Círculo de pasiones

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. I rate this one 8/10.

Pat O'Connor's coming of age period piece 'Inventing The Abbotts' tells the story of two brothers and the Abbott family from their point of view (even though Doug does the narrating). Most have described this as a romantic film but I see it more as a human drama about relationships and growing up in the 50s. It also works very well as a character-driven film and there's plenty of symbolism in Ken Hixon's screenplay, giving the film (in combination with the score and beautiful cinematography) a lyrical feel.

'Inventing The Abbotts' boasts of a wonderful ensemble. The Abbott sisters are played by beauties Jennifer Connelly, Joanna Going and Liv Tyler while the Holt brothers are played by Billy Crudup and Joaquin Phoenix. Tyler does a decent job while the rest of the actors are excellently cast. Phoenix portrays Doug's recklessness, frivolity and growth with conviction while Crudup demonstrates Jacey's obsession and resentment with élan. Connelly (as the wild and tragic sister), Baker (as the quiet, strong and fragile mother), Patton (the ruthless father) and Going (the doomed sister) are superb.

O'Connor has successfully captured the look of the 50s and 60s. The art direction is splendid. There are some beautiful shots of breathtaking landscape.

In the end, 'Inventing The Abbotts' is a very human story. It stresses on human flaws, the perception of them and how it can lead to ones destruction and how 'loving no matter what' can help overcome any obstacle.

An excellent cast guides this periodic drama of working class brothers of a widowed mother and their relationships with the daughters of a society family in a small Illinois town in 1957. Joaquin Phoenix and Billy Crudup are superb as the brothers while Liv Tyler is excellent as the youngest Abbott daughter.

The main theme of the movie seems to be the obsession of older brother Jace (Crudup) for everything the Abbotts have that he feels was denied him after his father's death years earlier. Seems there isn't any Abbott girl Jace won't go after in an effort to show he can rise above his middle class upbringing.

Excellent performances are also on display here by Kathy Baker, Will Patton, Joanna Going, and special mention of the future Academy Award winner Jennifer Connelly. Connelly has an incredible allure as the very sexy, very promiscuous, and playful hedonistic middle Abbott daughter, Elinore.

A really fine character study, excellent casting, and a movie that moves along at a nice pace. I recommend it and think, after seeing it, you will as well.

I found this to be a sweet and emotional film. The direction by O'Connor was swift and engrossing and I liked the way he let you see each character differ when they were around another character. Like the way Joaquin Phoenix's character gets all lustful around Jennifer Connolly, but restrains himself around Liv Tyler.

Considering this is the film that brought them together in real life, I'm not surprised that Joaquin and Liv were so tender with one another. Both of them have the acting ability, where you only have to look into their eyes to know what they're feeling or trying to convey. For all the bitterness some characters offered, it was the relationship between Pamela and Doug that captured me.

Just a sweet love story, and that can be OK sometimes!

"Inventing the Abbotts" seems like the sort of movie that they just made for no particular reason. Portraying some relationships in 1957 Illinois, the movie is worth seeing. Maybe not any kind of masterpiece, but interesting. I liked the fake sideburns scene, and the, uh, scene under the table. Joaquin Phoenix was showing the same acting skills that he later brought to "Gladiator" and "Walk the Line", and Liv Tyler, Billy Crudup, and Jennifer Connelly also did quite well.

I guess that overall, there's nothing really unique here. There have been many slice-of-life stories. But this one is pretty well done with some good performances. Worth seeing.