The Flamingo Rising

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.)

The 3-4 movies a year that gain the "Hallmark Hall of Fame" sponsorship never fail to deliver, and Flamingo Rising was one of the better efforts lately. This is a feel-good show that recaptures a look and feel and style while beautifully intertwining humor, pathos, the family unit and the American work ethic. From the Korean orphans to the Fourth of July accident to the stunning conclusion, the creators offered one memorable scene after another. And, somewhat rare for a TV movie, Flamingo Rising had terrific visuals. Brian Benben is the driving force, and is excellent as the drive-in theater owner who achieves his dreams in nearly every way -- for a time. Stephen Larkin as his son gives a sympathetic but firm performance. William Hurt, kept too far in the background some of the time, is excellent in a low-key role. But the star of the show is Elizabeth McGovern, the conscience and rock of the family who becomes everyone's friend and confidant. Hollywood very very seldom gives us something that veers so far from its apparent destination. And it almost never reflects life's highs and lows as perfectly as was done in this movie.

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.

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!

I will start by saying I didn't catch the first part of the movie, so there may be something in that part that changes the tone of the movie. As for the part I saw, it was at the least intriguing. Part of me wished they had explored the relationship between the boy and his neighbor/schoolmate more, yet that would be expecting something more from the movie than what it was. This being a pet-peeve of mine, regarding movies, I shall not succumb to it! *L* There is also the fact that this movie was based on a book, which I guess they did follow to a certain extent (thankfully!). The ending was..... something of a remarkable nature- and as I just finished watching it, I am not really sure what to say about it. Of course, I'd want to be careful of what I said anyway, to not spoil it for those who have yet to watch it. In any case, I guess I will leave it at that. Poor review? I guess so. I think that this movie is worth a watch, and can definitely bring up some topics for discussion with a good friend or the family. If you'll take the time and effort to do so. ~ELB~