Movies

Drew Baylor (Orlando Bloom) has just had a very difficult day at work. He received the hard-to-swallow news that a product he designed, though it made him a hero in the office prior to its announcement to the public, was a disaster and would cost the company an incredible sum of money. He was politely asked to shoulder the blame for the product's fate...while he was being fired. Later that night, he was swimming in a pool of self-pity when his sister called to deliver more bad news. Their father, Mitch, had died of a heart attack.

When he died, Mitch was visiting his family in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, a city and a lineage that his wife and two children all but ignored. The town was small and the pace of life was slow. The people were friendly and everyone knew and loved Mitch Baylor. Drew, labeled the "responsible" one, was nominated to represent his mom (Susan Sarandon) and sister (Judy Greer) at the memorial in Elizabethtown.

Drew had to embark on a journey to a place as foreign to him as the people who lived there. Each person he met seemed to know him well, though he did not truly know any of them. That began what became a very humbling trip for Drew. The sharp contrast between big-city life and small-town life made itself evident. Drew was accustomed to his corporate surroundings, back home, where people smiled, but you never knew what to make of it. In Elizabethtown he knew they were happy and friendly people. They cared about him and his father.

On his flight to Kentucky, Drew met a flight attendant named Claire (Kirsten Dunst). She was extremely friendly, maybe even too friendly. Through a strange turn of events (and no one else to call), Drew and Claire connect on the phone. Claire becomes Drew's crutch in his time of need. She is the catalyst that opens his eyes to who he is, who his father was, and how important family should be.

I think Drew Baylor had expectations for the people in Kentucky. I think he expected that they all were stereotypical back-country folks who could not relate to him, nor understand the world he lived in. That was essentially why his mother and sister elected him to go in their place. They all felt that way. Claire disproved this expectation. They connected on more levels than Drew could have ever imagined. His guard dropped and he was able to appreciate the countless anecdotes and southern hospitality he received from his dad's side of the family.

He, eventually, was very touched by the warm reception he received and more so by how loved his dad was in Elizabethtown, Kentucky. Drew did not know his father very well. Over the past few years life at work took on an exclusive role on Drew's time and attention, which led to a change in the father-son relationship that had been strong when Drew was a boy. He was reacquainted with his dad through family and friends in Elizabethtown. It was truly a chance for Drew to get to know his father all over again, something he should not have saved until his father had died. But Mitch Baylor was not the only one Drew got to know all over again on this trip. He also became reacquainted with himself...with a little help.

The movie was not without flaws, some of which make events unrealistic, but I quickly got over them. They were trivial things that should not concern me nor should they detract from my feelings toward this movie, which were fiercely positive.

Orlando Bloom, for the first time, stepped outside the Legolas mold into which I had him so snuggly typecast. I thought he did well as Drew Baylor.

Kirsten Dunst is another who is not normally one of my favorites, but she did well. Normally her characters are so elitest and conceited, but as Claire Coburn she was much more down to Earth. It was a nice change.

A lot of people have compared this movie to Garden State, which is not without merit. The journey (in a general sense) on which each protagonist ventures is one through a clouded sense of reality to a broader perspective that among other things emphasizes the importance of family and is lead by a new-found, outgoing female friend from a chance meeting.

Elizabethtown has a broader appeal than Garden State. The latter is more targeted to a younger audience through subject matter concerning drugs, prescription and otherwise. Elizabethtown is more about getting to know the people around you and learning the faces of those who matter most. (Though both movies feature very good soundtracks.)

I have already recommended Elizabethtown to my parents and they both said they liked it a lot. I have not recommended they see Garden State.

| Buy it from Amazon | Discuss it |