| ELIZABETHTOWN: MOVIE REVIEW BY DAN FOSTER
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| Three parachutes.
Elizabethtown was a good movie. The plot is very implausible; but, movies are what they are: fantasies. They have to do with imagination, exploring the "what ifs", ie; the possibilities, and improbabilities. This one had to do with success, failure, life, death, love, loss-all within two hours. Hard to beat that!
It doesn't take a person with 20-20 vision to see that Orlando Bloom(Drew) and Kirsten Dunst(Claire) are two very pretty people. Kirsten stole the show. She's every man's fantasy woman, not a super model beauty, but the cute quirky girl next door. Dunst, in this movie, is
the kind of girl who somehow always conveys that your interests are a top priority; Her mission is not one of servitude, but one of caring enough to challenge you to be the best you can be. And, because she is so fantastic, you would die before you disappointed her. It takes Bloom awhile to get to that point, but he finally comes out of the ether. The whole time those of us who are fantasizing want to kill him for not "getting it."
Bloom's character is a little laid back- somewhat like a William Hurt or Bill Murray type. The basic story line is Drew, a shoe designer, has designed this pair of running shoes to make a gigantic splash in the athletic shoe world. It is a bust. The company, run by megalomaniac, Alex Baldwin(Phil), is going to lose billions( If Alec would drop twenty pounds he would be back to Hollywood hunk status in no time.)
Drew's shoe design was so bad according to a magazine article that people "might go back to going barefoot". Drew is crushed; he loses everything. His girlfriend, Jessica Biel (Ellen) is about to dump him; She fell for him because he was so successful and can't deal with failure. Drew goes home and throws all his possessions out the window- TV, Computer, lamps, etc. About the time he finishes rigging a device to "do himself in", his sister calls with the news his father has died. His father died in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, a small southern town, while visiting relatives. Drew catches a plane to pick up his Dad's body; When he arrives, he is welcomed by all his relatives and Dad's friends. His Dad is regarded as a compassionate, local hero who attended West Point.
On an empty plane headed to Kentucky, he meets Claire, a flight attendant, who is incredibly cheerful, bright and engaging. When the plane gets to Kentucky, Claire gives him directions to Elizabethtown and her phone number. After they have a long conversation lasting all night, Claire starts showing up in various places around town and their friendship and potenial romance evolve.
If you've seen the movie June Bug, similar stuff happens in this movie, but folks in Elizabethtown, while stereotyped, are much nicer. Cremation verses full body burial is a major issue surrounding the memorial. The Memorial occurs with almost the whole town attending. Susan Sarandon(Holly), Drew's mother, shows up, and gives a very unrealistic eulogy consisting of off-color jokes about her husband. She does pretty well; however, for a eulogy in movieland. Finally, the memorial is over. Drew goes on a road trip, Does he get the girl? Can we sing God Bless America and eat some apple pie? No, the movie is not perfect. There are many unanswered questions about some characters and plot lines. See the movie and find out.
This is the kind of movie you ought to see; Go to a bar, have several drinks, and discuss. See it on the big screen.
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In the new movie, Elizabethtown, writer Cameron Crowe wrote these words spoken by Drew's girlfriend, Claire that we all could learn from:
(If you fail)
"Fail big and stick around and make them wonder why you're still smiling."
"It's hard to do," Crowe said. "But it's good advice."
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