Monday Movie Review

Okay, I know it's not Monday, but it's close enough.

I watched Elizabethtown a couple of weeks ago, and I must confess, I watched it rather reluctantly. The name alone seems to give off red flags that this is going to be a major chick flick. But, it came highly recommended by Michael McMinn, so I thought I'd give it a shot.

Fortunately, it's not really a chick flick. The movie is really more about a man finding his sense of identity in the world. Drew (Orlando Bloom) is a shoe designer in Seattle who loses his dream job after developing a shoe that is an abysmal failure for the Nike-esque company for which he works. He is about to take his own life when he receives a call from his mother telling him that his father has just died. Drew is given the responsibility of going to Elizabethtown, KY, where his father was visiting his family, to make arrangements for his father's cremation and memorial service.

On the flight to Kentucky, Drew meets a bubbly flight attendant named Claire, brilliantly played by Kirsten Dunst. The rest of the film is about Drew trying to navigate his way through family relationships, funeral arrangements, his own grief over the loss of his father, and his struggle for identity in the loss of his job. Claire continues to be a source of sunshine and sanity for Drew throughout the process. Claire tells Drew that he failed, but it is not the end of his life and helps him to understand that his identity and worth as a human being are not tied to his accomplishments or failures in the business world.

One of the best lines from the film comes from Bill Banyon, a friend of Drew's father, Mitch. Drew informs Bill and the local funeral home director that Mitch wished to be cremated, so there will be no body at the funeral. Banyon responds with, "Is there such a thing as partial cremation?"

At the end of the film, Drew begins his journey back to Seattle, but he promises Claire that he will drive across country with the urn with his father's ashes instead of flying back home. She maps out the route for him and puts together a sound track for him to listen to on the way. This is the final stage of healing for Drew.

Kirsten Dunst does an excellent job playing a southern girl. She passibly pulls off the accent, and she really nails the attitude and persona of the new southern lady. Orlando Bloom, on the other hand, is at times distracting. He does a good job of portraying a melancholy but emotionally constipated male. But the fact that his British accent keeps creeping through is distracting. It's kind of like watching Kevin Costner try to pull off a British accent in Robin Hood.

This is really a good movie, which surprised me given it's title (it just sounded so girly). The soundtrack is incredible, as you might expect from a film by Cameron Crowe. As a bonus, if you are a fan of Paula Deen, she makes a cameo as Drew's aunt.