The Inkwell (1994)

In 1976, Drew Tate is a young teenager who has trouble dealing with life after he accidentally sets his house on fire. His parents Kenny and Brenda decide to go to Martha's Vineyard to ... See full summary »

Director:

Matty Rich

Writers:

Trey Ellis, Paris Qualles

Stars:

Larenz Tate, Joe Morton, Suzzanne Douglas

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Larenz Tate	...	Drew Tate
Joe Morton	...	Kenny Tate
Suzzanne Douglas	...	Brenda Tate
Glynn Turman	...	Spencer Phillips
Vanessa Bell Calloway	...	Francis Phillips
A.J. Johnson	...	Heather Lee (as Adrienne-Joi Johnson)
Morris Chestnut	...	Harold Lee
Jada Pinkett Smith	...	Lauren Kelly (as Jada Pinkett)
Duane Martin	...	Jr. Phillips
Mary Alice	...	Evelyn
Phyllis Yvonne Stickney	...	Dr. Wade
Markus Redmond	...	Darryl
Perry Moore	...	Moe
Akia Victor	...	Charlene
Aaron Griffin	...	Boy w / Lauren

Storyline

In 1976, Drew Tate is a young teenager who has trouble dealing with life after he accidentally sets his house on fire. His parents Kenny and Brenda decide to go to Martha's Vineyard to spend Fourth of July weekend with Brenda's sister Francis, Francis' black Republican husband Spencer and their son Junior. While there Drew falls for a self centered girl named Lauren and befriends a married lady named Heather. While on their vacation, Drew deals with his parents attempts to save their marriage as well as with his own troubles. Eventually all of this leads to a life changing event for Drew as well as his parents.

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Plot Keywords:

vacation | marriage | teenager | martha's vineyard | fire | 

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Taglines:

Summer's Never Been So Much Fun!

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Genres:

Romance | Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 April 1994 (USA)

Also Known As:

Drew's Inkwell

Filming Locations:

Kure Beach, North Carolina, USA

Box Office

Gross:

$8,880,705 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Touchstone Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jonathan Demme often visited the set and befriended young director Matty Rich. The two spoke of doing a film together but that never materialized.

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Connections

Referenced in Siskel & Ebert: When a Man Loves a Woman/PCU/With Honors/No Escape/The Favor (1994)

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Soundtracks

"Conflict"
Written and Performed by Richard Hill
Courtesy of Associated Production Music

User Reviews

These are the types of films that need to be made.

I really liked the film, well acted, well directed. As a director myself I felt a sense of sadness that the black audience didn't support the film. We keep crying for better images on film but when they come we don't support it. If you are an African-American you owe it to yourself and Matty Rich to see this film and hopefully some other ethnic groups will see it and understand that we're not all drug dealers and pimps.