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Oct.
20, 2005 'Elizabethtown' writers get lost in 'Garden State' Philip: Be afraid. ‘Elizabethtown’ will certainly become the scariest movie of this Halloween season. While it does contain a great scene involving a knife duct-taped to a stationary bike, ‘Elizabethtown’ is intended as anything but a horror flick. Cameron Crowe’s latest feature stars Orlando Bloom as Drew Baylor, a young shoe designer recently fired for his company’s billion-dollar loss. To make matters worse, Drew’s father dies on a trip to his hometown in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, so Drew flies from Oregon to the Bluegrass State to settle family affairs. On the way, he meets flight attendant Claire Colburn (Kirsten Dunst), and the two begin an odd relationship that fuels the dialogue-driven film. ‘Elizabethtown’ does possess a few great scenes, most involving Susan Sarandon as Drew’s mother. Unfortunately, it also contains many cringe-inducing scenes, most of these involving the kiss of death to any film, Jessica Biehl. Worst of all, I couldn’t help but think that I was watching a rip-off of other recentmovies. ‘Elizabethtown’ copies ‘Garden State’ to the level of copyright infringement and even lifts the most memorable line from ‘Closer,’ one of last year’s best. Somehow, I really believe Cameron Crowe knew he was making a bad film. The first line of the film mentions the words “failure” and “fiasco,” both of which could describe the movie. Susan Sarandon shines, but the rest of the cast simply has moments. Crowe even acknowledges the fact that ‘Elizabethtown’ has the power to cause amnesia by reminding the audience of the film’s name before the credits roll. When I think about it, ‘Elizabethtown’ reminds me a lot of Marietta. It may look nice on the outside, but once you stay a bit, all you can do is doze off and dream of something better. ( 1 1š2 stars) Jeremy: ‘Elizabethtown’ is the feel-good film of the year and I can guarantee that you will not leave the theatre without having at least smiled once, assuming that you can a) ignore the fact that this movie was so much better last year when it was called ‘Garden State,’ and b) suspend all believability during the film’s climax when Drew embarks on a road trip-turned-scavenger hunt that Claire oh-so-brilliantly orchestrates (I’m being vague, so as not to spoil the ending). But the movie has its perks: Elizabethtown’s hick-inhabitants are fun to laugh at, because, well, they’re hicks, I guess. The always-charming Sarandon steals the show, particularly at her husband’s wake when she performs a playful tap dance that had me dusting off my copy of ‘Rocky Horror’ the moment I returned to campus. And Bloom and Dunst are undeniably adorable together, with their cutesy quirks (awwww, watch Claire take snapshots with her fingers via an invisible camera!) and flirty repartee (never mind that the repartee is constantly buzz-killed by whiney “our-relationship-is-over” rubbish; it’s just not going to happen in a movie THIS cute!). But as Claire, with her obsessive romantic behavior, struggles to connect with a hesitant, less-than-willing Drew, one can’t help but be reminded of Zach Braff and Natalie Portman’s relationship in ‘Garden State,’ another dialogue-driven, offbeat romantic comedy that I recommend over ‘Elizabethtown’ because a) it isn’t as adamant about being a so “feel-goody” and instead allows audiences to laugh and enjoy the jokes and quirks without shoving it in their faces, and b) concludes with a road trip that is at least plausible. Even diehard Cameron Crowe fans will be rolling their eyes by the time the credits roll. After Crowe’s ‘Jerry McGuire’ and ‘Almost Famous,’ this is one of the year’s most disappointing movies. Still, you will laugh, you might even cry, but you’ll more than likely tire of the film screaming, “Love me!” and will be happy to get out of Elizabethtown. (2 stars) |
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