The Inkwell (1994)

A shy, troubled young man who set his own house on fire and has an imaginary friend, is sent to a vineyard where he finds himself in the middle of his political-arguing, party-loving family and his love torn between two girls.

Director:

Matty Rich

Writers:

Trey Ellis (as Tom Ricostronza), 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:

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

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Taglines:

Summer's Never Been So Much Fun!

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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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 USA:

$8,880,705

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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Goofs

A marquee is displayed showing a real film titled Bingo Long and the Traveling All-Stars. However, the spelling is incorrect as the marquee spells Traveling with two L's.

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Connections

Referenced in At the Movies: When a Man Loves a Woman/PCU/With Honors/No Escape/The Favor (1994)

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Soundtracks

If It Don't Turn You On
Written by Billy Nichols and Allen Williams
Performed by B.T. Express
Courtesy of Roadshow Music Corp.

User Reviews

They can't even put the cliches correctly!

This is 90's blaxploitation. Same scenario as hundreds of movies but with black actors. What makes this movie special (negatively of course) is the lack of coherency. The director just thought of some obligatory scenes and decided to present them without even remotely placing hints helping the audience understand how the protagonists arrived there. Especially the mother-daughter reconciliation was for great laughs! Or the couple. Before their talk of figuring out a solution to their problems, nobody could imagine they had problems! And what to say about the oh-so-predictable ending. The list goes on and on. I think the actors themselves understood the idiocy of the script and tried to put a comic air in otherwise serious incidents. Is there something worth mentioning in this movie, except its silly script and the failed imitation of classic themes? Just two words: Jada Pinkett. Wow.