INVENTING THE ABBOTTS
A film review by James Berardinelli
Copyright 1997 James Berardinelli
RATING (0 TO 10): 7.0 Alternative Scale: *** out of ****
United States, 1997 U.S. Release Date: 4/4/97 (wide) Running Length: 1:50 MPAA Classification: R (Sex, profanity, brief nudity) Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Billy Crudup, Liv Tyler, Joanna Going, Jennifer Connelly, Will Patton, Kathy Baker, Barbara Williams Director: Pat O'Connor Producers: Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, and Janet Meyers Screenplay: Ken Hixon Cinematography: Kenneth MacMillan Music: Michael Kamen U.S. Distributor: 20th Century Fox
INVENTING THE ABBOTTS begins in the sleepy little town of Haley, Illinois, as the narrator tells us, "The end of my innocence and childhood began in 1957." Frequently, openings like this are not promising, more often than not heralding overwrought coming-of-age melodramas of the most unremarkable sort. Occasionally, one such film - - a REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE, for example -- strikes a nerve, but that's more the exception than the rule.
No one is going to mistake Pat O'Connor's new film for groundbreaking cinema, but, for what it is, INVENTING THE ABBOTTS does a more-than-acceptable job. It's certainly better rounded than O'Connor's last feature, 1995's CIRCLE OF FRIENDS (another romantic drama). Nevertheless, I can't shake the feeling that this movie's reliance upon familiar, formula-driven plot elements keeps it from reaching its full potential. INVENTING THE ABBOTTS has the cast and characters to be something special; the script just isn't ambitious enough.
The film centers around two brothers: The older is Jacey Holt (Billy Crudup, from SLEEPERS) and the younger is Billy (Joaquin Phoenix, from TO DIE FOR), our narrator. Through a superfluous voiceover, we're given a quick rundown on the boys. Jacey is hard-working, obstinate, and gets all the girls; Billy is less sure of himself or where his life is going. The Holt boys are devoted to their mother, Helen (Kathy Baker), who brought them up on her own -- their father died before Billy was born.
Next door to the Holts live the upper-class Abbotts. There are three daughters: Alice (Joanna Going), the "good girl" eldest child; Eleanor (Jennifer Connelly), the "bad girl" middle child; and Pamela (Liv Tyler), the youngest, who describes herself as "the one who sort of gets off the hook." Jacey is madly in lust with Eleanor, but it's a match that the Abbott patriarch (Will Patton) regards with ill-disguised contempt. Billy is friends with Pam, but, although theirs is a platonic relationship, it's clear that Pam would like it to go further. Billy, however, is wary, telling us that "I witnessed enough of my brother's social agony early on to know that I would never let the Abbotts matter to me." We in the audience, having experienced many such movies before, know better.
INVENTING THE ABBOTTS is a routine Hollywood drama, which is to say that it doesn't take any chances and adheres rigorously to certain time- honored romantic conventions. The boy and girl appear fated to get together, but not until the last reel, and only after all sorts of social and emotional roadblocks have been cleared. The main story -- Billy's relationship with Pam -- is arguably the least interesting aspect of the film. In fact, the most compelling characters aren't necessarily the central figures. Jennifer Connelly's confident portrayal of Eleanor crackles with open sexuality; it's a shame that the film discards her so quickly. Likewise, Billy Crudup's Jacey is far more complex than his rather bland brother.
Watching INVENTING THE ABBOTTS is a comfortable experience. For the most part, the characters are effectively realized by a group of attractive young actors. Writer Ken Hixon's screenplay, while not remarkable, includes a number of nice touches that keep us interested in the characters and involved in their lives. The broad strokes of the plot may be overused, but the emotions and details are on a higher level. The relationship between the brothers, which combines the right mix of friction and affection, is developed with enough depth to be convincing. When one of the Holt boys is troubled, the two of them sit quietly together or go out to the garage to play a few games of ping- pong, but when Billy announces his intention to follow Jacey to the University of Pennsylvania, the older brother, who wants freedom from his family and roots, reacts angrily.
INVENTING THE ABBOTTS would have been a better movie without the voiceover, a redundant and intrusive piece of prose that detracts from rather than adding to the story. Like most voiceovers, this one greatly underestimates the intelligence of the audience. That particular narrative contrivance aside, however, INVENTING THE ABBOTTS comes across a genial, undemanding tale of love and life in the late '50s. And, while it's hard to get worked up about such a low-key motion picture, that doesn't diminish the simple enjoyment that the movie is capable of offering.
- James Berardinelli e-mail: berardin@bc.cybernex.net ReelViews web site: http://www.cybernex.net/~berardin
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