Elizabethtown DVD > Reviews > "...an entire life wrapped up in a shoe"

Author's product rating:   

Did you enjoy it?	Liked it
Story	Good
Characters / Performances	Outstanding
Special Effects	Standard
How does it compare to similar films?	Good

Advantages:	great characters, funny, sad at times, interesting viewing
Disadvantages:	universally panned by the critics

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

*****"Trust me. Everybody is less mysterious than they think they are."*****

I'm not really a big Cameron Crowe fan. I liked "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" (which he wrote), I didn't really mind "Almost Famous","Vanilla Sky" was so-so (and I could only stand to watch it once) but I LOATHED "Jerry Maguire" with a passion (I'm not sure why) and since then I've been very anti-Crowe. So when a friend of mine loaned me "Elizabethtown", I certainly didn't expect to like it. In fact, it took me ages to even get around to watching it and when I finally settled down to do so, you would probably have thought I was about to be subjected to watching paint dry or a kettle boil due to the decided lack of enthusiasm on my face.

But some things can surprise you. And this film certainly did.

*****"Because we have a moment here, let me tell you that I have recently become a secret connoisseur of 'last looks'. You know the way people look at you when they believe it's for the last time? I've started collecting these looks"*****

Elizabethtown" is the story of Drew (the delicious Orlando Bloom - always a good reason to watch a film!), a successful shoe designer and one of life's winners. Until a shoe he has designed fails spectacularly (to the tune of nearly a billion dollars, according to his about-to-be-former boss). Fired from his job and about to be humiliated beyond belief by a damning article which will be released about him in a matter of days, Drew makes the decision to commit suicide. But right as he is about to do this, his sister phones to tell him his father has died of a heart attack while visiting relatives in Elizabethtown, Kentucky.

Shelving his morbid plans temporarily (more through guilt at having not spent time with his father in recent years than anything else), Drew has to go to Kentucky to retrieve his father's body and enroute he meets air hostess Claire, an annoyingly perky character who immediately worms her way under his defences; although as far as Drew is concerned, he has already imposed a death sentence on himself and therefore has no plans of getting involved with anyone in any way. However Claire, his extended family. . . and a random wedding party have other ideas!

As the film progresses, Drew begins to get to know his family, and Claire, better, as well as struggling to face his demons. In the meantime, his mother is at home trying to cope with the idea of coping without a man around, and facing the fact that her husband's family never wanted him to marry her. But are Drew and Claire destined to be together? Or is he still going to kill himself? And is he ever going to cry about losing his father?

*****"It takes time to be funny. It takes time to extract joy from life."*****

In turns both hilarious and tragic, "Elizabethtown" kept me engrossed from start to finish. The characters were well-drawn and seemed true-to-life, warts and all, and the actors well cast in their roles. I didn't expect to enjoy it much due to Kirsten Dunst's leading role in it - I dislike her intensely for some reason I can't quite put my finger on, but I can't imagine anyone else playing the part of Claire. Everything about Dunst says "perky" in pretty much every film she has ever been in. She is this generation's Sandra Bullock, I suppose - and Sandra is probably the only other person I could imagine playing her were she a little younger or Orlando Bloom a little older (in spite of Sandra's previous predilection for younger men, hehe). Orlando Bloom himself (the director's first choice for the role) carries off a passable American accent and makes Drew's character both likeable and vulnerable - you want to just pick him up and give him a cuddle. Of course, perhaps that's just my opinion, but I'm sure a million other women (and possibly more than a handful of men) out there would agree!!!

There are many moments which will make you laugh out loud, probably none more so than Drew's mother Holly's (Susan Sarandon) speech at her husband's memorial service, which actually turns into a part-hilarious, part-cringeworthy stand-up routine. Or the way they finally manage to shut the noisy kids up (let's just say it involves some controlled explosions).

The soundtrack isn't bad either, a fusion of typical "roadtrip" music and alternative-country, utilising singers like Elton John, Tom Petty and Ryan Adams. It integrates well with the film and helps to raise its appeal further.

This film has been internationally panned by the critics and to be honest, after watching it, I have no idea why. People say it has tried to hard to combine satire with something life-affirming and has failed at both as a result. I know people who have said they feel the beginning of the film focussing on all the shoes being returned and Drew being fired was a bit of a waste of time, but it is actually really the point of the whole story - like the title of my review states "can you imagine an entire life wrapped up in a shoe?" So these initial scenes are necessary to show the impact they have on the hero's life - and desire to end it.

But hey, the one bonus to a film that is considered crap by the critics is this... you tend to be able to get hold of a copy of it relatively cheaply. It's currently less than four quid on amazon and five pounds on play.com, so it's certainly not an expensive investment. And I definitely think it is worth a watch. It's a little cheesy, sure, but it's interesting and it's entertaining - it might not blow you away but it certainly will help you pass away a couple of pleasant hours.