Inventing the Abbotts Reviews

• If the Abbotts Didn't Exist Jacey Would Have Invented Them

  
  By A2RN2AO4BE6F4K on 2001-08-08
  Movie Summary: In a small 1950's Illinois town the Abbotts are the family everyone talks about. They are rich and have three beautiful daughters. Their parties are the things of legend in the town. On the other side of the tracks live the Holts. Mrs. Holt has had to raise her two sons, Jacey and Doug, by herself since her husband passed away. The Holts and Abbotts have a long history, some real, some invented. It is this history, the real and the invented, that the Holt brothers have to come to terms with before it destroys them and the Abbotts.

  My Opinion: This was a very engaging movie with a great cast. Kathy Baker and Joaquin Phoenix were very enjoyable. Michael Keaton's narration adds a touch that makes the movie seem better than it is. I loved the 1950's small town setting as well as the semi-complicated plot. The viewer discovers the secrets of the past at the same time as the brothers do. We see how differently each of them deals with it and get to make our own decision as well. The bothers struggle with the revelations of the past and each find a way to deal with it. It is the different interpretations and actions that each of the brothers takes that is at the core of this story. After watching the movie, I find that I liked it more while I was watching it than I do now. The plot seems to lack that big punch that would make it stay with me and taunt me to watch it again. That aside, it is still worth seeing.

  DVD Quality: Widescreen Anamorphic 1.85:1 DD5.1 Picture and sound were great with no noticeable defects. Extra features consist of the trailer and a featurette. The main menu is interesting.

  What You Should Do: Rent it if you are into historical pieces. It�s a decent movie but you�ll only need to see it once. This DVD release is nothing special.

  Related Movies To Check Out: Waking the Dead, Almost Famous, To Kill a Mockingbird, Outside Providence
  
  

• Engaging Story, Good Performances

  
  By A1J2931UBBJPXM on 2001-05-27
  The lives of two brothers living in a small town in Illinois are profoundly affected by an alleged incident which took place even before one of them was born, in "Inventing the Abbotts," directed by Pat O'Connor. The Abbotts are one of the wealthiest, most respected families in Haley, Illinois; Lloyd Abbott (Will Patton) is a successful businessman who, along with his wife, Joan (Barbara Williams), has raised three daughters, the oldest of whom, Alice (Joanna Going), is about to be married, while the youngest, Pamela (Liv Tyler), is about to graduate from high school. The Holts, on the other hand, are from the other side of the tracks, and Helen Holt (Kathy Baker) has had to raise her boys on her own. John (Billy Crudup), the oldest, was two-years-old when his father was killed in an accident, while Helen was pregnant with his brother, Doug (Joaquin Phoenix). There's no mystery about what happened in the accident; the bone of contention concerns what happened afterwards-- at least in the eyes of John, even all these years later as he is about to enter collage.

  John and Doug's father, it seems, had been business partners with Lloyd Abbott, but after his death, a patent that Mr. Holt owned somehow ended up in Lloyd Abbott's name, making him a wealthy man, while the Holt's ended up in their current state of affairs-- not exactly poor, but barely making ends meet. And since his youth, John has been fixated with the Abbotts, especially their daughters, and one in particular, Eleanor (Jennifer Connelly). But as with most things involving an obsession, it only put John on a lifelong emotional road to nowhere.

  Told from Doug's point of view, the story becomes a lesson in life; when to leave the baggage of things best forgotten behind and move on. Phoenix gives an affecting performance as Doug, who has an on-again-off-again relationship with Pamela, the one sister who is, "Just there," as she says (according to her, Alice is the "good" one, Eleanor the "bad"). He captures that sense of being at an age when uncertainty is the only absolute, and you feel his need to search and seek out that toe-hold on life that is often elusive to the young. There's an understated ring of truth in his portrayal that adds that depth which makes his character credible, and one to whom it is easy to relate.

  Crudup delivers, as well, with a performance wound in introspective tension so tightly that there are moments when it seems almost tangible. He carries a burden-- that from which his obsession was born-- and it shows. John has so much going for him (the love of his mother and brother; good looks; intelligence), that watching him suffer so emotionally-- even at arm's length-- is sad to see, especially in light of the fact that it is so unnecessary. Still, some of his actions (especially one late in the film) are intrinsically almost too brutal to forgive; only so much, after all, can be buried amid rationalization. In the end, you feel for him, but only so far; and then you are compelled to do what he could not-- you move on.

  As Pamela, Liv Tyler turns in a reserved performance that captures something of that same sense of confusion reflected in Doug's character. A bit more grounded, perhaps, but there is still that "searching" going on within her. Connelly, meanwhile, gets into her role as the"bad" sister with relish, exuding a self-assured sexual tension qualified with just enough restraint to make Eleanor a memorable and effective character. Going does a nice job, also, though by the nature of her character alone, she is bound to be somewhat overshadowed by Tyler and Connelly.

  The supporting cast includes Michael Sutton (Steve), Alessandro Nivola (Peter), Shawn Hatosy (Victor) and Michael Keaton as the narrator. An engaging and often poignant drama, "Inventing the Abbotts" puts love, loss and confusion (one might say the mainstays of life) into perspective, and illustrates that how we deal with it all is not necessarily a matter of individual choice. Some, in fact, just may have to invent whatever it is they need to hang onto. At one point in the film, Doug says of his brother, "If the Abbotts hadn't existed, John would've invented them." And maybe that's the way it is; taking life as it comes and dealing with it the best way you know how.
  
  

• A rare acting school for young actors

  
  By A2LQZLGJ1KQ9EQ on 2004-01-30
  Few movies I've seen provide, 7 years after its making, a retrospective of great actors and actresses in the make. Just watch the movie and then fish for recent works with each of those young talents.

  From Crudup to Joaquin to Tyler to Going to Jenniffer Connelly - what we see in Inventing the Abbotts is an amazing set of performers reaching to stardoom. I believe the film should be classified as mandatory in acting schools.

  For the rest, I believe this script is as close to reality as it can get. A small town, a wealthy family, a classic rich/poor idiosyncratic drama, false assumptions which could ruin lives, hard working single parents, young daughters struggling with the coming of age, ... all quite well integrated into a movie which is delightful to see and to call your attention for preemptive judgement.

  Joanna Going, Liv Tyler and Jenniffer Connelly are absolutely remarkable and beautiful. Yet the prize goes to Joaquin, for his amazing performance.
  
  

• A rare love story with plot twists

  
  By A2VKJOBZEZJ2A0 on 2001-07-27
  Based on a rather depressing short story, this is the only movie which I can honestly say is better than the book. It still surprises me that the critics weren't more impressed with it than they were.

  Although Inventing the Abbotts is centered on two well-treaded themes - love across a class divide and bad blood between families - it takes enough of a new approach to avoid cliches. For one thing, the animosity between the rich Abbotts and the working-class Holts is selective, with varying degrees of friendship and respect between certain members of each family showing through alongside the bitterness between others. The exact cause of that bitterness, centered on a long-ago business deal between the two families' fathers, is a combination of mystery and misinformation to the main character, Doug (Joaquim Phoenix). The resolution of that mystery plays out alongside Doug's changing relationship with the Abbotts' youngest daughter, Pamela (Liv Tyler) throughout the film, thus preventing the forbidden-love motif from becoming overbearing.

  But the movie does remain a love story at heart, and Phoenix and Tyler are remarkably well-suited to the task. (They apparently were a real-life item for some time after filming - and the sincerity shows.) Complicating the picture are Doug's bitter, jealous elder brother Jaycee (Billy Crudup), who sows discord among both families throughout the film; Pamela's troubled relationship with her sisters and parents; and the hazards of growing up in general. In keeping with the avoidance of stereotypes and cliches, character development is strong almost across the board. The Holts' relative poverty is neither romanticized nor used exploitatively; and if the Abbotts prove that money can't buy happiness, neither are they made out to be shallow or heartless.

  The 1950s setting is painstakingly executed as well, featuring a Smithsonian-worthy collection of period appliances, furniture and other everyday items (not to mention an authentic Greyhound bus). The lack of any racial diversity or an overtly political message about that era's injustices might be of some concern to the sensitivities of the politically correct, but the film does in fact address some such concerns (particuarlry the oppression of women) in a subtle but effective fashion.

  For my money, this is perhaps the most underrated movie of the 1990s. Buy it while it's available!
  
  

• A rare love story with plot twists

  
  By A2VKJOBZEZJ2A0 on 2002-06-18
  Based on a rather depressing short story, this is the only movie I've seen which I can honestly say is better than the book it's based on. It still surprises me that the critics weren't more impressed with it than they were.

  Although Inventing the Abbotts is centered on two well-treaded themes - love across a class divide and bad blood between families - it takes enough of a new approach to avoid cliches. For one thing, the animosity between the rich Abbotts and the working-class Holts is selective, with varying degrees of friendship and respect between certain members of each family showing through alongside the bitterness between others. The exact cause of that bitterness, centered on a long-ago business deal between the two families' fathers, is a combination of mystery and misinformation to the main character, Doug (Joaquim Phoenix). The resolution of that mystery plays out alongside Doug's changing relationship with the Abbotts' youngest daughter, Pamela (Liv Tyler) throughout the film, thus preventing the forbidden-love motif from becoming overbearing.

  But the movie does remain a love story at heart, and Phoenix and Tyler are remarkably well-suited to the task. (They apparently were a real-life item for some time after filming - and the sincerity shows.) Complicating the picture are Doug's bitter, jealous elder brother Jaycee (Billy Crudup), who sows discord among both families throughout the film; Pamela's troubled relationship with her sisters and parents; and the hazards of growing up in general. In keeping with the avoidance of stereotypes and cliches, character development is strong almost across the board. The Holts' relative poverty is neither romanticized nor used exploitatively; and if the Abbotts prove that money can't buy happiness, neither are they made out to be shallow or heartless.

  The 1950s setting is painstakingly executed as well, featuring a Smithsonian-worthy collection of period appliances, furniture and other everyday items (not to mention an authentic Greyhound bus). The lack of any racial diversity or an overtly political message about that era's injustices might be of some concern to the sensitivities of the politically correct, but the film does in fact address some such concerns (particuarlry the oppression of women) in a subtle but effective fashion.

  For my money, this is perhaps the most underrated movie of the 1990s. Buy it while it's available!
  
  

• Once Eleanor leaves...
  By ANXWMD4TRTPXF on 2003-07-07
  This movie has so much potential and to tell you the truth when it's on T.v or when I feel like watching something familiar it is still something I watch. The problem is that with so much potential the story fails. The story loses focus as to what the brothers wanted in the first place, especially JC played by Billy Crudup.
  All of the actors are great, but Jennifer Connelly made the movies worth watching she draws the audience with her mishievous and tempetous Eleanor. If she was ever cast as a villain she would be the pitch perfect but so far in her career this is as close as she gets to playing bad and she does with such a subtle hint of seduction that as an audience member it is mindboggling when the writer director whoever decided to yank her character 30 minutes in. A shame a true shame.
  What we are left with is a skeleton of a movie till the end when Joaquin Phoenix's character Doug returns to his primary motivation and the story gets back on track.
  This movie isn't bad. IT is entertaining and watchable but is is so disappointing to think what could have been/\.
  
  
• Scenes from the class struggle in Illinois...
  By AT6CZDCP4TRGA on 2006-05-09
  This film is notable in that it does address the issue of socioeconomic class, which we Americans like to delude ourselves does not exist in our society but which always has and in all probability always will play as central a role as in any society regardless of political ideology.
  
  Two main strengths: a very strong cast (particularly Joaquin Phoenix---as well as Billy Crudup, Jennifer Connelly, Joanna Going, Liv Tyler, and Kathy Baker) and very true-to-period set pieces. It really does look and feel like it's happening back in the mythical 1950s, such that a lot of scenes where I was expecting much stronger language and violence successfully avoided such excesses. This seems to irk many professional reviewers, who panned this film for being bland and uninspiring---hence the shockingly low 33% rating from rottentomatoes dot com.
  
  However I found it very engaging, and of course the 2 older Abbot sisters provide plenty of tasteful eye candy (their mother too, in a cold-blooded rich-b*tch sexy kind of way, heh). The plot was not nearly as predictable as I feared, with several surprising twists and again avoids the kind of sensationalism and viciousness that this jaded viewer was expecting.
  
  In fact while this film deals very much with issues of socioeconomic class it concludes with a surprisingly Reaganistic ending. We see that the rich are not really as evil as we think, and that the poor become and stay poor not without fault of their own, and that if you are blessed with sufficient earnestness, industriousness and True Love like the Joaquin Phoenix character, you need only follow your heart and hallelujah ye shall too be delivered from the workers' quarter to the master's quarters with his comely daughter in tow...God bless Amurrica, yee haw!
  
  LOL I am extrapolating and exaggerating a bit, the ending is not that bad---far from Steven Spielbergian levels of cheesiness for example. Overall it's worth seeing, not sure just how many times though.
  
  
• Only next to "Stealing Home"
  By A1K4VAYQQLNFVS on 2002-09-28
  Strange as it may sound, I only realized how much I loved this movie when I watched it for the second time. Probably because the first time I was too much focused on how pretty those girls were and which one of them was the sexiest -- I mean, Liv Tyler, Jennifer Connelly and Joanna Going, not Pamela, Eleonor and Alice, respectively. Watching it the second time gave me a chance to really appreciate a very good screenplay (based on a great novel by Sue Miller and enhanced by a perfect narration by Michael Keaton) as well as the finest performance of pretty much the whole cast, especially Baker and Connelly. As for Liv Tyler, I personally prefer her acting in this movie than in the overrated "Stealing Beauty" which was filmed one year earlier. There's a bunch of memorable scenes and lines, but I think the best ones must be Jennifer Connelly's "hi Doug" and Kathy Baker's "'no matter what' kind of love".... All in all, "Inventing the Abbotts" deserves a high place in the library of coming-of-age movies. I would however recommend a somehow related (and maybe better) one -- "Stealing Home", with Mark Harmon and Jodie Foster.
  
  
• *SWEET~OLD FASHIONED~and a little wild too*
  By A1K8X0S969E0XL on 2001-05-07
  For such a great movie, I wonder why there are hardly any reviews..."Inventing the Abbots" is a sweet, old fashioned love story, but just because it's set in the 5O's & 6O's, doesn't mean it doesn't get a little wild! Its rated "R" for a reason ~ it includes sex scenes, brief nudity, foul language, etc....JOAQUIN PHOENIX and BILLY CRUDUP star as 2 working class teenage brothers who happen to be infatuated by the prettiest and wealthiest girls in town; the 3 Abbott sisters played by JOANNA GOING, JENNIFER CONNELLY, & LIV TYLER. Over the years they get involved w/ each of the sisters and the director takes us along for the ride. I enjoyed the movie as well as the acting. Its not hard to believe Liv and Joaquin actually fell in love during this movie and dated 3 years after...I recommend checking this movie out if you enjoy any of these actors~you'll enjoy it! A+
  
  
• Forbidden Love
  By A281NPSIMI1C2R on 2002-01-03
  What happens if the person you adore most in the world is completely out of reach? Would you endure a life without them or fight to gain their love, no matter what?
  
  When I started watching this movie, I almost didn't give it a chance. Truthfully, the start is not engaging and it took at least 15 minutes for me to fully want to continue watching. After that, I was completely emotionally involved in the story.
  
  The best movies seem to be those in which you truly feel you care about the characters. If the script is engaging, what can be better? This movie will appeal to your complex side because the one of the deepest desires we all have, is to be loved unconditionally.
  
  "Some people you love no matter what,
  and some people you love if the situation is right."
  
  The narration, script and 1950's style setting blend together like cookie dough for a batch of homemade chocolate chip cookies. Truthfully, this movie has a warmth about it, you do not see very often! Like eating cookies with a glass of milk, you might feel this movie ends too soon.
  
  The relationship between two brothers and the forbidden women they love ends up showing us that sometimes forgiveness is the only way out of an illusion created by a lie.
  
  A+ acting! You will come away thinking about life more deeply and considering how your actions affect those around you.
  
  ~The Rebecca Review
  
  
  
• A Small Film With Big Performances
  By AA86M2HXOQIJE on 2001-02-17
  Inventing the Abbots is a slice of life film. The story is slow moving but good with a nostalgic feel that fits the narrating character. It's about two sets of brothers and sisters coming of age in a small town during the 1950's. It's also a story of the mysteries of love, attraction, and family. The acting is superb all around, but especially Joaquin Pheonix's performance. There are very few actors that can bring a character to life with such realism and Joaquin has a lot of great moments in this film.
  
  
• Things just get dragged out way too slowly in this one
  By A2NJO6YE954DBH on 2004-01-05
  Every once in a while there is a rude reminder that where I live is, relatively speaking, in the backwaters of the country. In 1997 I must have seen the trailer for "Inventing the Abbotts" a half-dozen times, but the film never came here, so I never had to actually decide if I would pay money to see it in a movie theater or not, although clearly I took my time in getting around to finally watching it. Of course, now the cast of "Inventing the Abbotts" is much more recognizable than it was back then, with Jennifer Connolly being an Oscar winner, Joaquin Phoenix an Oscar nominee, Billy Crudup having traded Penny Lane for a case of beer, and Liv Tyler becoming mortal to marry the King of Gondor. But it is not that difficult to think back to when they were relatively known faces.

  The greatest strength of this film is the original score by Michael Kamen, which consistently gave scenes and moments of this film a power that was beyond what the script and the actors were providing. The story is about the Abbotts, a rich family in the 1950s living in a small Illinois town with three daughters, and the Holts brothers, Doug (Phoenix" and J.C. (Crudup). The former is the narrator of the tale, while the later is "addicted" to the Abbotts, attempting to blot out a grievance against the family by seducing the daughters. Doug is more fascinated with J.C.'s story than with his own, but it is Doug that is of more interest to us, especially with his affection for young Pamela Abbott (Tyler), which is momentarily forgotten for a while by his lust for Eleanor (Connelly).

  Basically this is a film that gives every indication that Doug and Pamela should end up together and be allowed to live as happily every after as their tortured families and histories might allow, but J.C. and his obsession keeps getting in the way. Meanwhile some of the secrets hidden by each family are doled out bit by bit, completing the picture of the animosity that exists between the Abbotts and the Holts. Lloyd Abbott (Will Patton) knows all about marrying into a rich family, and he is not going to allow that to happen with his daughters, but he is just one of several roadblocks that stands between any of these characters and some home of happiness.

  One thing for sure is that "Inventing the Abbotts" is set in a slower time. The pacing of the film is slow, the dialogue is spoken in slow and measured terms, the narration is redundant repetitive, and you become convinced we are never going to get to where the film should end because it will slowly grind to a complete halt. If it were not for our affection towards Pamela, Kathy Baker's performance as the boy's mom, and Kamen's score, I might have given up on this film, especially when Eleanor was shipped away by her father as soon as she had given the story some energy. But by that time we learn that J.C. has committed the greatest possible sin against his brother, I was at least ticked off enough to stay around for the end. The fault for this lies with director Pat O'Connor, especially since he showed in his previous effort, "Circle of Friends," that he can breath live into a story. However, he failed to do that here.
  
  

• Thematically Brilliant
  By ANA2PVMARGY8H on 2006-07-10
  I admit, I haven't watched this movie recently (say, within the last 5 years), but it really struck a chord with me. This movie explores the theme of projection, i.e., seeing people as it is convenient to see them or as you want to see them, which may have very little to do with what they are really like.
  
  John inculcates his runaway obsession about the Abbotts to his younger brother, Doug. Doug learns later to sift through John's inventive narrative and arrive at his own conclusions.
  
  I read another review that praised this film as a "showcase for young talent." In my book, that comment seems very close to the mark. Liv Tyler and Joaquin Phoenix brilliantly portray the "class-crossed" lovers.
  
  
• Love Jennifer Connelly!
  By A24F0WSAHM98RC on 2007-01-26
  About the best thing about this movie is the gorgeous Ms. Connelly. Her scene where she teases Joaquim Phoenix with her upskirt panty shots in the high school library is the highlight of the whole movie. Her topless scene right before that is good too. Pound that pause button!
  
  
• Absolutely Enchanting
  By on 1999-06-01
  This is a great coming of age tale in the tradition of West Side Story or Romeo and Juliet. It details the interactions of two brothers "from the wrong side of the tracks" with the three upper class Abbott sisters. Particularly appealing is the relationship between Phoenix's character and Tyler's. If you enjoyed Stand By Me or the TV show the Wonder Years, you will undoubtedly enjoy this excellent film set in the same time period. I loved it!
  
  
• A wonderful move! I don't know why it's not more popular!
  By on 1999-11-04
  This movie is really great! I waited forever in the video store when it 1st came out because they had limited copies but I am glad I did. This movie gives some true lessons about pent up anger and family relationships. Most importantly it talks about love and how it is important not to judge other because of their family. I highly recommend this movie!
  
  
• Good Movie
  By on 2004-04-03
  I saw this movie five years ago when I was in Jamaica. The movie "Inventing the Abbotts" focuses on the typical 1950s family that rose to the American dream of making it big living in the suburbs. The Abbots, a wealthy manufacturing family, maintained the image of family values. Beneath the surface, the older sister had to marry because she was two months pregnant. And the younger sister was a [promiscuous girl] who was sent to a convent. Pam, the middle, is stuck in the middle. She lives between her family's expectations and her love for Doug Holt. Jacey, the older brother, sleeps with the older and younger Abbott sisters to get back at the father for tarnishing the mother's reputation. Doug's love for Pam is unconditional. Pam runs away because she is afraid of what others are thinking.
  The movie was a good drama because it gave an in-depth look of America post-WW2. The dream that was supposedly a nightmare for both the elite and the working class. Each is struggling with the self, the community, and society.
  
  
• more Steve
  By A461VTLW9G9YB on 2004-06-04
  Saw this movie because it had Michael Sutton from GH in it. Sad to say Steve had no lines but his part is memerable. Great movie, the whole family will enjoy it. I can honestly say that you can watch it more than once because the plot is written well and the actors are wonderful.
  
  
• When hate distorts ... only love can heal
  By A2MG8DHACXH5MS on 2006-04-14
  Sweet and wonderful, generational romance, a son wanting to avenge his father's demise, revenge through manipulation, and a love that actually wins in the end. Liv Tyler is brilliant.
  
  
• a great movie
  By on 2000-09-04
  This is one of the best movies I saw this summer. The story was compelling, the acting was great, and I loved Liv Tyler and Joaquin Phoenix together. It was sweet and very true to life.
  
  
• I am looking forward to the sequel of this great movie
  By A1NUEBMGNV5GN8 on 2001-01-15
  this movie is one of my favorites. i love the whole story. This movie is such a good one for many reasons. the whole love story between Tyler and Phoenix. Then how Jacey is infatuated with the Abbot girls. I hope their is a sequel just to show how the family interacts with Doug as he is now apart of it and what happend to Jacey and Eleanor. Hopefully if there is a sequel the director should try the same exact cast. Thats what made me love it even more.Jacey is so good looking he has the right attitude to play that character. Its that sly type he makes u want him even though his looks can do that for him . well i give it 5 stars. and i hope there is a sequel real soon
  
  
• ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL
  By APG0MF7PH4OOG on 2001-04-12
  The very first time I saw this film I fell completely in love with it. The plot is wonderful. Even if you are not romantic no can resist it. The acting was equally superb, specifically Liv Tyler as Pam. It is difficult not to feel sorry for Lloyd Abbot, or even not to grow quite fond of him. After all throughout the film his character was burdened with perception of being the absolute antagonist throughout the film until finally near the end Doug, begins to see him without in a new light without Jacey's hatred interfering.

  I conclude this review with a strong recommendation to those individuals who have not obtained the opportunity to view this film do so as soon as possible!!!!
  
  

• Best Liv Tyler movie i have ever seen!
  By on 2002-03-04
  If you have ever felt that the one you loved was out of reach then this movie is for you.The Abbott sisters Pam (Tyler) and Elanor (Connely)are rich and beautiful while the Holt brothers Doug (Phoenix) and Jacey (Crudup)are poor.When these two couples come together they start a personal and painful war between two familys.

  If you like chick-flicks then you'll love this movie I pomise it's worth the money!
  
  

• Inventing the Abbots
  By A31JS2PLYU11U2 on 2002-07-29
  I saw this movie on t.v. but it was so good that I am going to buy it! Joaquin Phoenix is so romantic in the movie. It's definetely a great movie and I would recommend it to anyone who likes drama's and romance movies.
  
  
• Great Love Story
  By A3P995KBI5OPCY on 2003-03-13
  Inventing the Abbotts is a great love story, realistically portraying social classes, teenage problems, the 50's era, bitterness and misunderstandings and true love. JC's bitterness is resolved when he finds out the truth about his Father and how Mr. Abbott really feels about his Mother. There is closure for all involved when the final truths come forth. This is revealed in a most subtle way, done with much wisdom in this story, if you pay attention. Most of all, real love overrules all prejudices in the end. A lovely story which should have won an
  award.
  
  
• Inventing the Abbotts
  By A3P995KBI5OPCY on 2003-03-13
  This is an excellent movie. It's a nice love story nicely depicting the 50's, teenage problems, class differences and loss of a loved one. Bitterness is resolved in the end when Mr. Abbott's true feelings for Mrs. Holt is revealed as well as the real reason for the death of Mr. Holt. Closure comes for JC and Doug in a subtle but satisfying way.
  Letitia McManus
  
  
• Nice Movie
  By A2WBVYWDIITDDB on 2003-08-21
  This is a very nice movie for it's gender.
  If you are looking for Indipendence day kind of movie, don't rent this, but I think the cover is self explanatory.
  
  
• a lovely little soap opera...
  By A2MZXLN9TLP1R4 on 2003-09-05
  Although I tend to be hard on dopey movies like this one, occasionally one will sneak past all my critiques and make me kind of weepy-squishy-smiley inside. That's what happened with this movie.

  "Inventing the Abbots" is formulaic, predictable, melodramatic, and not even remotely clever, but I still found myself rooting for the two main characters to get together in the end, and all the emotional stuff got to me.

  If you're looking for something clever or original, skip this movie, but if you're in the mood for a light romantic-drama, "Inventing the Abbots" hits all the right notes. Also, to its credit, the movie stars Billy Crudup, Jennifer Connelly, Liv Tyler, etc. That's a pretty good cast... so even though the plot is contrived and the dialogue is generally uninspired, there are some nice moments that really do work.

  A sweet movie, overall, if your standards aren't too high.
  
  

• steve
  By A461VTLW9G9YB on 2004-07-06
  Only reason I saw this film was for Michael Sutton. He plays the character named Steve.
  Very good movie!
  
  
• Love this movie
  By A13W0CWAZ9IC5I on 2006-03-15
  I really enjoyed this movie. IT is a little different, but it is a really good story and lesson about just being who you are and forget what everyone else has or doesn't have.
  
  

• Waking the Dead
• Stealing Beauty
• The Hot Spot
• Mulholland Falls
• Of Love and Shadows