Credit: www.impawards.com
Writer/Director:
Cameron Crowe
Cast:
Orlando Bloom……….Drew Baylor
Kirsten Dunst……….Claire Colburn
Susan Sarandon……….Hollie Baylor
Alec Baldwin……….Phil DeVoss
Bruce McGill……….Bill Banyon
Judy Greer……….Heather Baylor
Jessica Biel……….Ellen Kishmore
Paul Schneider……….Jessie Baylor
Loudon Wainwright……….Uncle Dale
Paula Deen……….Aunt Dora
Paramount Pictures presents a Cruise/Wagner Vinyl Films production of a Cameron Crowe film. Running time: 123 minutes. Rated PG-13 (for language and some sexual references ).
Cameron Crowe is no stranger to failure. For Jerry Maguire, he explored the idea of how an egocentric man essentially loses everything only to then take stock in his life. In Almost Famous, a financial failure, but critical darling, this semi-autobiographical tale of Crowe’s adolescence as a correspondent for Rolling Stone magazine deals with the trials and tribulations of the make-believe rock group Stillwater.
Four years after remaking the Spanish-language thriller Open Your Eyes, and calling it Vanilla Sky with star Tom Cruise, Cameron Crowe returns to his romantic comedy roots. His film Elizabethtown has moments that will conjure up in the viewer images and characters from his past work. Sorry, you won’t see John Cusack raising a boom box with Peter Gabriel’s “In Your Eyes” blaring, but in similar fashion to Jerry Maguire, the main character is a disgrace.
Industrial designer Drew Baylor (Orlando Bloom) has caused Mercury, an Oregon shoe company, to lose hundreds of millions of dollars. The shoe he has been developing for several years is a financial bust. Even his boss remarks that Drew’s sneaker “may cause an entire generation to return to bare feet.” To add to that insult, Drew’s interoffice girlfriend Ellen (Jessica Biel) breaks up with him. Contemplating suicide by elliptical cycle, Drew receives a call from his sister Heather (Judy Greer) informing him that their father passed away while visiting his family in Elizabethtown, Kentucky. It is at this moment where Drew begins his journey to self-discovery.
Drew has a simple task: go to Kentucky and take care of the funeral arrangements. But on the trip down, Drew meets southern-charming stewardess Claire (Kirsten Dunst). The two have a connection on the flight as Claire teaches Drew the correct pronunciation of Louisville. She gives him her number on a road map, and the two say their goodbyes inside the airport terminal. Must be fate, considering the fish-out-of-water uneasiness Drew has meeting his extended family.
Fans of Garden State are quick to speculate if Cameron Crowe’s film is nothing but a happier, big studio version of Zach Braff’s directorial debut. Though, Crowe admits that his story is about his father and his hometown of Elizabethtown, Kentucky. Both films feature depressed young men traveling back home after being away several years to bury a parent. Along the way, the men fall in love with slightly neurotic femmes. Still, while Zach Braff’s film is peppered with slacker angst and coarse characters, Crowe’s feature is sunny side up with characters full of Southern hospitality.
Drew has an immediate liking to Claire, but she is hesitant, always talking about a mysterious boyfriend named Ben. We never meet Ben, so we have to come up with our own conclusions. Either she’s insecure with herself and has to have a make-believe boyfriend to keep her grounded, or, if there was a Dan, perhaps he was a former lover who’s now in another relationship.
In Elizabethtown, the two infatuated characters have a nightlong conversation with cell phones. They talk about life and trivial stuff. The conversation is reminiscent of Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy in Before Sunrise; the two characters meet and talk on a Budapest-Vienna train and continue to banter while touring Vienna for a day. The conversation between Drew and Claire is the high point of the film, because after the two characters meet for a sunrise rendezvous, the film loses its focus.
Orlando Bloom is good, not great, as the disgraced shoe designer. His use of an American accent is a change of pace as is his taking a role that doesn’t require a sword or a bow-and-arrow. Kirsten Dunst has the potential of being a very good actress. Dismissing her acting in the Spider-man films, this film allows Dunst the opportunity to play a colorful character that doesn’t appear superficial, who is quirky and quick-witted with a great knowledge of musical tastes.
Elizabethtown is a poignant love story with a series of moments. Funny, silly, serious moments. The problem is that Crowe is at his best when concentrating on characters coming together. Yet, there are several supporting story arcs and moments that deviate from the romance between Drew and Claire. Like the connections Drew makes with an extended family that is alien to him, or the road trip bonding experience he has with his father’s remains.
Having been a fan of Crowe’s work ever since he wrote the big screen adaptation of his novel Fast Times at Ridgemont High, his latest picture is a tough sell. Average romantic comedies have a strong momentum, squeezing both farfetched situations and characters performing senseless acts into a 90-minute movie. This comedy has a slow pace, like watching the trickle of a woodland Kentucky stream. Also, the vintage tunes that Crowe uses throughout the film can be a bit excessive. They pop up so often in the film that the viewer doesn’t have the time to get a grip on the budding romance. Still, Elizabethtown has an endearing supporting cast with colorful characters who have feelings of indecision and insecurity – two traits that are sorely missed in many high profile romances.
