Inventing the Abbotts
April. 04,1997 RIn the 1950s, brothers Jacey and Doug Holt, who come from the poorer side of their sleepy Midwestern town, vie for the affections of the wealthy, lovely Abbott sisters. Lady-killer Jacey alternates between Eleanor and Alice, wanting simply to break the hearts of rich young women. But sensitive Doug has a real romance with Pamela, which Jacey and the Abbott patriarch, Lloyd, both frown upon.
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Reviews
I gave it a 7.5 out of 10
In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.
I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.
The film may be flawed, but its message is not.
It's 1957 Haley, Illinois. Brothers Jacey (Billy Crudup) and Doug Holt (Joaquin Phoenix) live with their mother (Kathy Baker). Lloyd Abbott (Will Patton) is the rich and powerful man around town who is constantly throwing lavish parties. He has 3 daughters. Jacey flirts with middle daughter Eleanor Abbott (Jennifer Connelly). Doug likes the youngest Pamela (Liv Tyler) but also falls for Eleanor. The latest party is to celebrate the announcement of oldest daughter Alice (Joanna Going)'s shotgun wedding. Jacey tells Doug that Lloyd Abbott screwed their family out of money from their father's patent which saved Abbott's company. Lloyd warns the girls against Jacey.First of all, I hate the narration. It adds nothing but annoyance. I hate that Michael Keaton is narrating as an older Joaquin Phoenix. Phoenix could have done it himself. The whole thing frustrates me every time it comes up. As for the actors, some of them don't seem to fit. Billy Crudup is suppose to be a ladies man and that's at the edge of his range. Joaquin Phoenix is suppose to be shy and awkward but he's outgrown that Parenthood character. Generally, I don't like the light breezy tone. The material seems to be build for something darker. The movie just doesn't have any tension.
For a moderate-length movie this one seemed really long. The drama is drawn- out, profoundly annoying, and dull, even supposing it's an accurate depiction of the time. While Liv Tyler's character, Pam, is particularly unbearable, Doug is the typical liberal Hollywood wussy-man putz who gets fixated on one girl -- not unlike Forest Gump -- and refuses to move on, perhaps owing to something more interesting than his low self-esteem and total social ineptitude; perhaps because his feelings for Pam remind him of a purer, innocent, idyllic time before everything in life became so complicated; but to me that's a cop-out. That's hardly a real-world love story if you ask me. Obviously Doug's character is such that the possibility of finding another girl out there who would accept him for who he is not even considered. He's not the sharpest tool in the shed. But I have to give Joaquin Phoenix respect for playing the part to a tee. Not even Tom Hanks can play the town idiot as well as Joaquin. That said, the film gets points for good acting from Joaquin Phoenix and for a somewhat realistic plot, even though the Holts and Abbotts simply cannot help "running into" one another all across the states at colleges, airports, and elsewhere. Go figure: these star-crossed lovers simply cannot avoid one another when "society" forbids their coupling. The bottom line, though, is the film is so unbearable to watch for its "love story," which is so sterile and pathetic that I cannot give it more than 5/10. It gets that many points only because even for the lack of realism of certain plot points, I believe it gives an overall realistic depiction of the rigid 1950s yes-man mentality.
"In this classic coming-of-age tale, forbidden love and impossible dreams intertwine when the handsome, working class Holt brothers are drawn to the beautiful and wealthy Abbott sisters. With an all-star cast including Liv Tyler, Joaquin Phoenix, and Billy Crudup, 'Inventing the Abbotts' is," according to the DVD sleeve, a strongly told story "of hidden desires and romantic possibilities." Adding Jennifer Connelly and Joanna Going as the other two beautiful Abbott sisters gives you five good-looking performers engaged in various couplings. You will see that their "hidden desires" are all made fairly obvious. The film begins in 1957 small town Haley, Illinois, and has many obvious - but nice - period trappings. Ms. Connelly has an arousing topless scene.The story stresses the pairing of Mr. Phoenix (as Doug) and Ms. Tyler (as Pam), although Mr. Crudup (as Jacey) manages to steal most of the booty (both the film and the women). The "leads" suffer from being cast as teenagers. Doing the math (Phoenix is two years younger than high school senior Crudup) helps explain how they act. A fifteen-year-old would paint on "artificial sideburns" with India Ink while humming Elvis Presley's "Heartbreak Hotel". So, Phoenix is made to act unnaturally juvenile. As the most beautifully cast sisters, Ms. Going and Ms. Connelly excel in their smaller roles. You can also enjoy both Crudup's angst-ridden older brother, and secretive mother Kathy Baker (as Helen).****** Inventing the Abbotts (4/4/97) Pat O'Connor ~ Joaquin Phoenix, Billy Crudup, Liv Tyler, Kathy Baker
This takes place in Illinois from 1957 to 1960. It's about two poor brothers--Doug (Joaquin Phoenix) and Jacey (Billy Crudup)--who are infatuated with three rich sisters--Alice (Joanna Going), Eleanor (Jennifer Connrlly) and Pamela (Liv Tyler) Abbott. It follows their relationships over the years.Why this film was made remains a mystery to me. It's very well-done with an attractive cast and beautiful settings--but there's nothing even remotely new here. The conflicts and story lines here have been done countless times before (just here they're updated with minor nudity and some very R rated language). Also, at almost two hours, it's far too long. I was basically pretty bored during the last hour and was just patiently waiting for things to reach their utterly predictable conclusion. Also the acting by Connelly and Crudup was pretty terrible. Connelly just giggles and acts vacant and Crudup seems unwilling to move one muscle in his face. He always has this blank expression on his face no matter what's happening in his scenes. The great acting by the rest of the cast (especially Phoenix and Kathy Baker) and the lush settings make this worth watching at least once. But seriously--you've seen this all before. Narrated by an unbilled Michael Keaton. I give it a 6.