Inventing the Abbotts is a 1997 romantic drama film directed by Pat O'Connor and produced by Ron Howard, Brian Grazer, and Janet Meyers. The film was adapted from a short story by Sue Miller and stars Joaquin Phoenix, Billy Crudup, Liv Tyler, Jennifer Connelly, and Will Patton.
The film is set in the late 1950s in a small town in Illinois. Jacey and Doug Holt are brothers who grew up on the wrong side of the tracks. Their father was a mechanic who worked for the wealthy Abbott family, who own a large mansion in town. Jacey and Doug have always harbored a resentment for the Abbotts, who they see as privileged and snobbish.
Jacey is the more outgoing and confident of the two brothers, and he sets his sights on the Abbott sisters, Eleanor and Alice. He starts dating both of them simultaneously, not caring about their feelings, only interested in breaking their hearts. Doug, on the other hand, falls in love with Pamela, a quiet and shy girl who works at the local diner.
As Jacey's relationships with the Abbott sisters become more serious, he starts to rub shoulders with their father, Lloyd Abbott, who is a successful businessman and a prominent member of the community. Lloyd is impressed by Jacey's ambition and drive, but he is wary of Doug, who he sees as lacking in ambition and direction.
The tensions between the two brothers and the Abbott family come to a head when Pamela becomes pregnant with Doug's child. Jacey and Lloyd both disapprove of the relationship, seeing it as a threat to their status and reputation. Doug is forced to make a choice between his love for Pamela and his loyalty to his brother and to the Abbotts.
Inventing the Abbotts is a poignant and nostalgic tribute to a bygone era, with rich period detail and a strong sense of time and place. The film explores themes of class, social mobility, and the power of family ties, and features a strong ensemble cast led by Joaquin Phoenix and Billy Crudup as the compelling and conflicted Holt brothers.