[.ca] Elizabethtown (Widescreen)

From Amazon.com:
Elizabethtown has all of the elements of a great Cameron Crowe movie, but none of the Cameron Crowe vision that made Almost Famous work. It's mostly a series of sweet moments, each capped with the right song at the right time; in fact, the soundtrack is the real star of the movie, and the right song is all there is to piece together a film that is much less than the sum of its parts. From the start of Elizabethtown, big contrasts are evoked: death and life, success and failure are side by side, so we're told. When the movie starts, Drew Baylor (Orlando Bloom) is experiencing failure and death in spades: the shoe he spent eight years designing for Mercury (a thinly-veiled copy of Nike) has been recalled, costing his company $972 million dollars. On the verge of a suicide attempt, he learns his father has died, and Drew flies to Kentucky to retrieve the body to Oregon for cremation. On the red-eye to Louisville he meets Claire Colburn (Kirsten Dunst), a perky flight att'ndant with a charming flair for cute lines ("I'm impossible to forget, but I'm hard to remember," she chirps). Once in Elizabethtown, Drew tries to plan a memorial while dealing with relatives who have their own agenda in addition to his manic family back in Oregon, all while facing the reality that in a few days he'll be known nationally as one of his industry's most legendary failures. Yet still he manages to connect with Claire on an all-night cell phone conversation--complete with the requisite watching of the sunrise--and to strike up a furtive romance. So we now have death and life side by side. But despite these dramatic shifts, what sets up to be a roller coaster ride of a film flattens out to a milquetoast middle ground with no real life of its own. Drew Baylor has suffered two tragic personal losses in the course of one day, but you wouldn't know it from Bloom's lethargic performance. There's not much to Claire either. Her whole character is made up mostly of cutesy quotable lines and mysterious little smirks. In the end, Elizabethtown is a film that doesn't know what it wants to be, and unfortunately there's no payoff, other than a few memorable lines and a great soundtrack. --Dan Vancini

Underestimated by critics:
I really was apprehensive about this movie because critics gave it such a bad name. This film IS DIFFERENT and that makes it great. It is not a typical love story. I really loved this movie because it had many interesting character quirks. Not to mention it gives you the 'road trip' travel bug. Orlando Bloom does a wonderful job of acting and I was SO happy to see him in a role that wasn't big blockbuster epic where he doesn't speak much. After watching this movie and others...I have come to the conclusion that critics hate the movies I love. If it's too different that makes a movie bad? No way! See this movie. you either love it or hate it. I love it!

One of my favourites!:
I absolutely love this movie! It certainly is a bit quirky, but my spirits were lifted seeing it! My husband really liked it as well. Good for both guys and girls. And the scene with Alec Baldwin is really funny! The soundtrack for the movie is amazing too. If you're looking for something light, funny - a feel good movie - give this one a watch.

Dunst is magical in this wonderful little film:
Normally, you would have to drag me kicking and screaming to any movie featuring either Alec Baldwin or Susan Sarandon (let alone both of them), but I took a chance on Elizabethtown just so I could watch Kirsten Dunst (whom I now officially adore, by the way). Count this among the good decisions I have made in life. Elizabethtown is a surprisingly rich, sentimental, wonderful film. Am I crazy, or is Hollywood actually turning out some darn good movies in the last couple of years? Not the big blockbusters, of course. I'm talking about quirky little comedies and dramas that usually don't pay for themselves at the box office but do actually reflect something of intelligence and emotional meaning - films like Elizabethtown. Yes, the last quarter of the film basically wanders off on its own (the perfectly ridiculous memorial service is exceedingly over-the-top) and dilutes the overall effectiveness of the story, but this is still a wonderful little film that actually has something to say about life and love. As much as I liked the story, though, I'm not sure it would have worked at all without Kirsten Dunst. Few actresses have the natural charm and power to brighten up even the darkest of days just by showing up, and it was Dunst's manic energy that really drew me into this whole story. Everyone makes mistakes - but only a handful make mistakes that cost their company almost one billion dollars. Drew Baylor (Orlando Bloom) is one of that ill-fated number. Who knew there was a billion dollars to be won or lost in the shoe business? This fiasco is so big that Drew decides to kill himself. His attempt is preempted, however, by a phone call carrying the news that his father has died while visiting his hometown friends and family. Since Drew's mother and sister are a little on the loony side, it falls to Drew to travel to Kentucky to bring his father back home for the last time. During his late-night plane trip, he meets an exceedingly helpful and more than a little manic flight attendant named Claire (Kirsten Dunst), who gives him all sorts of directions and, of course, her phone number. After dealing with his father's family and friends all day, he ends up talking to Claire on the phone all night. Thus is born a rather unusual relationship between these two "substitute people." Claire provides Drew with an emotional base he sorely needs in dealing with his twin tragedies, and she also injects a spontaneity and zest for life into his otherwise morbid, pre-suicidal world. Elizabethtown does deal with some big themes - e.g., life and death, success and failure - and I think it all comes together wonderfully. I can't really understand why some viewers see the film as being less than the sum of its parts, as there is definitely meaning to be found in this unusual story. I especially can't see how anyone would view Claire as a shallow character; she has a magical quality that makes her infinitely complex and perfectly refreshing. If you ask me, Dunst is amazingly good in this film. Even the presence of Baldwin and Sarandon isn't enough for me to give Elizabethtown less than five stars.

Slow? Yes. Bad? No!:
The critics didn't like this movie. Well, that's no surprise. It was a little slow-moving, much like the town it was set in, so the pace was very fitting. The story line is something most people with disfunctional families can relate to. There were plenty of belly laughs, wonderful emotion, a great soundtrack, and some fantastic acting put forth by Orlando Bloom. As for Kirsten Dunst - well, I'm not a huge fan, but she was a good choice for the flaky character she portrayed. Overall, this was a good movie that certainly didn't deserve the dismal reviews it had originally received.

Bizarre movie!:
I'm not sure what to think of this movie. It's sort of bizarre. Orlando Bloom does a good acting job but his character is unreal. The whole premise of the movie is over the top in my opinion. I sort of enjoyed the last 15 minutes though. Kirsten Dunst's character was wack-o! The soundtrack is really very good!