Inventing the Abbotts (1997)
Runtime: 1 hr 50 mins
Synopsis: In the placid, potboiler-perfect 1950s hamlet of Haley, Illinois, life revolves around the wealthy and powerful Abbott family, which boasts three strapping brunette daughters in addition to its other assets. On the other side of the proverbial tracks live two fatherless brothers--one... In the placid, potboiler-perfect 1950s hamlet of Haley, Illinois, life revolves around the wealthy and powerful Abbott family, which boasts three strapping brunette daughters in addition to its other assets. On the other side of the proverbial tracks live two fatherless brothers--one idolizes the Abbotts, while the other seeks to destroy the family by systematically deflowering and debasing the sisters. [More]
Genre: Dramas
Starring: Liv Tyler, Joaquin Phoenix, Billy Crudup, Jennifer Connelly, Joanna Going
Screenwriter: Ken Hixon
Producer: Ron Howard, Brian Grazer, Janet Meyers
Composer: Michael Kamen
DVD Info
Release:
Mar 13, 2001
DVD Features:
- Region 1
- Keep Case
- Letterboxed - Anamorphic - 1.85:1
Audio:
- Dolby Digital 5.1 - English
- Dolby Surround - English
- Dolby Surround - French
Additional Release Material:
- Featurette
- Trailers - 1. Original Theatrical Trailer
- 2. Bonus Trailers - TITUS, GRAND CANYON, SMILLA'S SENSE OF SNOW, PARADISE ROAD, THE ICE STORM
Interactive Features:
- Scene Access
- Interactive Menus
Buy It On DVD
Reviews
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.
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.
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.
Offers an inventive and engaging exploration of emotional intelligence.
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


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