Elizabethtown Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
It's a heck of a place to find yourself
After causing a loss of almost one billion dollars in his company, the shoe designer Drew Baylor (Orlando Bloom) decides to commit suicide. However, in the exact moment of his act of despair, he receives a phone call from his sister telling him that his beloved father had just died in Elizabethtown, and he should bring him back since his mother had problem with the relatives of his father. He travels in an empty red eye flight and meets the attendant Claire Colburn (Kirsten Dunst), who changes his view and perspective of life.
| Orlando Bloom | Drew Baylor |
| Kirsten Dunst | Claire Colburn |
| Susan Sarandon | Hollie Baylor |
| Alec Baldwin | Phil DeVoss |
| Bruce McGill | Bill Banyon |
| Judy Greer | Heather Baylor |
| Jessica Biel | Ellen Kishmore |
| Paul Schneider | Jessie Baylor |
| Loudon Wainwright III | Uncle Dale |
| Gailard Sartain | Charles Dean |
| Jed Rees | Chuck Hasboro |
| Paula Deen | Aunt Dora |
| Dan Biggers | Uncle Roy |
| Alice Marie Crowe | Aunt Lena |
| Tim Devitt | Mitch Baylor |
| Cameron Crowe |
6.40 out of 10 (19081 votes)
Visitor Reviews
Elizabethtown
posted on 30 Aug 2009From all the reviews you hear from critics, it might be hard to actually go to the theater to watch it. But it was really worth it! It's not only about a person who lost his job, his girlfriend, and his dad, and Claire comes and makes everything better for him. It's about enjoying life, the small things in life that actually make life worth living. I think Claire is a crucial character in this movie because she showed Drew what he was missing. It's not the money or respect that matter, but the family and friends who will be there for you when the materialistic things vanish. I am only giving this movie an 8 because i thought it was too rushed, and second, the plot was a bit messed up. But otherwise, I LOVED IT. And the road trip at the end was also very moving...it was a chance for Drew to let go of his caged feelings, and he gets to be closer to his dead father. And he really found himself on the road trip....it was a beautiful journey. And you need to see it in order to fully experience and know the power of going places. And you have all this great music along with you on that journey. YOu feel like you're in the passenger seat. Unlike most movies, this movie is as possible as it can possibly be, very believable. It's about love. It's about finding yourself. It's about surviving life. It's beautiful. GO watch it!
A sweet movie
posted on 28 Aug 2009I thought Elizabethtown was quite sweet and unconventional. I had my doubts beforehand, seeing as though I had seen Kingdom of Heaven, Orlando Bloom's previous movie, and it had been a bit of a disappointment. Let me just say that he does romantic comedies well. Although,the words Romantic Comedy do not exactly describe the plot very well, the movie was more about Drew coming to terms with his family and his father's death than about him and Claire. It was a cute story with amazing music (going to get the soundtrack!). For Orlando Bloom fans, his American accent sounds surprisingly natural and his acting nicely understated.The character of Claire was very eccentric, and she mentioned various times about her boyfriend Ben, fictional or simply a jerk I'm still not sure. The map she made for Drew was a great gift, and that part of the movie was my favourite- Drew's road-trip was beautiful.At times the movie was a little slow, the eulogy and the funeral lagged a bit, but mostly it was at a nice pace with a good length. Funny at times, quirky, sad, and touching, it is a melting pot of multiple story lines and emotions going on at once and it works well. I hope this movie does well, it deserves it.
The best film I've seen this year. A breath of fresh air. See it!
posted on 28 Aug 2009From the trailer, I expected to like ELIZABETHTOWN. But I was not prepared for it to be the best film I have seen all year. Guess I should have been, because I am a big fan of Cameron Crowe's ALMOST FAMOUS. Like ALMOST FAMOUS, this film has tons of detailed grit, interesting characters, and clever writing. You easily believe the reality of the story. The story starts off slowly enough, when Orlando Bloom -- a rising young executive who has never known failure -- is fired after his company loses a Billion dollars on a new product he designed. Moments before committing suicide, he receives a call that his father has died, and he must take care of the funeral arrangements. He puts the suicide on hold, but promises to get back to it as soon as his father is buried.At this point in the film, you start nervously looking for the exits. But stick with it! Soon he meets Kirsten Dunst and his situation gets better and better. Let me just say here that Kristen is perfect for the part. She really makes the film work.I loved the characterizations of all the family members, and the authentic chaos at the family reunion. It's a breath of fresh air from all the car chases and explosions so common in today's movies. ELIZABETHTOWN is a romance with a capital "R". It's one of the few films in recent memory where I left the theater actually feeling better than when I walked in. It's also the first film in over a year I have rated a "10". Normally I'm very skeptical of the early IMDb ratings on every new film, as they are almost always comprised of votes of "10" or "1" in order to sway the overall rating. According to my theory, the "10" ratings are posted by the cast and crew, while the "1" ratings are posted by those who were kicked off the set. Only after many actual viewers post ratings does the bell curve of reviews (on the Vote page) take shape. It is for this reason I feel compelled to explain my rating of "10." ELIZABETHTOWN deserves it! See it!Dave
Booooring...
posted on 26 Aug 2009I was so much looking forward to this film. I just love Orlando Bloom. But man what a disappointment. I think I've only watched like 15 minutes or so. Orly is gorgeous but he and an American accent? Brrr made my toes curl. But besides that, it was just plain boring. Why on earth did Orlando choose to play this role after being an elf, pirate and prince? Did he have something to prove that he can play an ordinary boy as well or what? Not that there's something wrong with that, but it just doesn't fit. well, to make a long story short, I just think that Orlando was totally miscast in this film (not to mention the fact why they ever made this flick anyway but never mind)
No, I didn't like this nor do I think you should see it
posted on 22 Aug 2009I really don't like this movie. I had been warned away from it by numerous friends who despised it and hailed it as one of the worst films in years, and yet I still went to see it, stupid me. While I don't think its one of the worst films ever made I do think its a really big mess.The plot has Orlando Bloom designing a shoe which looses his company something close to a billion dollars. (This is so ludicrous that I was lost to the film at this point. I can't conceive of anything happening on this scale with out market testing and research. It, like most of the plot doesn't work) Bloom decides to go home and kill himself, but before he can do so he gets a call that his father has died and that he has to rush home and handle the arrangements. Putting off his pain he rushes off to help his family meeting Kirsten Dunst in the process.Well acted and with some very good turns of phrase, this film is a complete disaster plot-wise. Things are so bizarre as to be neither quirky, nor believable. As I said the whole shoe thing is stupid, as is his means of suicide, and the motivations of a good number of the characters. What planet are these people from? I don't know. I couldn't connect with any of them, although I do wish I could come up with some of their pithy lines. Frankly this is another of the recent run of films by big name film makers that make you wonder if their entire out put should be reviewed and re-evaluated in light of their current "film".Not worth seeing. Or if you must see it wait for cable.
Passionate Love
posted on 21 Aug 2009Think of being at the bottom of the ocean. The crushing darkness that surrounds you, truly think about it. Slowly suffocating, but never reaching the surface because of the mass that lies above you. Where do you go, how do you get out, or do you? And then suddenly there is a tiny ray of light penetrating from the surface down into the depths to ever so slightly warm your cheek.
Have you ever seen a movie without knowing anything about it? There are no expectations to be shattered, no reviews, no ideas, just a clean pallet to marvel through. That's what happened to me with Elizabethtown. I sat down one evening and stumbled across this masterpiece with no expectations. What a pleasure to see something in such a fresh sense of the idea. I think to really appreciate such a movie you have to have experienced death, love, disappointment, defeat, suffering, and finality. Without these so much is lost in this film.
You must also love and respect music. If you watch and listen to this movie and want to know who created every song, that's love. It's respect when you realize how music can shape and change everything. This movie is based on passion, love, and respect for "Mitch". It is also based on the honor of being a lover, a husband, a father, a brother and a friend to so many people. It's not the big things we do in this life, its how we manage to remember the small things that really counts. And maybe along the way we find true, real love.
Thank you to all who participated in the creation of this movie, it made me cry while I was laughing. Too rarely does this happen in our world.
JW
2.5; it's really sad for me to give it a low score
posted on 17 Aug 2009It's sad because I don't want to give it one. Jerry Maguire and Almost Famous are 2 great films and to see the follow up is of course quite anticipated. Granted he has misstepped before(Vanilla Sky was meh and outside of the boombox scene, Say Anything wasn't much) but at least he seemed like he was going to pull another great one out of his sleeve. Too bad we got Elizabethtown instead.
Drew works for a shoe company, spending many years and money on the next big thing, a hideous shoe unfortunately named the . When it becomes probably the biggest financial bomb in the history of shoes, he decides to kill himself(in what's probably the lamest suicide idea ever) only he gets a phone call: his dad died. So he's sent by his mom and sister to Kentucky to deal with things.
On the way he meets Claire, a way too perfect feeling flight attendant that he strikes up a bond with, and a relationship potentially. So for the rest of the film it's Drew and Claire socializing and making goo goo eyes while dealing with his dad's death and also the upcoming news story about his soon-to-be legendary bomb.
Drew mentions in the voice-over that disappears really quickly throughout the rest of the film that there's a difference between a failure and a fiasco. Looking at the film, it's hard to tell which one the film is although you know it's a disappointment. One misstep is in the music: instead of image and music going hand in hand, the music seems to be the rescuer when the image fails. And it's not a remarkable soundtrack either; every one of his films turned me onto a song. Here? Probably not.
Then it's the casting. Kirsten Dunst is playing that too perfect girl who knows about everything, makes witty comments and one liners and knows a lot about music(and can apparently time to the T a road trip). And Orlando Bloom is kinda dull, as if he was trying to be an actor but he came across as sleepwalking. The supporting actors are a bit better but get very little screen time.
Since it is a Cameron movie, you can expect some good moments and the film's got some. Drew and Claire's all night phone call(which oddly doesn't require batteries), Drew's road trip back home and an attack by a fake bird of all things during a performance of, appropriately, Free Bird. But a handful of moments don't add up to a good movie. Almost Famous extended was 3 hours and it felt shorter than 2 hour Elizabethtown.
Hopefully whatever his next one is will be better but seeing this, is quite hard. Such disappointment.
Is Bloom the Next Keanu Reeves?
posted on 16 Aug 2009I saw this recently at a screening in Houston and was pleasantly surprised. I have always been a partial fan of Cameron Crowe, and found Elizabethtown to be an endearing little film in the genre that is usually composed of stupid, pieces of inane crap. Crowe's new film is far from the average romantic comedy and while it doesn't really offer up anything new for the genre it is part of, it is very refreshing. Crowe has a knack for making things that would usually seem cheesy look believable and poignant. He implements this talent very well in Elizabethtown.The performances in the movie, except for Orlando Bloom's, were all very well done. Back to Bloom though: he almost ruined this movie for me. I found it odd that the most important character in the film was the worst acted. I cringed at almost all of his spoken lines, and was really disappointed in his casting. This movie could have been much, MUCH better if someone else had been chosen to play the lead role. Bloom either over acted, under acted, didn't try to act, or just acted really weird. You'll have to see the film yourself in order to understand what I mean.My favorite thing about the movie though was its soundtrack. It encompasses a lot of artists, all great, just like Crowe's last film, Almost Famous, was able to do very well. Another thing worth mentioning is that the film is a little too long, but since I viewed an unedited version, I'm assuming that it will probably be shorter when released.Again, I was very happy that I got to see this movie for free and would have gladly paid to see it if I had known that I would have been this pleased with it. I advise all of those interested in Cameron Crowe, Kirsten Dunst or even Bloom (just to see how horrible he REALLY is) to go see it when its released.*8/10*
My old Kentucky home
posted on 16 Aug 2009Drew Baylor, the young athletic shoe designer, comes up with an idea of a sneaker that will revolutionize the industry. Well, sadly to say, his invention is like the Edsel of the Spasmodica Shoe Company! His boss reminds Drew how his design is responsible for the almost one billion dollars the company stands to lose. Sad and dejected, Drew contemplates suicide; what could be worse than feeling the derision of his co-workers and his stand in the industry? As he is preparing to put an end to his life, the phone rings and it's his sister announcing their father has died while on a family visit to relatives in Kentucky.Drew must go to take care of the arrangements for the father's funeral. Along the way, he meets on the red-eye flight a chatty flight attendant, Claire, that will be connected to him in ways he didn't expect. His relatives prove to be too much for Drew, who didn't count in seeing so many of his kin in one place. His family has not forgiven the fact that the father married a California woman and moved there. After all, these are proud people that love their life in Kentucky.Things get complicated as Drew and the rest of his family wants to have the old man cremated, something the family in Kentucky looks down upon. One relative takes Drew to the plot in the cemetery that has been reserved for that side of the Baylors. Drew decides to go on with the plans. It's because of the kindness and love he receives from all these unknown relatives that he has a change of heart and decides to comply with their wishes, but alas, it's a bit too late as the cremation went through.When Claire appears in Elizabethtown, whatever they felt on that first meeting has changed. Claire is a beautiful young woman who likes Drew for what he is. Claire is intrigued by why hasn't Drew made a cross-country trip. She has a plan for him to see the beauty of the country in its back roads and real people, which is what he does on his way back home. By the time he reaches Oregon, he will be a changed man.Cameron Crowe's "Elizabethtown" appears to be a film that has captivated audiences, judging by the positive commentaries in this forum. The fact remains, this film "borrows" from other Crowe's films incorporating them into this narrative. The film is in part a road film, most notably the last sequences in the movie that involves Drew's trip throughout the land.Orlando Bloom seemed a strange choice for Drew. His accent is perfect and he is totally believable as this man that has to come to terms with the death of a father and a failure in his designing career. Mr. Bloom makes a good contribution to the film. Kirsten Dunst plays Claire. At first she is a bit annoying and pushy. It's clear from the start she really likes the taciturn Drew, who doesn't want to get too involved with her. Susan Sarandon has only a few scenes. Her tap dancing at the memorial service for her husband is hilarious.Although this is not one of the best films of Cameron Crowe, it is by no means a disappointment. John Toll's cinematography shows the heart of the country and its uncomplicated folk at their best.
Simply horrible...
posted on 14 Aug 2009First part of the movie in Seatle was promising. After that it was horrible. Was Dunst supposed to be a psycho in the movie. No guy with any looks would have liked her behavior. Worst movie I've seen since Coyte Ugly, at least that had good looking women. There was bad acting, bad dialog, and bad everything. Look I like Kentucky as a state, but this was a state of disaster. Horrible date movie. Horrible everything movie. If you liked this you were either in the movie or really loved one of the actors so much that you would sacrifice your pride to stand anywhere close to it. This was the most terrible role Dunst has ever played in.
Great Movie
posted on 06 Aug 2009Having grown up in the south and constantly been exposed to country gatherings, especially funerals, I felt this movie really captured the love and closeness of a small community. There of course were moments of stereotypical cheesiness, but all and all it was great. I felt like I was watchin' my mama's family back home. THis movie was really great and the cast was a great ensemble of people who really brought each character to life. This goes down will steel magnolia's as another great movie about the south. I will defiantely be buying this movie when it comes on DVD. And the soundtrack is great. I would definitely go watch this one again. I also love that Paula Deen was in it...SHe is amazing...she kinda reminds me of Dolly Parton...in a weird way.
Disappointed by Elizabethtown
posted on 05 Aug 2009If was caught off-guard by this movie. I went in just expecting a normal romantic comedy (which is pretty much what the trailer led me to believe). Instead, I found a very strange, rambling wanna-be artsy movie. This is the sort of movie I really like, if it's what I was expecting. The movie attempted to be heartfelt and managed to pull it off for the most part. The memorial service for Orlando Bloom's character's father was moving and amusing but the directors made an attempt at a bit too much symbolism. The movie as a whole did not flow very well and the soundtrack was lacking... as in there pretty much wasn't one except when Orlando Bloom's character is going on his roadtrip and he listens to all the mixed CDs made for him. It tried too hard to be a stereotypical indie-type film and I really don't think Kirsten Dunst can pull off that type of acting. Orlando Bloom's beautiful face was its only saving grace although at some points it really lacked the expressiveness necessary for the role he was playing.
Brilliant!
posted on 05 Aug 2009When I first heard about this movie, I thought I would hate it because it was "about death" but the reality is that this is a movie that celebrates life. I know. That's an incredibly cliche opening line, but when I saw this film, I was mesmerized by it. I recently watched it again with a friend who'd never seen it, and she had the same reaction I did. It was simply an amazing movie. I've read the reviews here, and all I can say is some of you have seen a completely different film than I did. Having lost my father at a stressful period in my life, so much of this movie struck me as true--the family members you don't know, the overwhelming number of decisions and plans that must be made, and the sudden realization that the grieving doesn't truly begin until the funeral is over. Orlando Bloom played this perfectly.
I found nothing confusing about the subplots, which to me weren't really sub, but part of the overall plot. I thought the actors, especially Orlando Bloom as Drew Baylor, were perfect. Bloom's portrayal of a man on the edge, a man making the decision to end his life, and oddly and in great and giddy underscore to the career ending opening of the film, FAILING, is absolutely enchanting. He so beautifully shows us a man so completely overwhelmed by events that he doesn't know what to do, and yet he has to step up and take care of things because there is no one else to do it. So what does he do? He copes...which is just what he thought he couldn't do!
The scene where the truth of his father's death is finally a reality to him is touching and well done. It was the kind of scene that could easily be "over the top" but Cameron Crowe and Orlando Bloom somehow managed to avoid that and give us honesty and depth instead.
Kirsten Dunst was also a delight. Her character, Claire Colburn has such a positive approach to life that it seems at odds with Bloom's character's negativity, but it is this that makes it work. She's so positive, and so determined to cheer him up, that her being there for him seem completely natural. They're growing relationship becomes more and more a lifeline to both characters making the audience realize there are similarities beneath the surface.
The ending is brilliant. The road trip was a perfect way to bring this film to an emotional close. It put Drew Baylor in touch with life, with himself, with his father, and with the world, shifting things into perspective and making the eventual choice he has to make obvious to him and to the audience.
The music was inspired and inspiring! I bought volume one of the soundtrack and I fully intend to go back and buy every other related CD. All in all, this film is going on my list of all time favorites. I'll watch it again and again.
The only thing wrong with the DVD is the lack of extra scenes. Why we got more of Rusty's Learning to Listen rather than more of these amazing characters is a bit perplexing.
Surprisingly, GREAT.
posted on 29 Jul 2009When this was advertised in the cinemas, I was doubtful, I had heard bad things, and the only thing that pushed me to buying a copy of the DVD on sale about a year ago was Cameron Crowe. Cameron Crowe, from my experience is a brilliant writer/director, and I can honestly say I have loved ALL of his movies. When I finally sat down to watch the movie last night, I was surprised at how much I fell in love with it. First of all, I was skeptical at the idea of a blossoming relationship between Kirsten Dunst and Orlando Bloom. However, Kirsten's character was completely lovable, and she played it to perfection. Orlando was equally brilliant, and even though his wavering American/British accent was occasionally distracting, you forgave him due to his brilliant portrayal of Drew. In the true spirit of Cameron Crowe films, it was both quirky, funny and dramatic. Yes, occasionally you question whether it is plausible, but is it really any more plausible than most of his films? (Say Anything..? Almost Famous??). The importance of a film is entertainment, is it not? And this sucked you in, it made you feel part of the film, you honestly wanted Drew and Claire to end up together. Watching this film feeling slightly depressed may have helped, but by the end I to had realized the true meaning of life, and just like Drew, we both ended with a sense of self discovery. The film is just as brilliant (well almost) as Cameron's other films, in fact I likes it ten times better to Jerry Maguire. It's not your ordinary soppy love story, its interesting, its challenging and it leaves you questioning your priorities. Give it a go, and you will NOT be disappointed.
Thoroughly enjoyable flick
posted on 28 Jul 2009I really liked "Almost Famous," and decided to give this film by Cameron Crowe a try. I completely enjoyed it from beginning to end. In the review they talk about Bloom's "lethargic" performance, which I took to be the outlook of someone who was ready to commit suicide and disinterested in finding a reason to live. The message of the film is one of hope, there are some great laughs, and capable performances. See it without fear. My copy of the DVD is on the way.
It's about the good things
posted on 27 Jul 2009Cameron Crowe's Elizabethtown is by far the most underrated movie of this site. I've been a constant visitor for years now, and I never understood why Elizabethtown was a movie hated by so many people. I can't understand because Elizabethown is a great movie. Kirsten Dunst is beautiful and amazing, Orlando is much better than expected, and the supporting cast is absolutely awesome. But, just like most Cameron Crowe's movies, the star is the screenplay. There's little to say about this movie other than it's a tiny jewel. It's one of those movies about all the best moments of being alive. Don't' miss it for anything.
disappointed movie
posted on 25 Jul 2009It is one of usual romantic films and also first part is a bit boring and you can sleep but you can watch for Kirsten Dunst. the story doesn't seem as real life story. the girl does everything for man but man is not self-confident enough. in real life men do what the girl does in this movie. the main problem is about the story in fact there is no problem with the cast. especially the part that the man goes to his father's town and many relatives and very crowded environment begins in his life these parts are very boring.but i loved one part very much that the soundtracks was very good. they had chosen good and proper musics such as blues and etc.. i am sure everyone will them. i looking for the soundtracks :)))
Exactly half of a good movie.
posted on 22 Jul 2009About half of this movie is totally delightful, and the rest of it feels like outtakes from a better one. A little of Drew and Claire's conversation goes a long way, and Crowe is obviously a writer who doesn't want to cut a single line of his precious dialogue. Bad mistake. At times the two principle actors' scenes together are so slow you can feel all the energy hissing out of this film like a leaking tire. And oddly, most of the scenes seem deliberately directed to be slow. Every now and then Crowe gets something exciting going, like the "meet the family" business, but soon we're tangled again in pointless dialogue and second-rate writing. Susan Sarandon is completely (and painfully) misused. Kirsten Dunst does what she can with this improbably chipper character. Orlando Bloom spends much of his onscreen time standing around looking bewildered; only in the last third of the film as he takes a cross country trip does the script allow him to break out and do some actual acting. More of that would have made a better film. The music was terrific, and no, I didn't find it intrusive as some others did.
This is what happens when writers fall in love with their own material. The whole "FreeBird" sequence must have looked hilarious on paper. On the screen it was improbable and idiotic. Crowe could have hacked another 45 minutes out of this movie and ended up with a tighter, smarter film. It's still worth seeing for the half a good movie on this DVD. But it's just too slow and unfocused to be a winner.
Heart Warming and Funny...
posted on 21 Jul 2009I saw the movie yesterday and I was very pleased. Heart warming and funny, it has a great story line that reminds you about REAL life. It was also a pleasure to see Orlando Bloom play an "American" character/role that did not involve swords or bloody wars! His character was a nice surprise and he did a good job portraying Drew Baylor. (It was a little unusual at first to hear him speak without his Brit accent!) Kriten Dunst also did a great job for a Southern gal---- her character was quite annoying but certainly had to be a challenge for her to play Claire. Paul Dean did good for her first time on the big screen - she and her character are definitely alike! Cameron Crowe & the writers did a great job!
Boring, boring, boring.......
posted on 30 Aug 2009I was bored out of my skull all the way through this movie, and it was way too long. I only stayed because my boyfriend seemed to get a few chuckles out of it, but believe me the whole theater was not erupting in laughter, nor did I detect any crying.I felt nothing for the 2 leads, and the others were cartoon characters at best. I can't believe a good actor like Susan Sarandon would even consider this movie, much less take part. The premise of the movie, not that one guy could bring down a giant sport shoe corporation with one ridiculous design, but that what he really needed was to get in touch with his roots back in good old Kentucky, and find a totally manipulating and controlling woman, is sheer nonsense.Wake up America, this is one sleeping pill you don't need!