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The Flamingo Rising

  • TV Movie
  • 2001
  • TV-PG
  • 1h 34m
IMDb RATING
5.8/10
366
YOUR RATING
William Hurt, Brian Benben, Elizabeth McGovern, Christopher Larkin, and Olivia Oguma in The Flamingo Rising (2001)
Drama

When Hubert Lee decides to open the world's largest drive-in movie theater across the street from a funeral parlor, a feud erupts between Lee and Turner Knight, the owner of the funeral home... Read allWhen Hubert Lee decides to open the world's largest drive-in movie theater across the street from a funeral parlor, a feud erupts between Lee and Turner Knight, the owner of the funeral home. As Lee's many promotional ideas become more and more outrageous, he continues to enrage ... Read allWhen Hubert Lee decides to open the world's largest drive-in movie theater across the street from a funeral parlor, a feud erupts between Lee and Turner Knight, the owner of the funeral home. As Lee's many promotional ideas become more and more outrageous, he continues to enrage Knight until one of the promotions backfires with grave consequences.

  • Director
    • Martha Coolidge
  • Writers
    • Larry Baker
    • Richard Russo
  • Stars
    • William Hurt
    • Elizabeth McGovern
    • Brian Benben
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    5.8/10
    366
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Martha Coolidge
    • Writers
      • Larry Baker
      • Richard Russo
    • Stars
      • William Hurt
      • Elizabeth McGovern
      • Brian Benben
    • 11User reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos24

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    Top cast24

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    William Hurt
    William Hurt
    • Turner Knight
    Elizabeth McGovern
    Elizabeth McGovern
    • Edna Lee
    Brian Benben
    Brian Benben
    • Hubert T. Lee
    Angela Bettis
    Angela Bettis
    • Alice King
    Erin Broderick
    • Grace Knight
    Olivia Oguma
    Olivia Oguma
    • Louise Janine Lee
    Joe Torry
    Joe Torry
    • Pete Moss
    Christopher Larkin
    Christopher Larkin
    • Abraham Jacob Lee
    John Gallagher Jr.
    John Gallagher Jr.
    • Gary
    Lorie Baker
    Lorie Baker
    • Polly
    Kurt Smildsin
    • Fireworks Driver
    Dwayne Holden
    Dwayne Holden
    • West's Son
    Elizabeth Dimon
    • Nun
    Peggy Sheffield
    • Mother Superior
    Randall Franks
    Randall Franks
    • Officer Randy Kraft
    D. Terrence Morgan
    • Priest
    • (as Father D. Terrence Morgan)
    Nicolas J. Kimball
    • Drive Inn Customer
    Oliver Oguma
    • Korean War Orphan
    • Director
      • Martha Coolidge
    • Writers
      • Larry Baker
      • Richard Russo
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews11

    5.8366
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    Featured reviews

    8birdgirl-14184

    I loved it! (Might other reviews be too picky?)

    I stumbled upon "The Flamingo Rising" while looking for films featuring William Hurt which I hadn't seen when they first came out. And I decided to watch it because it wasn't as long as some of the others, as it was already pretty late when I started looking. Plus, it was available to stream for free.

    I really enjoyed it. I was frankly surprised to learn that it was a Hallmark Hall of Fame production because I tend to think of most of those as being super cheesy and saccharine sweet. Not this one!

    I was not handicapped as other reviewers apparently were by the fact of having read the book. I didn't even realize that this movie was based on a book until I came here and started reading reviews, trying to figure out why it had an average rating of only ⭐⭐⭐ as I noticed before watching it. I suggest to potential viewers that you'll probably like the movie better if you haven't read the book. And isn't that often the case? There's a long tradition of moviegoers and reviewers complaining that the movie wasn't as good as the book!

    I thought Elizabeth McGovern was terrific, as was young Christopher Larkin. The entire cast was actually pretty good and all the intersecting stories didn't bother me in the way other reviewers complained about. I thought the story was unusual and quite compelling, in particular the tension between the adults and the over-the-top nature of The Flamingo's story.

    I say watch it. It's available to stream for free, so why not? I think you'll like it..... assuming you're not an aficionado of the book. 🤣

    P.s. The reviewer who complained about the Romeo and Juliet story not being played out had the family associations from William Shakespeare's play backward. Juliet was a Capulet, not a Montague as was asserted in the review, and vice versa for Romeo. I mean, geez, if you're going to get all literary on us, you might want to re-read the work to which you're referring!
    7bosstime

    Enjoyable family movie

    The movie is the story of Abraham Jakob Lee, an adopted Korean child. His father, Hubert T. Lee, owns and operates the largest drive-in theater, The Flamingo, located on the eastern shores of North Florida. It sits next to Turner Knight's funeral parlor/house. Hubert and Turner feud over the Flamingo, while Abraham falls for Turner's daughter, Grace. Brian Benben (as Hubet), received third billing, yet carries the film with his humor.

    As goes with most movies based on novels, the book was better. The author, Larry Baker, admitted that he was not pleased with the screenplay. The screenplay certainly lacked depth, but what's new with TV movies?

    Some of the characters names were changed. The author was not happy, but he said the writers couldn't get permission from people of the same names. The Knights names were changed from the Wests. Abraham's middle name in the book was Isaac.

    The movie was also cleaned up since it was a Hallmark production. There was plenty of sexual interaction between the kids who worked at the movie theater which also would have provided a better understanding of why Abe and Alice were close. There was also NO smoking on the set, which is ironic since it was 1968.

    The movie was shot on location in Marineland and St. Augustine. (Marineland is a city in Flagler County, FL, and has a park of the same name.)
    5jewelch

    Ok

    Nothing to Bragg about here to goofy to be really good but still OK watch. James Welch Henderson 9-10/21.
    5aimless-46

    Like Watching a Rough Cut of An Unfinished Film

    Poor Larry Baker, after viewing "The Flamingo Rising" it is easy to see why he was so disappointed with this screenplay adaptation of his novel. Rather than an effective and efficient visual condensation of book, the film is more like what would result if a film company ran out of money in mid-production (with a third of the scheduled scenes still to be shot) and just assembled the available stuff into a plausible sequence. Unfortunately, the missing third contained many scenes that explain what is happening.

    This film might only be intelligible to Baker's readers, who can at least fill in the blanks with what they already know. They might also enjoy comparing and contrasting the film's visuals with how they pictured those things while reading the book.

    Non-readers will find it a strange viewing experience. You almost immediately know that it is an adaptation and not just a really disjointed original screenplay. It has a lot of interesting and well-written characters, some deep philosophical thoughts, solid acting, some relatively big names in the cast, and a charming quirkiness. But all of these elements seem incomplete and inadequately connected. By the end both readers and non-readers will be thinking: "wow-somebody sure butchered that adaptation".

    Brian Benden plays Hubert Lee, a white American sergeant who returns from the Korean War with two Korean infants. The war changed Hubert and his peacetime goal is to embrace life and to place a barrier between himself and death. This goal becomes especially challenging when he opens a Drive-in Theater (The Flamingo) across the street from a funeral home run by widower William Hurt.

    Their relationship is a symbolic conflict between life and death with Lee's wife Edna (Elizabeth McGovern) literally and figuratively bridging the chasm between the two men.

    The story is narrated by Hubert's adopted son Abraham Isaac (Abe) and falls into the coming-of-age genre. The film seems to be set in the summer of 1968 as the drive-in screen (the world's largest even visible to shrimp boats off shore) shows "The Graduate" and "Night of the Living Dead" among others. The family lives inside the structure that supports the screen.

    Abe soon falls in love with his neighbor's daughter setting up a Romeo Capulet-Juliet Montague dynamic, referenced once and then forgotten. Which is pretty much the fate of all the meaningful and symbolic elements found in the book, they are either inserted without adequate explanation or omitted entirely. Which means that very little of the book's humor makes it to the screen.

    Angela Bettis plays Alice, an employee of the drive-in who was originally intended to be important to Abe's coming of age. But her character has been so haphazardly reduced that she serves little purpose other than providing a chance see this talented actress in one of her early roles.

    Screenwriters adapting a novel are faced with the need to trim a vast amount to material to get under a 100 minute running time. Narrative can be condensed, eliminated, or translated to visual images. The trick is not so much whether something is kept or eliminated, but whether what remains provides sufficient coverage of the source material's themes. A novel with the convoluted interplay of "The Flamingo Rising" presents a considerable challenge and unfortunately the screenwriter was simply not up to the task.

    Bottom line, "The Flamingo Rising" can be a horrible viewing experience for the unprepared reader, but can be a satisfactory one if forewarned and expectations vastly lowered. While it is not unpleasant viewing for a non-reader, they will have little reason to reflect on the theme and will be left to simply wonder why they bothered to watch.

    Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.
    2spido-3

    Characters Shallow, Buffoony; Subject Matter Not Handled w/ Dignity

    Even though the subject matter of this film was appealing, the terribly shallow character portrayals and almost cartoonish-plot & characters was just appalling.

    The subject matter was far too SERIOUS for the goofy way in which these characters--especially the adults--were portrayed. The father, the undertaker, the mother, and the airplane pilot all acted mostly like caricatures--buffoons. The kids seemed to have more smarts and sensitivity than the adults in this picture.

    Another thing that was a big turnoff was the constant HARPING about the so-called "glories of adoption" vs. biological families. Doesn't Hallmark EVER get tired of this dreary theme and clearly-political nonsense? They're as bad as ABC & BahBah Wah-Wah (Barb Walters) with their relentless cramming adoption down the throats of viewers. It sure gets old.

    The subject matter in this film should have been handled with more dignity and less lunacy. The ending was especially ridiculous...

    This movie was disappointing for all the above reasons.

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    Related interests

    Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)
    Drama

    Storyline

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    Did you know

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    • Connections
      Edited into Hallmark Hall of Fame (1951)

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    Details

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    • Release date
      • February 4, 2001 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • CBS
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Hallmark Hall of Fame: The Flamingo Rising (#50.3)
    • Filming locations
      • Marineland of Florida - 9600 Ocean Shore Boulevard, Marineland, Florida, USA
    • Production companies
      • Hallmark Entertainment
      • Hallmark Hall of Fame Productions
      • McGee Street Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 34m(94 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Stereo
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

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