Inventing the Abbotts (1997)

Kino

Love the Hard Way

Film.com's FREE movie of the week is "Love the Hard Way." Oscar-winner Adrien Brody and Charlotte Ayanna star in this drama about a thief who falls for a curious, beautiful young woman. As their intimacy grows, a slick cop (Pam Greer) is closing in.

Studio: Fox 2000

Rating: R

Release Date: Apr 4, 1997

Running Time: 110 mins.

Country Of Origin: United States

starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Billy Crudup, Liv Tyler, Will Patton, Kathy Baker, Jennifer Connelly, Michael Sutton, Joanna Going, Barbara Williams, Alessandro Nivola

director: Pat O'Connor

Two brothers in a small town uncover a well-kept secret between their family and the family of three beautiful sisters who are the objects of the brothers' affections.

February 14, 2001

Liv Tyler and Joaquin Phoenix fell in love during the making of this period piece, set in Illinois during the 1950s. But don't let the photo below of the smiling couple fool you. Though Ron Howard is one of the producers of Abbotts, the film shares none of the romanticized innocence of Happy Days. Sex and betrayal are at the core of director Pat O'Connor's bittersweet teen romance, as they were in O'Connor's Circle of Friends, set in 1950s Ireland.

Tyler plays Pamela, the youngest of three Abbott…