DVD: February 8, 2000
Live Home Video
