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Printer-Friendly ModeElizabethtown not Crowe's best but worth four-year wait
October 17, 2005 —
It has been four years since a Cameron Crowe movie hit theaters. His last movie, Vanilla Sky, was not well-received by audiences or critics, and his last hit film, Almost Famous, feels like it was released ages ago. Of course, only a mere 14 months separated those two features, while Almost Famous appeared nearly four years after his previous film, the Academy Award nominated Jerry Maguire.
Did the additional years between Vanilla Sky and the present give Crowe enough time to craft another masterpiece? Unfortunately, the answer is no. But the resulting movie, Elizabethtown, is far from a disgrace to this accomplished director's name.
The first fifteen minutes of Elizabethtown are very misleading. Judging from the trailer for the movie, it was supposed to be a heartwarming tale of a young man traveling to Kentucky after hearing of his father's death. However, the movie immediately presents an unexpected goofy humor that is a bit disheartening.
Orlando Bloom is Drew Baylor, a shoe designer whose last creation cost his company nearly a billion dollars. This fiasco cues the arrival of his boss, played by the wonderful Alec Baldwin, who emphasizes just how much money that shoe has cost him.
This is all well and good when it comes to a comedy, but a comedy this is not. At least, it wasn't supposed to be. But after Drew gets word of his father's death, the movie switches gears and takes on a more bittersweet tone with slightly more subtle humor. And from this point on, everything about the movie just feels right.
There is the inevitable romance inserted into the movie, but it's interesting and provides some of the movie's most charming moments. Kirsten Dunst does a fine job of capturing Drew's heart as Claire, a flight attendant who has a knack for giving directions.
The relationship that develops between the two feels real and fitting and not hokey like so many big screen romances.
But the real heart of the movie lies within the family. The scenes where Drew interacts with his father's side of the family - people who he never really got to know - are both hilarious and touching.
While Bloom may not seem the obvious choice for the lead character in Elizabethtown - his resume consists largely of action-packed period pieces - he manages to carry the film quite well. And there is a definite chemistry between Bloom and Dunst that makes his landing the part even more appropriate.
And even though the end of the movie kind of drags on and changes pace yet again, Elizabethtown succeeds as a whole. There is enough humor and sentimentality to please just about anyone without going too far in either category.
This latest movie from Cameron Crowe was surely worth the wait. Even though it doesn't have a star as big as Tom Cruise like Vanilla Sky, it has ten times the emotion of that bleak effort. So if releasing another film as entertaining as Elizabethtown means waiting another four years, then Mr. Crowe, I will see you in 2009.