Elizabethtown (2005)

I sat with my wife and watched this wonderful film till past midnight. I want to praise the screenplay writer/director, Cameron Crowe, for a fantastic and unique achievement. Also, the casting agency that had chosen wisely and smartly for all the actors signed up for this film, a real success. Orlando Bloom and Kirsten Dunst, what a great choice to play these two lovely young persons! We totally enjoyed this film, not one moment bored since I never felt sleepy or even yawned once after midnight; a proof how good this film is.

This is the kinda movie that keeps you wondering on the worst of days such a beautiful message is passed on for workaholics i mean people don't realize their life passing by so soon unless someone is gone for ever. this movie reminds it's viewers the sole purpose of literally doing anything which is to lead a happy life acting was great there were really touching moments maybe that's why it made me so emotional and happy at the same time....definitely worth watching

This film is a mess. Which I am sad to say as I am a huge fan of the works of Cameron Crowe. How this fits into the Crowe canon, after such gems as Vanilla Sky, Almost Famous and Jerry Maguire, does not sit well with me. It feels more like the muddled work of a filmmaker still honing his craft.The screenplay is muddled and unconvincing. It seems unable to decide whether it wants to be a romantic comedy, an absurd comedy or a black comedy. Despite the best efforts of two very charming lead actors, Kristen Dunst and Orlando Bloom. Dunst's character 'Claire' is less 'charming' and more a terrifying crazy pushy desperate ex-girlfriend type. Bloom's 'Drew' is a beige, muddled, boring, self-absorbed slob.There is a silly, unconvincing premise involving a ridiculous pair of sneakers designed by Bloom's character for his company headed by an eccentric 'Elon Musk' type billionaire played by Alec Baldwin. The sneakers are an epic failure and have cost the company a $1B loss. The sneakers, along with Drew's comical suicide attempt, look as silly as this premise and setup this film poorly from the start.This could have been a heart-felt, warm, funny tale of two lost souls finding meaning through each-other, but it tries to be so many things it ends up failing at all of them.The soundtrack (and Cameron Crowe has such wonderful taste in music, I am as much a fan of his soundtracks as his (other) films) is another example of how messy this film is. 35-different tracks are credited on IMDb it feels like a badly made mix-tape, (which is precisely how most of these songs are incorporated into the script). With some heavy editing from the 2-hour length down to a more palatable 90-minutes it might be a passable film. Cut out Alec Baldwin and Susan Sarandon's distracting and meaningless roles. Cut out Claire's crazy, and try and inject some small semblance of worth into Drew. If either of the main characters were even slightly more likable, the film would be equally more likable.

Elizabethtown (2005): Dir: Cameron Crowe / Cast: Orlando Bloom, Kirsten Dunst, Susan Sarandon, Judy Greer, Alec Baldwin: Cameron Crowe's excellent followup to Almost Famous about coming to terms with life, family and priorities. It stars Orlando Bloom who is fired from his job, loses his girlfriend, and receives notification that his father passed away all within the film's first fifteen minutes. He travels to Kentucky to with his father's remains as well as catch up with family that he hasn't seen since he moved to California. He meets a flight attendant who teaches him the value of life. Crowe is great at visualizing individual personality habits, which elevates characters into greater realism. Besides Almost Famous Crowe also directed a couple Tom Cruise films, Vanilla Sky and Jerry Maguire. Bloom delivers one of his best performances as someone who eventually must come to terms with his attitude toward life. Kirsten Dunst becomes his mirror into the pleasures around him, particularly during a very long trip home with his father's urn. Great supporting work by Susan Sarandon as his active mother, and Judy Greer plays his stressed sister. Alec Baldwin has a limited role as Bloom's boss who opens the film by letting him go because of a business decision gone wrong. As with many Crowe films it underlines a theme about connection. Wonderful film about appreciating God's gift of life. Score: 9 ½ / 10