CriticSociety- film reviews

Review

Elizabethtown

Director

Cameron Crowe

Year

2005

Rating

Reviewed by

José Ruiloba a.k.a. Morris

Review date

Monday, November 21, 2005

It was a sad day when Elizabethtown was publicly screened for the first time at the Venice Film Festival. The reviews that came out of there were disastrous, and after playing at Toronto to an equally scathing reaction, director Cameron Crowe decided to re-cut the movie. He supposedly cut 18 minutes and delivered a better movie. That doesn’t impress me since, for my taste, the movie is overlong in its final state... just imagine when it was longer! What I’m basically saying is that I’m sorry for director Cameron Crowe, one of my absolute favorites, but nobody’s perfect, and he definitely failed this time around. A harsh disappointment...

Drew Baylor (Orlando Bloom) works at a successful shoe company until he is fired after his latest design fails miserably in the market, losing the company about one billion dollars. And just when he’s about to commit suicide, a phone call from his sister Heather (Judy Greer) interrupts him. She tells him that their father just died, and that he has to go to his natal city, Elizabethtown, to take care of the memorial, since their mother Hollie (Susan Sarandon) is too upset to do it. Drew then embarks on the trip, and in the way meets a plucky stewardess, Claire (Kirsten Dunst), who gives a new meaning to his life.

If you think the plot dangerously resembles Zach Braff’s Garden State (2004) you’re right. I didn’t think that movie was a masterpiece either, but it worked on its own level and was quite enjoyable. Elizabethtown, on the other hand, is a mess.

The first half of the movie is almost unbearable to watch. I don’t know what happened to Crowe but the characteristics that always elevate his movies are nowhere to be found here. From frame one you can feel the air going out of the balloon. There’s no energy, no pizzazz, no memorable lines or situations. We learn Drew is fired when his boss (Alec Baldwin) wants to meet him. He then goes on and on and on about firing him, in a series of scenes that are awkwardly edited. And let’s not get into the ridiculous circumstances regarding the fiasco for which Drew is credited (market research, anyone?). Then Drew goes home and tries to commit suicide in the most ridiculous way imaginable. Crowe certainly intended this to be witty, but amidst the movie’s perfunctory tone, it’s ridiculous. Then Drew boards a huge plane which happens to be empty. Say what? Then he gets home and the relationship with his wacky family is boring. He then has a laughably badly-executed encounter with a soon-to-be-married guy staying next door in his hotel … and I just gave up all hope.

I don’t really know where to pin-point the blame. The movie just doesn’t work. It’s scene after scene that screams to be loved, but Crowe tries so hard to please that it comes off as pretentious and a bore. There’s a much-lauded all-night cell-phone conversation that I didn’t think was that great. Perhaps I was too disappointed to be able to swallow it by then.

Even the love story between Drew and Claire rings false every step of the way. I never felt like I wanted them to be together despite her charisma and good heart. I just never liked him. There’s even a scene involving fire alarms gone awry that had the potential to be much more, but Crowe makes a quick edit and it’s over in an instant. A shame...

The finale totally kills though. The movie ends in such a high note that it’s a pity nothing coming up to that point resembled that level of energy or craftsmanship. But I left the theater quite happy, so that must say something about the effectiveness of the ending.

Orlando Bloom is part of the reason the movie does not work. I do think he’s a good actor, but something happened here that it became a burden to keep up with him. Both the character and the actor are uninteresting in the movie. Kirsten Dunst, on the other hand, channels Natalie Portman and does a good job, being adorable and the only reason the movie gets a pass at some points. Susan Sarandon has a glorified cameo that culminates in a touching scene that goes on for too long. And the rest of the cast is ok, with no one leaving that much of an impression.

I’ll be here waiting for the next one. I hope Crowe hits it out of the park.

“You’re always trying to break up with me, and we’re not even together.”

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