Doug Holt (Joaquin Phoenix) lives with his widowed mother, Helen (Kathy Baker), and older brother, Jacey (Billy Crudup) in the shadow of the wealthy and glamorous Abbotts. The two families have a history, but neither of the Holt boys are entirely clear on the details. They only know that they are not as wealthy or shiny as the Abbotts, but that does not apparently preclude their constant involvement with the three Abbott daughters – Alice (Joanna Going), the eldest good girl, who gets married early, and is prim and feminine; Eleanor (Jennifer Connelly) the middle bad girl, openly sexual and rebellious; and Pam (Liv Tyler), the youngest, sweet, awkwardly sincere, and tomboyish. Although both brothers get scholarships to U Penn, Jacey still has a giant chip on his shoulder, and he directs all his class resentment at the Abbotts. The Abbott patriarch married into the family money and so is particularly suspicious of upwardly aspirant young men. All of this complicates and impedes the real love story here – that of Doug and Pam.
Inventing the Abbotts is a movie in which an extremely lovely cast models extremely lovely costumes and does an extremely lovely job at portraying multiple love stories. I could have lived without the Wonder Years/Stand By Me voiceover, but I suppose it fits in with the 1950s period.
