Elizabethtown (film)

Elizabethtown
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Cameron Crowe
Written by	Cameron Crowe
Produced by	Cameron Crowe Tom Cruise Paula Wagner
Starring	Orlando Bloom Kirsten Dunst Susan Sarandon Alec Baldwin Bruce McGill Judy Greer Jessica Biel
Cinematography	John Toll
Edited by	David Moritz
Music by	Nancy Wilson
Production companies	Cruise/Wagner Productions Vinyl Films
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures
Release dates	September 4, 2005 (2005-09-04) (VIFF) October 14, 2005 (2005-10-14)
Running time	119 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$45 million
Box office	$52 million

Elizabethtown is a 2005 American romantic tragicomedy film written and directed by Cameron Crowe and distributed by Paramount Pictures. Its story follows a young shoe designer who is down on his luck and was recently fired from his job after costing his company close to $1 billion. On the verge of suicide, he receives a call from his sister informing him of the death of his father. He then decides to return to his hometown of Elizabethtown to lay his father to rest and becomes involved in an unexpected romance. It stars Orlando Bloom, Kirsten Dunst, Alec Baldwin, and Susan Sarandon.

The film was produced by Cruise/Wagner Productions and Vinyl Films. It premiered September 4, 2005, at the 2005 Venice Film Festival and was released worldwide on October 14, 2005. It grossed $10.6 million in its opening weekend and $52.2 million worldwide, against a budget of $45 million. It received generally negative reviews and has a 28% approval rating based on 178 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes.

Plot

Drew Baylor(Bloom) is a designer for a Nike-sized, global sportswear company, Mercury. When his latest shoe design, hyped to be a great accomplishment in his life, has a flaw that will cost the company $972 million to correct, Drew is shamed by his boss, Phil(played by Alec Baldwin), before he is asked to speak to the press-his future unknown but probably over at Mercury. Disappointed in his failure, and the subsequent breakup with his fair weather girlfriend, Ellen, he toys with the idea of suicide, only to be stopped at the last moment by a call from his sister Heather telling him that his father has died while visiting family in Elizabethtown, Kentucky. When his mother, Hollie(Saradon), refuses to go because of a long-time dispute between her and the rest of the Kentucky Baylors, Drew volunteers to retrieve his father's body. It's apparent that the family is bitter about Hollie and Mitch(the father)moving to the West Coast.

On the flight to Kentucky, Drew meets a flight attendant named Claire(played by Kirsten Dunst), who is managing the completely empty 747. In order to make her shift easier, she strikes up a conversation with Drew and invites him to move up to first class seating. Depressed about his work failure, Drew tries to ignore the bubbly, quirky personality of Claire who has nothing to do on the flight except talk to him incessantly about Kentucky and alludes to her boyfriend, Bob, who is a workaholic. At the end of the trip, Claire gives him a piece of paper with directions, helpful tips(with her phone number) to help him get to his destination before they part. Drew dismisses Claire, who seems to be trying to get the last of his attentions as he walks to the airport exit.

When he gets to Elizabethtown, Drew is met by the family, and he makes arrangements for a cremation at his mother's request, despite the family's objections. While staying at a hotel, where a wedding reception is being held, Drew calls his mother and sister, then his ex-girlfriend as he continues to struggle with boredom and depression. Finally, he calls Claire(who also is alone because Bob is working out of state), and the two of them talk for hours. She impulsively suggests they meet at sunset, before she has to depart on a flight to Hawaii. They have a quiet, platonic moment and then they part ways as she leaves for her trip.

Drew comes to grips with his father's death, and while he is visiting his Aunt Dora, his uncle Bill remarks on how his father would look in the suit. Drew then looks at the flame on the gas stove (they are in the kitchen) and has second thoughts about cremation. He rushes to stop the cremation but is too late: he is given his father's ashes. Claire returns from her flight and unexpectedly meets him at his hotel. Afterwards, she tells him she loves him, and he responds with regret that he failed at his life, admitting he was contemplating suicide. Claire leaves upset that Drew had not responded in kind.

Hollie and Heather arrive for the service, and Hollie tells a series of amusing anecdotes with her eulogy. Claire arrives, and tells Drew to take one final trip with his father, giving him a map with special stops to make along the way. Drew follows the map home, spreading his father's ashes at memorable sites until reaching a farmer's market, where a series of notes gives him a choice; to either follow the map home, or follow new direction. He chooses the latter, where Claire is waiting for him. The two kiss and Drew finally realizes he loves her.

Cast

• Orlando Bloom as Drew Baylor
• Kirsten Dunst as Claire Colburn
• Susan Sarandon as Hollie Baylor
• Alec Baldwin as Phil DeVoss
• Bruce McGill as Bill Banyon
• Judy Greer as Heather Baylor
• Jessica Biel as Ellen Kishmore
• Paul Schneider as Jesse Baylor
• Loudon Wainwright III as Uncle Dale
• Gailard Sartain as Charles Dean
• Jed Rees as Chuck Hasboro
• Jim Fitzpatrick as Rusty
• Paula Deen as Aunt Dora
• Dan Biggers as Uncle Roy
• Alice Marie Crowe as Aunt Lena
• Tim Devitt as Mitch Baylor
• Ted Manson as Sad Joe
• Shane Lyons as Charlie Bill
• Emily Rutherfurd as Cindy Hasboro

Production

Jane Fonda was cast in Sarandon's role, but had to drop out. Ashton Kutcher, Seann William Scott, Colin Hanks, Chris Evans, and James Franco all auditioned for Bloom's part. Kutcher was actually hired to play Drew, but director Cameron Crowe decided during filming that the chemistry between him and Dunst was not right and Kutcher left the project. Biel auditioned for the female lead, but was given a smaller role as Drew's ex-girlfriend.

There is a character named Ben who is mentioned as a love interest of Claire. In the original cut of the film, Ben is revealed to be Claire's brother.

Recognizable settings for scenes shot in Louisville, Kentucky, include the Brown Hotel, Highland Middle School, and Cave Hill Cemetery. Opening scene shows a helicopter flying over downtown Portland, Oregon, and the Fremont Bridge. Although the exterior, lobby, and corridors of the Brown Hotel are seen, the hotel's Crystal Ball Room was replicated on a soundstage. While Bloom's character is supposedly driving to Elizabethtown, he is traveling in the wrong direction. He is also pictured going through the Cherokee Park tunnel, which happens to be on I-64. Elizabethtown is on I-65, about 40 miles (64 km) in the other direction.

Although the title of the movie is Elizabethtown, most of the small town scenes were actually filmed in Versailles, Kentucky. Only two scenes portraying distinctive landmarks were filmed in Elizabethtown itself, because many of Elizabethtown's historic buildings have been replaced by chain stores and sprawl. A few scenes were filmed in LaGrange. Other local scenes were filmed in Otter Creek Park in Meade County, near Brandenburg. Filming also took place in Scottsbluff, Nebraska; Eureka Springs, Arkansas; Memphis, Tennessee; and Oklahoma City.

In the original cut of the film shown at the Toronto International Film Festival, an epilogue reveals that the shoe designed by Drew turns out to be a hit, as it whistles with every step. This was cut from the release version of the film to prevent the ending from seeming overly drawn-out.

Joni Mitchell's painting Hyde Park appears in the film. One of her paintings had previously appeared in Crowe's Vanilla Sky.

Release

Critical reception

The film received generally negative reviews from critics. Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a 28% approval rating based on 178 reviews, with an average score of 4.8/10. The site's consensus is "This story of a floundering shoe designer who returns home for a family tragedy gets lost in undeveloped plot lines and lackluster performances." It holds a Metacritic score of 45 out of 100 from 37 critics.

Film critic Roger Ebert gave the film a positive review, with three stars out of four. He describes the story as the most unrelenting "Meet Cute" in movie history. He goes on to say that although the film is nowhere near one of Crowe's great films like Almost Famous, it is sweet and good-hearted and has some real laughs. Ebert later reprinted on his site an analysis of the film pointing out various plot elements supporting the idea that Claire is actually an angel.

Manic Pixie Dream Girl

In his review, Nathan Rabin of The A.V. Club created the term "Manic Pixie Dream Girl" to describe the "bubbly, shallow cinematic creature" stock character type that he stated Dunst plays in the film.

Box office

Elizabethtown was commercially released on October 14, 2005, in the United States. It was distributed to 2,517 theaters and grossed $4,050,915 on its opening day. At the end of its opening weekend, the film had grossed $10,618,711, making it the third-highest gross for that weekend. Overall, the film grossed $52,034,889 worldwide during its 68-day release.

Soundtrack

See also: Elizabethtown (soundtrack)

The film features dozens of contemporary rock songs, and Kentucky natives My Morning Jacket play Ruckus, a fictional rock group who reunite during the film.

External links

• Elizabethtown at IMDb
• Cinetext Elizabethtown Essay