Inventing the Abbotts (1997)
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31% of critics liked it
(26 reviews) -
53% of users liked it
(9,642 ratings)
The lives of two closely linked, small town Illinois families dangerously intersect in this domestic drama set in the 1950s, based on a short story by Sue Miller and directed by Pat O'Connor. Though they are from the wrong side of the tracks, the working class brothers Jacey (Billy Crudup) and… More The lives of two closely linked, small town Illinois families dangerously intersect in this domestic drama set in the 1950s, based on a short story by Sue Miller and directed by Pat O'Connor. Though they are from the wrong side of the tracks, the working class brothers Jacey (Billy Crudup) and Doug Holt (Joaquin Phoenix) are in love with the wealthy and beautiful Abbott sisters. Shy and quiet Doug, who worships his womanizing brother, has eyes for the iconoclastic Pam (Liv Tyler), but Jacey's affections are more calculating; he's interested in whichever Abbott sister is interested in him. At first, this is Eleanor (Jennifer Connelly), the "wild" sister, but eventually Jacey sets his sights on the divorced oldest sister, Alice (Joanna Going). For Jacey, his conquest of the Abbotts is a form of economic revenge, as he believes that the head of the family, Lloyd (Will Patton), stole a patent that made him rich from the Holts' late father. When he's eventually revealed as an embittered cad, Jacey's mistreatment of the Abbott girls makes the genuine affection between Doug and Pam impossible for either family to accept. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi
- Directed By
- Pat O'Connor
- Written By
- Ken Hixon
- Genres
- Drama, Romance
R,
- In Theaters
- Apr 4, 1997 Wide
- Studio
- Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment
Critic Reviews
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Emanuel Levy, Variety
Cast of newcomers is appealing, but this small-town melodrama is so old-fashioned and out-of-touch with contemporary youth that it feels as if it were made the same time that its story is set, in 1957.
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Judith Egerton, Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY)
In the end, it adds up to nothing more than a humorless, forgettable nostalgia piece with carefully re-created costumes and settings from the Eisenhower years.
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Michael Dequina, TheMovieReport.com
If looked at in the right perspective, as a soap and not as the serious drama it pretends to be, this is quite diverting, if emotionally hollow, melodrama.
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Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice
Offers an inventive and engaging exploration of emotional intelligence.
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James Kendrick, Q Network Film Desk
It is rare to find a film that treats teenagers and young adults as real people who think for themselves, and own up to their mistakes
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Joaquin Phoenix
as Doug Holt
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Billy Crudup
as Jacey Holt
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Liv Tyler
as Pamela Abbott
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Will Patton
as Lloyd Abbott
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Kathy Baker
as Helen Holt
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Jennifer Connelly
as Eleanor Abbott
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Joanna Going
as Alice Abbott
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Barbara Williams
as Joan Abbott
