From Cameron Crowe, whose mind created such American staples as Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Jerry Maguire, Vanilla Sky and Almost Famous, emerges a new opus: Elizabethtown. which opened in theaters last Friday, chronicles one young man’s experience with failure, family and life in general following his father’s death. Orlando Bloom (Pirates of the Caribbean) plays Drew, the privately melancholy young man who must spend a week in his father’s hometown, Elizabethtown, Ky., for the memorial services.
On the way to Kentucky he encounters Claire (Kirsten Dunst, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind), an aggressively optimistic flight attendant who will act as Drew’s foil for the remainder of the film.
Describing the actual plot of this film is easier said than done. Less widely palatable than many of Crowe’s other movies, Elizabethtown may prove a bit elusive for some audiences – this is not the three-act romantic comedy that many people have come to expect from modern Hollywood.
The film is unabashedly pieced together much more like a collage than traditional narrative style usually permits, allowing a focus on individual characters to communicate a more general story rather than specific plot points.
The film is decidedly different than Crowe’s other works.
It is calculatingly aloof, much like the characters in it, whereas movies such as Almost Famous and Vanilla Sky made a blatant and genuine effort to connect with audiences in a more personal way.
Elizabethtown tells a very personal story while somehow avoiding any sense of passion. Watching Elizabethtown felt like listening to the life story of a complete stranger – all of the action with none of the emotion that makes it matter.
Elizabethtown is still, however, definitely a creation of Crowe. His trademark use of light, and themes of self-exploration and resolution, as well as his ever-impeccable musical selections are present in full force in Elizabethtown. Whatever new direction Crowe decided to lean towards stylistically with Elizabethtown has not interfered with what audiences expect from his skills as a director/producer.
While I do not want to go so far as to say that I was ultimately disappointed by Crowe’s newest work, I cannot honestly say that I was pleased by it.
I snuggled down in that seat and, two hours later, I felt … left out. I had finally tasted that fine wine, smelled it, rolled the flavors around on my tongue, and wondered what about it was supposed to have impressed me.
In general, there was something missing from Elizabethtown, and whether the fault is mine or the film’s is for you to decide.
Elizabethtown is rated a very mild PG-13 for some sexual references and language. It is currently playing at Real to Reel in Johnson City and at Tinseltown in Bristol.
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