Before I begin my review of the movie Elizabethtown, let me state for the record that, in general, I like Cameron Crowe and his films. All of them end up being very quotable and memorable, with good soundtracks. Crowe makes good, if not great, movies that I’ve enjoyed in the past.

Upon further consideration, Elizabethtown is not one of those movies.

Reasons this movie was better than the average Cameron Crowe flick:

1. It didn’t trade too heavily on the soundtrack until the very end.
2. The voiceover was good and no one broke the fourth wall.
3. The narrator/protagonist didn’t need outside assistance to realize he’s on a path of self-discovery and that he should go after the girl. For once, Cameron Crowe has one of his male leads figure this one out all on his own. No Jerry Maguire needing the help of Rod Tidwell here.
4. A truly great cast. Susan Sarandon and Kirsten Dunst in perfect roles for their talents and that Orlando Bloom fellow wan’t half-bad either.

Reasons this movie was worse than the average Cameron Crowe flick:

1. Too Long. It was 123 minutes and it could have been 100. Find this movie another editor and it’s a B+ or an A as oppossed to a C.
2. Only surface interactions with too many characters. This movie had more unanswered questions than a book on Loch Ness.
   • Why was Drew’s dad a failure?
   • Why was Kirsten Dunst so unlucky in love yet willing to be available?
   • Why was Drew’s dad so beloved?

   Much too superficial a film for so many relationships and interactions. I loved Paula Deen, but I’d have trimmed her scenes first.

3. Not enough memorable quotes. The film starts out with a bang, with great voiceover, a truly funny scene with Alec Baldwin and one of the greatest attempted suicides never carried out. After that point, the movie changes and we get less of that style/sense of humor and delivery. Honestly, this was like 3 different films rolled into one. Too busy to do any of them greatly and not nearly enough quotable lines. No “you had me at hello” moments.

I could write more, but I honestly felt the heart was missing a bit from this film. If they can’t make me care, I don’t care enough to write a more thorough review.

Enjoyable, I suppose, but I think there are better movies to see in the theatre. This one is a rental, I think.