Elizabethtown...

I haven't seen a new movie in a couple of weeks. Well, that isn't entirely true. I did see G-Force but I have deemed it "unblog worthy". Take that Jerry Bruckheimer! Next time you think about making a movie about talking guinea pigs that are black ops agents, think again!

So, here I go with another one of my favorites. I quote this movie a lot but hardly anyone has seen it. It is Elizabethtown. Here is the trailer...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75TKB0299b0&feature=related

Elizabethtown is the story of Drew Baylor. Drew is played by Orlando Bloom. Drew is a hot shot tennis shoe designer that designs this really odd shoe. His company has high hopes for the shoe but it ends up losing his company almost 1 billion bucks! To say he gets fired is an understatement! Oh...he also gets dumped by his girlfriend over the deal. So, Drew heads home, cleans out his apartment and decides to do himself in. Just before his "death scene", he gets a call from his sister informing him that his dad has died. WOW...can this guy have a worse day? Anyway, his dad was visiting family in...you guessed it...Elizabethtown, KY when he died. Drew gets the job of flying from Oregon to Kentucky to bring his dad home...well, his ashes.

OK...so we got a suicidal, out of work, girlfriendless guy who now has to go get his dead dad in Kentucky. To Drew's credit, he gets on the plane for a red eye flight (at night folks). As fate would have it, there happens to be this very cheerful flight attendant on Drew's plane. Claire, played by Kristen Dunst, talks to Drew and even draws him a map on how to get from Louisville to Elizabethtown...don't miss 60B! (You will get this if you ever see the movie!) She also gives him her phone number.

From this point, we have the basis of the story. Drew is a "fish out of water" in Kentucky and meets lots of family members during the funeral. Yep...Drew went to get his dad but the family in Kentucky has a whole memorial deal and funeral that they are planning that he gets drug into...it is very funny! Also, in a moment of loneliness, he calls Claire the flight attendant. They end up having an all night conversation where they talk about...well...life.

Why do I like this movie? I am not really sure. I wouldn't put it in the "great" movie category but I find myself watching it over and over. (Well, I can't right now because I loaned it out and may never see it again...what was I thinking?!) One reason I do like the movie is the music. It is like the movie was almost written around the music. I also love many of Claire's musings. Here is one I particularly like from the script...

Drew - You're kind of great, Claire.You do know that. Sort of amazing, even.
Claire - Oh, come on! I don't need an ice cream cone.
Drew - It's not an ice cream cone. What's an ice cream cone?
Claire - You know. "Here's a little something to make you happy. Something sweet that melts
in five minutes." I'm completely cool with anything you want to say or not say. I don't need it.

I use that "ice cream cone" line a lot when I think someone is telling me what they think I want to hear. I think Claire didn't think Drew was being honest when he told her she was great/amazing because she didn't believe it herself. I understand that...

There is also a scene where Claire tells Drew that her boyfriend forgot he was suppose to come see her that weekend. They are in this ballroom where there had been a rehearsal dinner for this couple (Chuck and Cindy) whose wedding has taken over the hotel Drew is staying in while in Elizabethtown. Drew finds the toast that Chuck wrote for Cindy and he delivers these lines (at first, Claire doesn't know he is reading from Chuck's toast)...

Drew - See, I know what you deserve.
Claire - What do I deserve?
Drew - You deserve....
Drew - You deserve....
Drew - You deserve...a guy who says: "l can't imagine a world without you. We will start a winery when we are 70. We will snowboard every December, and one year take our kids. And we will always have the twin red Lexuses...with the license plates reading:'Chuck and Cindy."'

The look on Claire's face when he tells her "I can't imagine a world without you" is wonderful. What a great line...even if poor Drew stole it off Chuck's toast!

My favorite part of the whole thing is Drew's road trip home. Claire, in the all night conversation, made him promise he would take a solitary road trip. Before he leaves Elizabethtown (after a very interesting memorial service that features the song Free Bird), Claire gives him this huge map that is set to music. It tells him places to stop along the way and the CDs to put in at different times. Since his father was cremated, she tells him that the places she sends him are some of the ones that "her Mitch" would be buried (his father's name was Mitch). He follows the map and ends up in crazy places and meaningful ones. One of my favorites is the "survivor tree" at the Oklahoma City bombing site. Claire tells him it is her favorite tree in the whole world...and she really likes trees. The "survivor tree" is the one that was close to "ground zero" of the blast but survived. It stands outside the entrance to the memorial to the victims of the bombing.

In the end, Claire's map sends Drew to a farmer's market with instructions to go here and there at the market. He follows the clues and acquires a note that tells him that he can turn around and the map will take him home...OR...he can change his path and look for a girl in a red hat. Yep...bet you can guess who that girl happens to be!

Great movie? Not sure. Great soundtrack to be sure. It has a really cool website that is still up. Check it out if you like...http://www.elizabethtown.com/home.html.

Well, there is my take on Elizabethtown. The critics didn't like the movie but I did. Maybe it is a chick movie...maybe it just speaks to me...who knows.

Until the next movie...