Search - Inventing the Abbotts

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, All Movie Guide

Joaquin Phoenix - Doug Holt
Billy Crudup - Jacey Holt
Liv Tyler - Pamela Abbott
Will Patton - Lloyd Abbott
Kathy Baker - Helen Holt
Joanna Going - Alice Abbott

Inventing the Abbotts got slammed on its initial theatrical release for being a somewhat ribald update of one of those 1950s coming-of-age melodramas. While that certainly is true, it's more of a definition than a criticism. Inventing the Abbotts really isn't much different from director Pat O'Connor's Circle of Friends, which was just a 1950s American coming-of-age melodrama recast in Ireland. This 20th Century Fox DVD release won't cause a critical reappraisal of Inventing the Abbotts, but it will enhance the enjoyment of an already entertaining movie. A guilty pleasure is still a pleasure, and Inventing the Abbotts' extremely handsome cast and slick production values are only enhanced by the disc's flawless anamorphic widescreen transfer and well-balanced Dolby Digital Surround Sound audio track. The disc also comes with a number of trailers and a short promotional making-of featurette that doesn't include any real information or insight into the movie. ~ Nick Dedina, All Movie Guide

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