Elizabethtown
It is now official. I am in complete disagreement with the critics featured on Rotten Tomatoes almost all the time. I would really like to launch into a critique of critics, but I’ll save it for an Any Movie comment.
Hollywood knows how to pick a star. Not to sound self-contradictory, but there are stars who I don’t understand why they are stars. So, I’ll have to work on that. But, for the most part, stars in Hollywood are stars because they deserve to be stars. That needs to be checked. I’m not interested in stars, per se. I’m interested in actors/actresses. There is a big difference between being a star and being an actor/actress. That’s another Any Movie comment.
If I could have a romance, if I could relate to a woman the way Orlando Bloom relates to Kirsten Dunst, I’d be happy in love. And guess what? I’m not the biggest fan of either of these “stars.” I love Pirates of the Carribean. But it was Johnny Depp that carried me through the movie, Not Orlando. And with Spiderman, the role of Spiderman’s girlfriend probably could’ve been played by any of a dozen different actresses. It’s not a made for role. It’s a lucky role to get.
Imagine being in a movie where Susan Sarandon plays a supporting role. But they gave Susan her moment on stage, literally on a stage, and she took it.
Is this a great movie? No. But that doesn’t make it any less memorable. There are many movies considered great and I could care less. In fact, there are movies I absolutely loved and can’t even remember the titles.
This blog is not, and I’ll say it repeatedly, an attempt to be a critic. I think being a movie critic is one of the worst jobs on the planet. I’d rather work at McDonalds. This blog is to work through various elements of moviemaking and to express my love for movies.
I’m a hell of a lot more positive than critics. I’m not out to impress anyone.
My over-riding theme in this blog, along with my other blog, “Adventures of a Screenwriter,” found on WordPress, is a continual quest for “What is a story?”
What is the story here? I’m beginning to think most movies are in one way or another about redemption. Every movie is certainly about overcoming obstacles and/or overcoming adversity. Orlando’s character failed big time. However, the movie does not explain the nature of his failure, which left a big hole for me. Accepted at face value, Drew Baylor (Bloom) rose to the top of his game then for some reason, fell majorly from grace–what the movie called, a “fiasco.”
Fiasco was a good choice of words since it is most certainly more dramatic than just any old failure.
Do some scenes seem arbitary? Well, that just might hold true for any movie, and is what usually gets characterized as “suspension of disbelief.” Baylor just happens to be the only passenger on a plane? Claire (Dunst) just happens to be overly friendly and even gives Drew her telephone number? What a fantasy come true that is for any man. I would like to hear a real life story of a stewardess (or whatever they call them nowadys) giving her number to a passenger.
Some things in movies I don’t get. I don’t know why the mother and daughter of the deceased did not go to Kentucky for the funeral, well, at least not until later in the movie. That also might seem contrived–a chance for Bloom and Dunst to do their thing.
Apparently Drew’s father, the deceased, and focus of all the attention, was involved in a deal gone bad. And those responsible were in attendance at the funeral. But what deal went wrong and the ramifications thereof were never really made clear.
What was the meaning behind Chuck and Cindy’s wedding at the hotel where Drew stayed? Well, it could be very simple–showing the fine line between life and death, or, love and death.
Why did Drew stay at a hotel when everyone involved in the funeral were such close friends of his father? Surely someone would’ve had him stay at their home.
I don’t particularly like romantic comedies. And honestly, one of the reasons is that I get jealous. I don’t particularly like seeing the actress of my desire being wooed by some fool. I don’t indentify with the male pursuer. Instead, I want him out of the way. Here, it was entirely different. I really wanted Bloom and Dunst to be together.
I loved the long phone conversation they had together, one that didn’t end until they were face to face hours later. I’ve had that happen in real life and it’s a feel good thing. We do a lot of crazy things when we talk on the phone. Bloom washes his socks and Dunst changes the cat litter. Those kinds of bits make movies happen.
There are things in this movie that don’t make sense and I do understand, to some degree, why the critics were so critical. But again, I emphasis, I do not accept the role of critics in the movie industry. Movies should be seen and heard without any prejudice or bias before viewing. Check and balance your feelings afterwords, is fine.
This is a slice of life movie. It’s more a string of vignettes with a loosely knit love story holding it together. So what. Get out of it what you can. You know, sometimes, actors and actresses are just fun to watch.
The point is, when you fail, it’s not the end of the world.
