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Visitors Review

Saika Shibata 2012-05-25 03:39:44

It's wonderful, heart-warming movie!☆

This is a story about a man whose name is Drew(Olando bloom).He workson a shoe(sneaker)company to design many kinds of sneakers.But he failshis project, and he lose own confidence. And then, he receives a phonecall that his father pass away. Then Drew decides to go to theElizabeth town to meet his father's death.On the plane, Drew meets Claire(Kirsten Dunst),a flight attendant.Herway of thinking is funny, positive, so Drew changes his road of thelife gradually.Now, he is in the Elizabeth town for knowing hisfather's life and friends.He starts discover himself again withsomeone's help, very close to him....I think this movie is very good, because it makes me calm and gives mefull of happiness. The story contains a little sadness scene, but themusic of background helps the scene comfortable.And the acting of thecasts are also great.This is the original, heart-warming movie. And Ithink it has some unpredictable scene! Therefore, it's worth watching!

fred-287 2012-05-24 17:56:09

Um...is this what "they" mean by "life-affirming"?

At one point in "Elizabethtown" the two leads (played by O. Bloom andK. Dunst) have what may be the longest phone conversation in thehistory of cinema (I'm surprised their batteries never ran down) duringwhich they discuss who's the "they" in "They say that..." This made fora pretty funny one-panel "Far Side" cartoon some years back but hereit's typical of dialogue that makes a point then goes on way past that.Writer/director C. Crowe seems to be poaching on R. Altman territory("Nashville" et al.) trying for a kind of interweaving of charactersand subplots letting the viewer feel constantly like the "fly on thewall" eavesdropping. But Altman always had a coldly judicious view ofhow compelling his characters were and how much to let us see of theirlives. Crowe seems to expect we'll see all these Kentuckians as"kinfolk" because his protagonist has to.My problem with the movie began with the premise: Bloom is a designerof an athletic shoe that apparently nobody wants, thus costing hiscompany tons of money. Do major business enterprises really plunge downsuch suicidal blind alleys, I mean outside "The Simpsons"? Don't theyhave safeguards and contingency plans and whatnot? Anyway Bloom getsfired and decides to kill himself (as Norman Bates put it, "that seemsrather an extreme reaction") concocting an exercise/killing-machinethat the people behind "Saw" must envy. Before he can carry it out, hissister calls informing him their father has died and he must dropwhatever he's doing to take care of it. (Phone-interrupted suicide hasalso been done before, e.g. "Way of the Gun.") It's too bad we don'tsee more of the sister, a "passive-aggressive" poster child; Judy Greergives far and away the film's best performance. On the flight toKentucky Bloom meets a "stalker" stewardess (sorry, "flight attendant")(Dunst) who WILL NOT leave him alone (providing the best comedicmoments) and who had me hoping this flick maybe would become a newloopy twist on "Fatal Attraction." Only later did I grasp that Dunst issupposed to be the kind of cinematic pixielike "free spirit" who "opensour eyes to the possibilities of" yadda yadda yadda.Don't get me wrong, I could point out any number of enjoyable momentsbetween Bloom's arrival in E-town and his road trip back home--in fact,here are two: the hyper little kid barfing on D-Day from "Animal House"and Susan Sarandon's tap dance to "Moon River," her giddiest hoofingsince "Rocky Horror Picture Show"---but they're just a collection ofmoments, they don't develop any narrative momentum (in fact they couldbe shown in reverse order with the same effect) or compound ouremotional engagement (or at least mine). They depend totally on thecharm of the actors to carry it off; other than Sarandon (who's noton-screen nearly enough) a little of all these people went a long wayfor me. As for the trip back home itself--"fuhgeddaboutit," it's like awhole new movie (that had already seemed long to that point) with Bloomfollowing an incredibly intricate set of instructions left for him byDunst, including a tribute to M. L. King and a reference to theOklahoma City bombing and a conclusion that I would have foundstunningly implausible if my suspension of disbelief had not alreadylong since collapsed.As Denis Leary said in one role, "I'm Irish, maybe I'm thick." I don'tknow what Crowe's trying to say here--"Enjoy life"? "Don't killyourself if you get fired"? "Make peace with your parents beforethey're dead"? Okay, thanks! I appreciate that the Kentuckians were notcartoonish rednecks although it seemed a stretch that having once beentold that Bloom was from Oregon, they continued to refer to him as aCalifornian. "Well hell, they's both a fair piece out west from here,ain't they?..." "Elizabethtown" makes in passing one serious and validpoint --"You can't be buddies with your son" --then negates it with therock-drummer dad apparently successfully doing just that. Lord onlyknows how many feral children in public places have made me wish thatcurrent parents would look up "parent" in the dictionary. Guess we justneed to let the kids see videos of buildings blowing up "real good"....

andy__dufresne 2012-05-20 19:17:36

Elizabeth town = worst movie I have ever seen!

This was hands-down the worst movie I have ever seen. It had absolutelyno story line I can speak of. That got me to thinking about Crowe'sprevious efforts and it occurred to me that is what he does in all ofhis films. He tends to write good characters and hires good actors,then films whatever they make of the role. However, on this effort, thetalent just wasn't there. I have yet to see her in anything that makesme think she is at all talented, and her looks are only about a 5.Dunst has proved once again she peaked at the age of eight and lacksthe ability to carry any film. Susan Sarandon has never been worse andOrlando Bloom does not add or take away from the film. Avoid this movieat all costs.

sloanj11 2012-05-20 06:52:02

Awful and ridiculous.

From beginning to end this film fails. Completely fake, full of falsesentiment. I'm amazed by the comments I'm reading here. One case whenyou can safely listen to the critics. Ridiculous, pretentious andshallow train wreck of a film. Cameron Crowe needs a reality check,quickly becoming a sellout Hollywood director. The film is full ofquirky colorful, one dimensional, empty characters. Poorly acted, themovie is a string of scenes failing on their own and then collectively.Add in a bad soundtrack full of sellout covers and you have amazinglybad movie. Please See Garden State before adding any more positivereviews of this film.

SteveEshleman 2012-05-15 00:00:45

Long and slow first half. Very strong second half.

The introduction lasts over an hour, and it should be edited to 20minutes! After that I would rate the movie an 8. Very thoughtprovoking, with real meaning! The acting is good to very good.Claire was absolutely perfect in her role. She was a consistent andrefreshing personality, the kind of person one would like to know inthis mostly impersonal materialistic society.Drew was better than adequate in his role, but became a little hard tobear in his misery and doldrums. Drew's shortcomings served to makeClaire all the more amazing.Worth watching, especially if it is recorded and you can fast forwardduring the first hour.

2012-05-14 21:35:07

Simply the most wonderful film of all-time!

Everyone has a film that comes along once in a lifetime and forever endears itself to their heart. For myself, Elizabethtown was that film. No longer do I have to defend my favourite film selections against comparisons with the golden era classics such as Casablanca and Breakfast At Tiffany's, Elizabethtown in my opinion for it's time is the equal of both. Although director Cameron Crowe's past films include my previous all-time favourite Jerry Maguire, I believe he has raised the bar with Elizabethtown. If ever a movie is to be made from one of my novels, then Cameron Crowe would be the man I would want calling the shots. From it's eclectic yet refreshingly beautiful soundtrack, to the raw emotional presentation of life that exists around us, Elizabethtown rises above. Kirsten Dunst is fabulous as the unstoppably positive airline hostess Claire and although Orlando Bloom starred in bigger blockbusters such as the Lord Of The Rings trilogy and the Pirates Of The Carribean films, I hope he holds the role of Drew Baylor as one of the finest performances of his career. Throw in a talented support cast of Susan Sarandon, Jessica Biel, Bruce McGill and Alec Baldwin and you have a highly enjoyable movie. I could spend the rest of my life waiting for a film to top Cameron Crowe's loveable walk through Louisville, Kentucky only to be disappointed when all others fail to compare. So it's safe to say I'll leave Elizabethtown in a class of its own, as a stand alone masterpiece!

2012-05-05 07:11:25

For optimistic people

Drew Baylor loses the shoe company he works for almost a billion dollars. He designed a shoe that flopped horribly on the market. He wants to kill himself. But he gets called by his family to take care of his father's funeral arrangement. Him being a dutiful son, he decides to put off suicide until he returns home. But he meets a flight attendant while going to take care of business and romance ruins his plans.I thought it was a sweet, charming movie. It stars a couple of cute, likable young people, Orlando Bloom and Kirsten Dunst. It had a nice pace and I was just drawn into the story.I think lots of people will be bored by this even if I did like it. It's for people who want something uplifting or comfort food for the soul. It would be great to watch after a difficult day.

Son_of_Mansfield 2012-05-04 12:40:34

A big, cutesy ball of quirk.

Cameron Crowe's movies have always been odd, but there was somethingrelate-able in them. The big glassy eyes of Patrick Fugit in AlmostFamous, the glee of Cuba Gooding Jr. in Jerry Macquire, and the boombox serenade in Say Anything. This doesn't have anything like that andthe biggest problem is Orlando Bloom. He does the same thing thatPatrick Fugit and Tom Cruise did, the cocking of the head with thewidening of the eyes, but it doesn't work for him. He is not a goodenough actor to play a role that is completely different from himself.He looks like he attended the Derek Zoolander school for actors who arehot, but can't act well. Matters are made worse by Kirsten Dunst who isbasically playing Penny Lane lite. All the other actors have theirquirky little parts, the music makes a statement, and by the end, youare left realizing that this is a prototypical Cameron Crowe filmwithout the same humanity.P.S. That is a beautiful name for a town, though.

2012-05-02 04:52:50

Great, great movie in both senses.

Elizabethtown is a great, great movie. In both senses. It will make youlaugh, and cry, and will keep surprising you throughout. It fits nopigeonholes. A bit like life really. But it takes a while to adjust toits quirky, eccentricities of tone and narrative. There's nothing wrongwith the first 30 minutes of the movie but at that stage you'llprobably think my opening remarks are crazy. You keep wondering whereit's going and then it engages you and draws you in. Stop frettingabout where we're going it seems to say, and I'll show you interesting,illuminating things about relationships, about life, without tellingyou about them. So often movies reflect our cultural fiction that ourlives are a narrative, a story, with a meaning to be discovered ratherthan created. Elizabethtown is much nearer the truth: the sense of whatwe see and do is found not in what the world does to us but how werespond to it. But first you have to re-learn how to look.If this sounds heavy, philosophical tosh that's me not the movie. Ithas a lightness of touch and tenderness of feeling that isirresistible. If the image of a newly widowed, middle aged womantap-dancing to 'Moon River' at a memorial dinner for her dead husbandsounds like Mel Brooks on a bad day, let me tell you it will clutch atyour heart and moisten your eye. Of course it does no harm that thewidow in question is played by the superb Susan Sarandon, who, in arelatively small role has never been better. The little sequence aboveis a great moment of cinema and will run and run.It is no surprise that Sarandon is excellent, but Kirsten Dunst is arevelation. Her quirky Clare, is a Holly Golightly for today. Funny,sad, elusive, and yes at times exasperating. But playing against ascrewed-up understated Orlando Bloom, their oddball relationshipstrikes an engaging note of ragged reality. Indeed a test case ofwhether you can buy into this deeply romantic tone is I guess how youfeel about Breakfast at Tiffany's. Hate that and you'll hate this. Andvice versa. I love BaT but there are more layers to Elizabethtown. Inits bitter-sweet perceptive way, Crowe's screenplay has more than aecho of Capote. And its strange, motley crew of almost randomly jumbledtogether characters also says much, it seems to me, about America, itscontradictions and unities. Its heart, if you will. As an idea, thereis nothing earth-shattering about the thought that there is more tolife than work and alpha-male aggressive over-achievement. But makingthe alternative seem the rational, sensible sane view of life is atough call. As Union Leader Jimmy Reid once famously remarked "therat-race is for rats." George W Bush, Neo-Conservative, CorporateAmerica this ain't. A movie for people who get Charlie Brown. Andcherish the fact that he too is profoundly 'American'.Elizabethtown has a soundtrack to die for. Cameron Crow's missus NancyWilson sings and assembles some great music to underscore perfectly thefilm's narrative tone. This film exudes a love of music and pretentiousthough it sounds, a love of life. It is downbeat, unfussy, and in avery distinctive way, brilliantly integrates the essential elements ofa good movie: excellent writing, strong, inventive performances, andsharp, pacey editing. But in the end it is the unity of these elementsthat make this one special. And just as in the world of music, thesinger-songwriter has come to represent a popular music paradigm of thesynthesis of words and music, so writer-director Crowe has assembled asatisfying cinematic whole that is far more than the sum of itsundeniably good parts. And the performers bring much to the party, asdespite the undoubted quality of the writing, I suspect on the page, itwould look as if there was simply nothing there.Elizabethtown may prove to be a sleeper at the box-office, but to thisreviewer there is a lot more to this one than immediately meets the eyeand even on that level it is as funny, touching, inventive a movie asyou'll see this year. Don't miss it.Zettel 2005

Thomas Diemer 2012-05-01 13:35:30

This is a correction for a goof

An error in geography goof has been posted for this title. Actually itis not a real error, Drew ends up lost when he drives North, on I-65trying to get to Elizabethtown. In one of the lost scenes there is asign saying he is in Indiana, Inidana is North of Louisville. He woulddrive through downtown Louisville and get to Indiana. There is also ascene of him going through a tunnel that is on the Waterson Expresswaygoing East. If he really messed up he could have gone that way, drivenaround the east side of Louisville, and ended up in Indiana as well.I am from Louisvile, Iought to know!!T Diemer

Grace 2012-04-27 01:09:31

A sweet movie

I thought Elizabethtown was quite sweet and unconventional. I had mydoubts beforehand, seeing as though I had seen Kingdom of Heaven,Orlando Bloom's previous movie, and it had been a bit of adisappointment. Let me just say that he does romantic comedies well.Although,the words Romantic Comedy do not exactly describe the plotvery well, the movie was more about Drew coming to terms with hisfamily and his father's death than about him and Claire. It was a cutestory with amazing music (going to get the soundtrack!). For OrlandoBloom fans, his American accent sounds surprisingly natural and hisacting nicely understated.The character of Claire was very eccentric, and she mentioned varioustimes about her boyfriend Ben, fictional or simply a jerk I'm still notsure. The map she made for Drew was a great gift, and that part of themovie was my favourite- Drew's road-trip was beautiful.At times the movie was a little slow, the eulogy and the funeral laggeda bit, but mostly it was at a nice pace with a good length. Funny attimes, quirky, sad, and touching, it is a melting pot of multiple storylines and emotions going on at once and it works well. I hope thismovie does well, it deserves it.

dixiehnsnluver 2012-04-26 02:54:56

A funny story that starts with disappointment and ends with hope.

This movie is heartwarming and hilarious! Orlando Bloom manages toconnect with his audience and Kirsten Dunst brings a whacky humor tothe plot. Southern life is depicted brilliantly in the small town ofElizabethtown, Kentucky- the hometown of Drew Baylor's (Bloom) recentlydeceased father. With each new family member and stranger on thestreet, Drew reluctantly learns to love life and all the ups and downsthat come with it. Kirsten Dunst as Claire Colburn keeps Drew's hopesafloat. It starts out a it depressing but fear not, you will be smilingby the end! Perhaps a "great fiasco" is only the beginning of a greatromance.

jconnell-5 2012-04-21 05:39:21

Enjoyable, Memorable, but not a Comedy

I throughly enjoyed the movie. I found the picture had a very authenticat times raw feel to it. I happen to have grown up in a communitysimilar to Elizabethtown believe it or not these places do still existin America. I do however think the trailer is completely misleading. I expected tobe entertained by some sort of comedy, instead I found a quirky lovestory between Bloom and Dunst while exploring lightly the issuessurrounding grief from loss of a parent. Kirsten Dunst is perfectly cast as Claire, as is Orlando Bloom. SusanSarandon's portrayal of a widow is a little over the top but fun towatch at times.

Fabio Pirovano 2012-04-20 18:14:50

Suffer,Love and Hope!

Cameron Crowe is one of these director very careful to details,I reallylove how he works,also if Box office been liar I really lovedELIZABETHTOWN(Wagner,Cruise,Crowe Production);Main actors Dunst andBloom are simply great,the alchemy is perfect,theediting,cinematography(John Toll) and use of music ,especially thislatter,are a plunge in the Heart! This film speak about Family,aboutDead(the onlytruth all we know), speak about Love , through the eyes ofnormal people;I think this film is highly advise against cynicalpeople. Who really know the words Suffer,Love and Hope will enjoy a lotabout this Outstanding Masterpiece!

2012-04-20 08:46:24

underrated human comedy

Drew Baylor is a young man weighed down by an unusually burdensome burden: he's managed to single-handedly bankrupt the corporation he works for to the tune of a cool $972,000,000 when the shoe he`s designed fails to catch on with the American public. With little left to live for and faced with a public humiliation the likes of which few of us could ever possibly imagine let alone survive, the only reasonable thing Drew can think to do is to put a quick end to his suddenly bleak and disastrous life. However, fate intervenes when, in mid-suicide attempt, his phone rings with news that his father has just died while visiting his side of the family in Elizabethtown, Kentucky. Drew is forced to put off his offing, if only temporarily, while he does his duty taking care of the business of burying his father. On the way there, he strikes up an acquaintance with a kooky, free-spirited stewardess with whom he begins to develop a relationship. Meanwhile, he is embraced by the relatives whom he hasn't seen in years and comes to realize just what a special man his father was to the people in Elizabethtown."Elizabethtown" was not a roaring critical or commercial success for writer/director Cameron Crowe, but it is a charming, heartwarming film that looks and feels a lot like "Garden State," although, in this case, the young man is returning not to his own hometown but to the hometown of his dad. Crowe knows how to make romantic comedy look lightweight and easy. The characters and situations, though grounded in reality, always have a certain off-kilter quality of cockeyed optimism that keeps the movies from wallowing in cliches and that purges them of sentimentality. Drew's Kentucky relatives are not portrayed as hicks and rubes but rather as kind-hearted people who, though slightly suspicious of that branch of the family "from California" (actually they're from Oregon), welcome Drew into their midst with genuine affection and hospitality. The romance between Drew and Claire, the flighty flight attendant, is developed with a great deal of emotion and charm. It is Claire's job as the life-affirming force in the scenario to articulate for Drew (and for us) what is and what is not important in life, and to see that creating a "fiasco" in the business world just doesn't rate as all that important when stacked up against truly important things like love, family and personal relationships. But, as always with Crowe, the message is never hammered home but filters through subtly, as he creates a thoughtful, lyrical poem through character and setting.The movie hits a few wrong notes along the way, mainly in the scene at his father's memorial service, in which Drew's mom delivers a highly unlikely eulogy and receives an equally unlikely response from the audience. And the scene itself ends in a bit of desperate slapstick that is not up to the quality of the rest of the material. And even though Susan Sarandon is always delightful to watch, her character is fairly underdeveloped in this film and so she sometimes feels as if she is more of a tacked-on device than a genuine person in her own right. But all that is made up for by the wonderful performances of Orlando Bloom and Kirsten Dunst in the lead roles - Bloom underplays beautifully, while Dunst emotes like crazy - and by Alec Baldwin in a wickedly witty cameo as Drew's boss, whose ability to reduce Drew to the mere shadow of a man while dripping with sarcasm and smiling through his clenched teeth is a priceless bit of satire aimed at the dehumanization that lies at the heart of the corporate world mentality. Some viewers might feel cheated by the fact that Crowe reveals little about what kind of a relationship Drew had with his dad growing up. Drew is clearly not a bitter son, carrying deep-seated resentments around with him through adulthood, but neither does he seem overly affectionate towards the memory of his father or overwhelmed with grief at his passing. In many ways, Crowe holds back on revealing all this, as if to imply that revealing information of such an intimate nature to the audience would be something of a violation of that sacred bond that exists between a father and his son. Some artists would undoubtedly choose to go that route - letting the audience in on every sordid detail of the relationship - but Crowe is clearly an artist who feels we can learn just as much about Drew if the truth remains under the surface as we could if it were all out in the open. And in these days of hold-nothing-back, blab-it-all confessionals, that restraint is very much appreciated indeed.

2012-04-20 02:57:57

THE MOST UNDERRATED FILM OF 2005

Writer/Director Cameron Crowe's ("Say Anything...", "Singles," "Jerry Maguire", "Almost Famous", "Vanilla Sky") latest film met a painful death when it was released to theaters last fall. For a film that is undeniably non-controversial, it was a strangely polarizing film with one camp showering praise while its' detractors voiced seemingly endless complaints which ranged from performances, character's motivations, the film's meandering tone, to even the use of its' soundtrack. I am proudly placing myself in the first group. I have seen the film twice and while I don't think that this is a great film (or even my favorite Cameron Crowe film), it struck a profound chord with me that has remained months after seeing it. I feel that this film never had the chance it deserved and it was completely undervalued and unappreciated. Thanks to DVD, it has a second chance. I am not only anxious to see it again; I am graciously urging you to give this film a try.The opening of the film recalls elements of "Jerry Maguire" (and to some extent, the darker tones of "Vanilla Sky") as we meet 27-year-old Drew Baylor (Orlando Bloom), an introverted shoe designer for a Nike-ish corporation. Drew is fired for designing a disastrous athletic shoe entitled the "Spasmotica" (envisioned to give the wearer the feeling of "walking on a cloud") and the failure of his eight years in the making design will potentially cost his company to lose 1 billion dollars. This fiasco additionally costs him his girlfriend and hours later, on the brink of committing suicide, he receives an urgent call from his sister (Judy Greer) informing him of their father's sudden death. Drew is then dispatched by his mother (Susan Sarandon) to venture to his father's small Kentucky hometown of Elizabethtown to deal with the extended family and protect his father's dying wishes. On his way to Elizabethtown, Drew meets Claire Colburn (Kirsten Dunst), an extremely cheerful flight attendant who begins to point Drew in the direction of seeing life's possibilities."Elizabethtown" is NOT a romantic comedy, although there is a romance in it. The outcome of the film doesn't hinge on whether Drew and Claire become romantically involved. This film is about life and death itself and the baby steps Drew takes towards embracing life. Most importantly, "Elizabethtown" shows, in graceful and subtle ways, how that very embrace comes down to the power of choice. One can choose despair or happiness, and for most of the film, Drew, still contemplating suicide, skulks around in dark clothes like the specter of death while being confronted with Claire's relentless optimism, and the unconditional love from a family he barely knows. Through watching characters like Drew's mother (obviously consumed with grief over the loss of her husband plus being confronted with issues of her own mortality) to Claire herself (a much more complicated character than given credit for), the power of choice becomes more explicit and meaningful to Drew, and hopefully, the audience. The film concludes with a majestic and music filled cross-country road trip, selflessly created for Drew by Claire, to help him reconnect with the world and the life force that surges through all manner of people, places, and things.As previously stated, many complaints about this film were steered towards its' slower pace and meandering tone. I felt that this was Crowe's artistic choice to make a film that approximated the rhythms of real life. Real life is not made up of a concisely driven narrative hurtling itself along to a conclusion. Life is a series of moments, which build upon other moments and sometimes, emotionally collide. Crowe gracefully etches out these moments in various fashions. A courtship while buying an urn. A tap dance during a memorial service. Dealing with death in a hotel where seemingly every other patron is part of a rambunctious, life-affirming wedding party. In this film, Crowe masterfully captures the "in-between" moments of Drew's journey and audiences need to give this film the patience and time it needs to fully resonate."Elizabethtown" is not an instant gratification movie. It is not about a payoff. It is designed for the viewer to take an emotional journey with Drew. Patient viewers will be rewarded with a deeply heartfelt film that means what it says about success, failure, family, loss and love and it ultimately provides a sense of hope in a world that desperately needs it. Cameron Crowe's "Elizabethtown" is a love story to life.

Jack Malvern 2012-04-16 14:14:21

Not bad. Not bad at all

There are a lot of reviewers who were disappointed by Elizabethtown.Possibly Cameron Crowe brought it upon himself by having made betterfilms, but reviewers who condemn it for this reason do their readers adisservice.It won't be as revered as Almost Famous or as popular as Jerry Maguire,but Elizabethtown remains whimsically amusing and well-observed despiteits rambling nature. It isn't electrifying and will suffer fromaccusations that its message is nothing more profound than "don'tworry, be happy", but people willing to suspend their disbelief will berewarded.And, most importantly for a romantic comedy, it deals with sentimentaltopics without ever sinking into gloopy schmaltz.Orlando Bloom - who seemed little more than a catalogue model in Lordof the Rings and Troy - is very watchable as the suicidal shoe designercompelled to visit Kentucky to oversee his father's funeral. KirstenDunst, whose career seemed to be stuck in the all-American everygirlrole, gets to be a more quirky character and successfully creates achemistry with Bloom that powers the film along.The music is wonderful, and there is one scene featuring a performanceof Lynyrd Skynrd's Free Bird that is a triumph.Don't get me wrong. People who don't like this kind of gentlemeandering rom-com will hate it with a passion reserved for Anne Geddesand her baby fetishist photographs, but more lenient viewers will bedelighted.

dakoo_89 2012-04-16 06:46:01

watch it! it's worth it!

OK, this is a very good movie, that can help get you motivated, showingthat a failure, no matter how large, or a series of rather bad eventsare all for the best, and hope remains...It's not that much of a lovestory, as some may think, but a movie that shows you that life goes on,live it...the acting is good, natural, we do have Kirsten Dunst and Orlando Bloomin the movie after all...basic plot: after working 8 years to develop a revolutionary shoe, drewBaylor (orlando bloom) plans to end his life, for his plan was a fiascothat costed the firm almost 1 billion $...but, he gets news of hisfather's death, back home in Elizabethtwon, and he must go after him.On the way he meets Claire Colbrun (Kirsten Dunst) with which he fallsin love...after a series of events in Elizabethtown, he gets togetherwith Claire, by the end of the movie, and continues with his life...hope you enjoy the movie, I do (everytime I watch it), it's reallygood. I'd recommend it in case of feeling down, it may motivate you,giving you hope for better times to come...

Lianna9 2012-04-15 06:23:31

See it for Orlando

If you have enjoyed seeing Orlando Bloom in his previous roles or ifyou're wondering whether he is capable of doing more as an actor thanswinging swords and wearing period costumes, you should see this movie.In this one, Orlando is a contemporary guy -- with an American accent.And he's good. Really good. He shows a far greater range of emotionthan we have seen from him before, and his subtle, nuanced performanceturns a character who could have been perceived as an unpleasant,self-involved yuppie into an appealing lost soul. His accent isn't bad,either, although he does slip in a couple of places.Unfortunately, the rest of the movie isn't as good as Orlando'sperformance, and I think that the fault lies mostly with the script(sorry, Cameron Crowe).The character played by Kirsten Dunst is repulsive. She's supposed tobe attractively quirky, but she comes across as an irritating, pushy,dishonest, borderline-deranged stalker. Think chalk squeaking on ablackboard. Then think about having said chalk stuffed forcibly up yournose. You get the idea. I don't think Kirsten's acting is at faulthere. The character was written weird.There's also an unfortunate tendency in this movie for music to besubstituted for scriptwriting. Too often, scenes dissolve into musicalmontages when there is still more that the characters should have saidto one another. This even happens in the movie's trademarkall-night-phone-call scene. I wanted to hear more of what thecharacters said to one another, rather than listening to mood-alteringrock music.Some things in Elizabethtown just don't ring true. The reactions to thedeath that is central to the plot are odd; the person who died was anapparently healthy man of about 60 -- this was a sudden, unexpecteddeath. Yet people seem to take it in stride; there's little of theshock that one would expect in such a situation. The time scale doesn'tmake sense, either. Susan Sarandon's character learns complex skills ina remarkably short period of time. Kirsten Dunst's character preparesan elaborate mix tape and scrapbook apparently overnight. A few moreexamples: Why would a character take a helicopter to the building wherehe works? Why would a supposedly recalled product be on sale in anoutdoor market? Why would this type of product be recalled anyway --it's not a safety hazard? Why would people who have no say in thematter spend so much time arguing about the choice between burial andcremation? (In real life, only the next of kin can make this decision;in the movie, that individual -- the wife of the deceased -- wasn'teven there.) Etc., etc., etc. For me, perhaps the most bothersome thing in the movie was SPOILERAHEAD the sequence in which a rock band's pyrotechnic stunt causes afire that sets off a sprinkler system. The similarity to the tragicnightclub fire in Rhode Island in 2003 was jarring, especially sincethis scene was being played for laughs. I thought it should have beenomitted.I have to say that I was disappointed in Elizabethtown. It had itsmoments -- some of them funny, some of them poignant, some of themamazingly real. But it also had flaws -- big ones. I would recommendthat you see it, mostly for Orlando Bloom's excellent performance. Butdon't expect it to be one of the best movies of the year. It isn't.

woljac88 2012-04-14 20:51:48

If only he hadn't cast Tom Cruise as jerry Maguire...

Crowe captures the modern human condition so perfectly in this filmthat it was hard not to cry at times. i loved it, i bought everyheartwarming minute he sold me. and after pirates of the Caribbean andtroy i could not be any more less of a bloom fan, but this movie hasinstilled in me an enjoyment for that man, that now has me cravingmore. what an excellent job. Kristen Dunst even surprised me, she neverwas what i considered a bad actor, but she did a pretty good job beingcute here. The role of the mother was executed nicely by lady Susan,and i was pleased with the ending, i felt no let downs and i was gladto see what had happened happen. if only he hadn't cast tom cruise injerry Maguire, he would be really great!