Elizabethtown
is the latest effort from the wonderful Cameron Crowe, the gifted writer/director
who brought us Almost Famous, Jerry Maguire, and Say Anything. With his new film,
Crowe once again mixes romance, rock n’ roll, and a sense of whimsy.
Elizabethtown
features Orlando Bloom (in his first major contemporary role) as Drew Baylor,
a hot shot shoe designer who suffers the first major blow of his professional
career. Shortly thereafter, he learns of his father’s untimely death. In
an attempt to flee his recent career slide and make arrangements for his recently
deceased father, he makes the long trek to his old stomping ground in Kentucky
to take care of some personal business and do a little soul searching in the process.
During his journey, Drew meets Claire Colburn (Kirsten Dunst), a free spirited
airline attendant who immediately tickles his fancy.
So
right out of the gate, let it be known that Elizabethtown bares a striking resemblance
to last year’s sleeper Garden State, but before everyone paints Cameron Crowe
a thief, let it be known that Zach Braff’s exceptional debut is guilty of
dipping into Crowe’s back catalog, so I’d say the two film makers are
even. All things considered, I’d say that I was more moved by Garden State,
but both films suffer from a little to much meandering.
Orlando
Bloom tries to break free of his "period piece" restraints to mixed
effect. He’s likable enough I suppose, but he just isn’t able to carry
this movie on his shoulders (and don’t get me started on his less than impressive
American accent). Kirsten Dunst, on the other hand, virtually overplays her role
as the offbeat woman in Drew’s life. There was something natural, sweet and
effortless in the way Natalie Portman graced the screen in Garden State, and while
Dunst is occasionally charming here, I always felt like she was pushing a little
too hard. Susan Sarandon is surprisingly ineffective as a newly widowed woman,
and the fashion in which she deals with her recent loss, is shockingly cliched.
Following
the death of her husband, she immediately takes up hobbies that she probably wouldn’t
have considered while her husband was alive (i.e. cooking and tap dancing), and
while I suppose that’s the whole point, I found the scenario rather routine.
Alec Baldwin plays scene stealer once again as Drew’s intimidating boss.
Like Christopher Walken, Baldwin is one of those actors who quite often becomes
the center of attention when he’s on screen. He has a ball with this small
role, and I enjoyed every second of it. One of my favorite performances in Elizabethtown
comes courtesy of Paul Schneider as Drew’s goofy cousin. It’s a small
role to be sure (and I got the distinct impression that there was more of him
in the extended version that screened at the Toronto Film Festival), but Schneider
makes the most of it in a sweet, winning turn.
There
is greatness in this movie. Moments of pure magic that only a guy like Cameron
Crowe can deliver. For instance, I love the scene in which Drew and Claire visit
Colonel Saunders’ grave, and Claire proclaims him the Jim Morrison of Kentucky.
I also enjoyed the overall message of Elizabethtown. The movie suggests that there’s
nothing wrong with failure. Failure is a part of the learning process, and you
shouldn’t give up, even if a billion dollar deal blows up in your face. Or
how about the wonderful townsfolk who reside in Drew’s hometown. These people
are full of love, and it’s through them that Drew is able to connect with
his dead father. All beautiful traits. But this is a major problem I have with
the film. It’s a movie of moments. As a whole it comes up short. Too many
sequences start off strong then fall flat. Take for instance an intimate cell
phone call between Drew and Claire. This would have been a beautiful sequence
had it lasted five minutes. Instead, it goes on for about twelve minutes. Or how
about a montage featuring Drew driving the countryside with his cremated father
in the passenger seat. This sequence also runs too long.
I’ve
been a huge fan of Cameron Crowe for years. I just love the way this guy writes
dialogue and he seems to have a real feel for human nature. What’s more Crowe
has an incredible knack for picking classic songs that perfectly compliment a
scene. That is, until this slight misfire. Don’t get me wrong. Elizabethtown
does get it right on occasion such as a classic moment in which the southern rock
anthem Free Bird is performed in a fashion I won’t soon forget. But whereas
in so many other Crowe films, music is used to compliment a scene, here, they
often take over the scene making several sequences a tad self conscious.
Elizabethtown
is a movie I really wanted to love, but in the end, I think it’s at the lower
end of the spectrum of Crowe’s efforts. For me, it lacks the romanticism
of Say Anything and Jerry Maguire, and the rock n’ roll bliss of Almost Famous.
And while Vanilla Sky was a major departure for the director, even it seemed to
maintain a certain kind of rhythm. Elizabethtown is certainly the best movie this
particular weekend had to offer (don’t bother with The Fog or Domino), but
I have to admit, I’d hoped for a little bit more.
