Elizabethtown

In my opinion, starring Kirsten Dunst in any film would already make the film a success. Her acting, alongside Orlando Bloom, generates a great feel about her bubbly personality which straight away lightens the mood of the film about this young man who meets his 'fiasco' days and at the same time travels deep south to bury his deceased father yet embarks on a journey of self-discovery and explores a new world around him.I could see this being the perfect movie for both genders who have no plans for a weekend evening and 'wack on' such a movie over a tub of ice cream or a beer. See, such a film holds the perfect silver line between a chick-flick and a 'over-the-top boy' movie as it has both part which both sexes would find understandable and interesting. After all, any fan of Lynyrd Skynyrd would see this movie as a dream come true as they watch a 'Free Bird' tribute performed live by the actors before a firey chaos smashes down, underlining a perfect deep south American night out.Such movie really does make one think and reflect on their own life and the path they have taken in life and makes us sit down and actually reflect for a while, which is much needed in this busy world today. We find ourselves thinking about who we are and whether we have done what we aimed to do? Or whether there is still unexplored life out there which we are yearning to be part of?'Elizabeth' town, in my opinion, is one of the very few movies that seems to have no heavy feelings afterwards. It is a light-hearted comedy/drama that gives any individual something to smile about as well as think over. There is no better mix than having a laugh to a great film with great actors and great music and a great ending.

Orlando Bloom's rising star in Hollywood went supernova the moment he reached for that first arrow as Legolas in 2001's THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING. Countless magazine covers have followed in the wake of that breakthrough performance, along with several prominent film roles that were meant to - hopefully - highlight the skills to support the pretty face; while I'll be the first to sing the praises of the LOTR film trilogy and its pitch-perfect cast, the role of a blonde-haired Elf warrior did little to showcase any actual acting chops. Unfortunately, the British heartthrob's subsequent screen appearances in TROY, PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN and KINGDOM OF HEAVEN did little to convince me of his leading-man credentials. Especially in KINGDOM, the doe-eyed actor comes off as stiff and awkward, not unlike a deer caught in headlights (Get it? 'Doe-eyed'? Oh, forget it). He seems like a perfectly nice bloke, but his monotone speaking voice and perpetually blank expressions suggest that he's channelling Keanu Reeves, of all people.

Being a big fan of some of writer/director Cameron Crowe's previous works (including the eminently quotable JERRY MAGUIRE and the sublime 70's travelogue ALMOST FAMOUS), I approached his latest offering ELIZABETHTOWN - and its casting of Bloom in the lead role of Drew Baylor, a disgraced Oregon shoe designer dealing with both the loss of his job and the death of his father - with some trepidation. Could Crowe's usually sharp-eyed writing finally give Bloom the role that would establish him as a viable leading man? The answer is decidedly 'no', but surprisingly it's Crowe's script that is largely to blame here.

While the film largely centers on his visit to his dad Mitchell's titular hometown in Kentucky, the story is framed by Drew's frequent encounters with Claire Colbum. Played by Kirsten Dunst, she's a flight attendant who virtually stalks the grieving man as soon as they meet during his flight to Kentucky (en route to assist with the burial plans), then inexplicably plays hard-to-get when Drew begins to show interest. While Dunst has a delightful screen presence that has peppered many a film since her breakthrough role at the tender age of 12 in INTERVIEW WITH A VAMPIRE, the romance that 'blooms' (pun very much intended) between the pair is drenched with pseudo-philosophical musings on relationships. There's a hint of chemistry between the actors, but Bloom lacks the charisma to sell the often-sappy dialogue in a way that Tom Cruise - someone who seems cloyingly earnest and sappy in real life, if his couch-jumping antics on 'Oprah' last summer are any indication - could pull off effortlessly, as evidenced in the far superior JERRY MAGUIRE.

Crowe's idyllic vision of Smalltown, USA is largely an improbable one. Obviously, Crowe means to highlight - and embellish - the quirks of small town life. (Like most of his films, this one is heavily influenced by his own life, this one a loving tribute to his own late Kentucky father.) Yet scenes like the one featuring the townspeople standing on their doorsteps waving warmly to Drew - a guy nobody there has seen in years - as he drives into Elizabethtown is his rental car border on the ridiculous. Running gags fall flat; the quirky locals speak disparagingly of Mitchell's move to California (seemingly Middle America's idea of 'selling out'), oblivious to the fact - and Drew's frequent reminders - that the family resided there for less than two years before settling in Oregon gee, you'd think a town that so adored this guy would have been privy to his every address change. Having grown up in a small town myself, I can attest to some of its inherent idiosyncrasies and narrow-mindedness, but the film wallows in a rural folksiness that reduces Drew's relatives to a collection of caricatures. (And here's one truism of small town living that Crowe neglects: the visiting Drew would NEVER have been allowed to stay in a hotel; these doting relatives should have been falling over each other to offer him their living-room sofa beds.)

ELIZABETHTOWN is not without a few redeeming qualities. Susan Surandon makes a welcome appearance in a handful of scenes as Drew's mother, the out-of-towner that Elizabethtown's residents roundly resent for luring away their favourite son. She works small miracles in the underwritten role of a grief-stricken wife who throws herself into all kinds of hobbies - organic cooking, automotive repair - as a means of coping. Her comedic speech at Mitch's memorial service (featuring a tap-dance routine, no less) is as ludicrous as much of what precedes it, yet Surandon wins you over somehow. Plus, Crowe's penchant for filling his films with the sound of classic and contemporary rock music is no less prominent here, with a stellar soundtrack that includes the likes of Tom Petty, Elton John and Fleetwood Mac. Yet even the generous sampling of music feels calculated, slapped onto the movie simply because he felt like hearing the song. How else to explain the film's awkward tribute to Martin Luther King Jr. during Drew's third-act roadtrip and its use of U2's "Pride (In The Name Of Love)"? Great tune, but what the hell is it doing here?

The film is not the complete fiasco that some critics would have you believe, but it's easily Crowe's most disappointing work in years. Simply put, the movie is filled with scenes and exchanges that may read well on paper but come off as jarringly unconvincing when brought to life on screen. Having reportedly been trimmed by almost 20 minutes since its near-toxic critical reception at this year's Toronto International Film Festival, the movie still feels too long. As for Bloom well, maybe Peter Jackson can write a couple of scenes for Legolas if he ever gets a chance at making THE HOBBIT.