Elizabethtown
Paramount Pictures | Release Date: October 14, 2005
6.1
USER SCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 160 Ratings
USER RATING DISTRIBUTION
Positive:
83
Mixed:
30
Negative:
47
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10
francescoNov 11, 2011
Elizabethtown is a great and hilarious comedy with many reflections of how to appreciate life and understand what's really important in life. This movie tries to bring an interesting message. To me Cameron Crowe succeeded brilliantly. I don'tElizabethtown is a great and hilarious comedy with many reflections of how to appreciate life and understand what's really important in life. This movie tries to bring an interesting message. To me Cameron Crowe succeeded brilliantly. I don't understand all of the criticism towards the movie because I believe that the people and critics who disliked this movie simply weren't open about the main concept and somewhat skeptical. I hear many people saying that Elizabethtown is the worst copy of Garden state. Indeed I believe that it's totally the opposite thing because I believe that Elizabethtown is far superior. This movie has really precious moments.It's easy to sympathize with the leading character. Bloom,Dunst and Sarandon gave truly great performances.Orlando Bloom is for the first time rightly cast and I must say I found him really good.Kirsten Dunst was perfect and her performance is not always easy as it would seem. Susan Sarandon was really amazing and is the protagonist of a really funny but nevertheless moving sort of monologue that is the point of the entire movie. Cameron Crowe shows once again that he's a very original director. Simply one of the best of our generation. To enjoy Elizabethtown you have to abandon every last easy judgment. This movie is one of the most original in the recent years.It's not a romantic comedy as it was sold.It's about life,hope,love and how to deal with the difficulties of life.And how sometimes you need to search of your own origins to build a new life.And I was moved by that concept.… Expand
1 of 3 users found this helpful12
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9
BradCOct 17, 2005
Don't believe the critics. Good film.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
10
JoshH.Jul 1, 2006
Elizabethtown is a movie for the analytical/sentimental crowd. You can't watch it just once and get it all. There are several subtle metaphorical points that pop out during the second and third viewing. The critics gave it such a low Elizabethtown is a movie for the analytical/sentimental crowd. You can't watch it just once and get it all. There are several subtle metaphorical points that pop out during the second and third viewing. The critics gave it such a low rating and even labled it a fiasco. I find this ironic because the main character states in the movie that "success, not greatness, is the only god the entire world serves." In essence, Crowe turned a beginning business fiasco into ultimate greatness in the movie by way of the main charater realizing what truly matters in life. On a deeper level, the movie is much more than just a love story. It really is a genious work of Crowe's.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
9
NicoleV.Oct 14, 2005
He's cameron - what he creates is genius American life and love stories where integiry is learned or on display, and where the guy who would never get that girl, uliimately gets that girl. for all the right reasons. His stories give He's cameron - what he creates is genius American life and love stories where integiry is learned or on display, and where the guy who would never get that girl, uliimately gets that girl. for all the right reasons. His stories give hope to those just living, looiking for love, tyring to do their thing in this world wth gace and vision and bravness. He does all that and more and always has.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
8
MarkB.Oct 20, 2005
Could it be that Cameron Crowe is to 2005 what M. Night Shyamalan was to 2004? Both writer-directors have made audiences, critics and exhibitors very happy over the last several years by continuing to revisit their pet themes (Night with Could it be that Cameron Crowe is to 2005 what M. Night Shyamalan was to 2004? Both writer-directors have made audiences, critics and exhibitors very happy over the last several years by continuing to revisit their pet themes (Night with suspense tales that seem to travel in one direction but end up--or begin--somewhere different entirely; Cam with upbeat, deeply felt romances that give his extensive record collection a huge workout)...but, with Shyamalan's The Village and Crowe's Elizabethtown, seem to heve suddenly and without a completely clear explanation caused hordes of viewers and reviewers to load their pockets with geological specimens en route to a public stoning as they not only slam both filmmakers' most recent projects but pull an "I-never-knew-ye" (aka a "reevaluation") on them, suddenly claiming that their previous work really wasn't all that good either. I truly don't get it; in both cases, the only 'crime' either committed was hitting a triple rather than their usual home run. Does Elizabethtown knock it out of the park the way Say Anything, Almost Famous and Jerry Maguire (the most eminently quotable movie of the past decade) did? No, it doesn't. Does it have definite structural problems? Yes, it does. Should Crowe have cut ANOTHER 18 or 20 minutes out of the finished work? Certainly. Is he at times trying a bit too hard to achieve emotional effects that previously came completely naturally and effortlessly to him? Sure. Is it lumpy and unwieldy in places, with sequences that either don't work at all or maybe would've if trimmed a little? No question. But there's also no question that the stuff in Elizabethtown that DOES work--eccentric, winsome flight attendant Kirsten Dunst's introduction to depressed passenger Orlando Bloom, Susan Sarandon's performance-art eulogy to her late husband and Bloom's dad, corporate weasel Alec Baldwin's exquisitely, hilariously pain-inducing dressing down of Bloom after the humiliating public failure of the latter's athletic shoe design--is beautiful. Here, as in much of his previous work, Crowe proves himself to be the most unabashedly romantic of American directors currently working; I can only admire and envy how wonderful his marriage to musician Nancy Wilson (who scored this) must be to inspire such depth of feeling in his films. And I love how Elizabethtown provides the antidote to two bad movies currently inhabiting other theaters: Dunst's astonishingly lovable stewardess counteracts the completely hateful, callous airplane crew in Flightplan, while Crowe's total generosity of spirit toward small-town America provides a much-needed flip side to the bile-choked attitude that informed every frame of Junebug that didn't feature Amy Adams; Crowe knows as well as anybody that Chuck & Cindy's elaborate wedding, which provides much of the romantic backdrop for the two principals, IS unforgettably tacky, but he also reveals genuine affection for it. I do have mixed feelings about a major element of Crowe's casting; Bloom isn't all that much livelier in a contemporary setting than he was in such period pieces as Troy and Kingdom of Heaven, but maybe a more-or-less blank slate is what Crowe wanted, and anyway, Dunst is lively, charming and endearing enough to cover both actors. Ultimately, Elizabethtown's dealbreaker for many may be the final 20 minutes, in which Bloom and his father's remains take an admittedly improbable road trip that will either strike individual viewers as interminable and unbearable...or intoxicating and irresistable. (Guess which camp I fall into?) Comparisons to Cimino's Heaven's Gate, Coppola's One From the Heart and Levinson's Toys--big, expensive, self-indulgent "dream projects" made by people at the height of their careers (but not for long) have already started; I'd prefer to link Elizabethtown with a late-career work by Crowe's filmmaking idol Billy Wilder: Kiss Me Stupid, a sex comedy that was almost universally despised in 1964 but now is appreciated as the perceptive, wise and rather sweet-natured film that it always was, and considered Dean Martin's and (along with Hitchcock's Vertigo) Kim Novak's best picture. (And it's the possessor of a not-too-shabby 63 "greenlight" in Metacritic!) If you absolutely hated Elizabethtown, my advice is to do what apparently at least a few viewers did with Kiss Me Stupid: come back in another 20 years!… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
8
AndreaM.Oct 14, 2005
It started out slow, but this ended up being quite entertaining to watch, and did everything this type of movie is supposed to do; that is, make girls able to believe, for one more Friday night, that true love is out there and it's It started out slow, but this ended up being quite entertaining to watch, and did everything this type of movie is supposed to do; that is, make girls able to believe, for one more Friday night, that true love is out there and it's worth looking for.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
10
anns.Nov 4, 2005
Perfect^^
0 of 0 users found this helpful
10
RaeAnnOct 18, 2005
I don't get the bad reviews, I really don't. I just saw this movie last night and thought it was brilliantly written -- a definite "thinking person's movie." I'm baffled.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
8
WallyS.Dec 6, 2005
I was expecting a lot more from writerdirector of the beautiful Almost Famous, but Elizabethtown for me was just as pleasing and intelligent as it should be. It's Crowes more flawed film, but one with an emotinal core that works.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
10
JJarvisAug 2, 2007
This film touched me. I wish to have a road-trip with my dad...before he passes. The Chuck & Cindy wedding was great. Also a wish.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
8
JackC.Jun 20, 2008
Elizabethtown is flawed, but I really like this movie. There are some scenes that are actually somewhat cringe worthy and Orlando Bloom, while not horrible, is not the ideal actor for this role. However, all that aside, I really think this Elizabethtown is flawed, but I really like this movie. There are some scenes that are actually somewhat cringe worthy and Orlando Bloom, while not horrible, is not the ideal actor for this role. However, all that aside, I really think this is quite an underrated movie. To me, this is one of the truest feel-good movies there is. I feel motivated and happier after watching this movie. There is heart in it. And while heart alone does not make a good movie, there is something to be said about pure, lighthearted movie that makes you feel good. Again, the movie is flawed in a few ways, especially structurally. The whole road trip part at the end, while I like it, does feel tacked on and awkward, as it feels like the movie already ended. Also, the fiasco about the shoe is unbelievable. Still, if you're going through a rough time, or if anything similar to what the main character is going through in the movie, give the movie a shot, it might even make you smile.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
10
IanT.Sep 20, 2008
Elizabethtown is one of the all great movies with one of the best sound tracks around. It
0 of 0 users found this helpful
9
RachelH.Oct 14, 2005
I really enjoyed this movie, I laughed all the way through. It had an incredible cast (Orlando & Kirsten especially did a great job) and was one of the most adorable and funny movies I have ever seen. Two thumbs up.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
9
NickD.Oct 15, 2005
The critics have really lost their minds on this one. A wonderful, life affirming little gem from Cameron - not quite as good as "Almost Famous" maybe but nearly. Honest and truthful, with tremendous heart. Go see it defy the critical The critics have really lost their minds on this one. A wonderful, life affirming little gem from Cameron - not quite as good as "Almost Famous" maybe but nearly. Honest and truthful, with tremendous heart. Go see it defy the critical mindset that declared this to be a "failure" ever since it premiered at a Canada film festival. "Love life."… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
9
AngieOct 16, 2005
Loved it! Great thing to watch on a Saturday night. I don't know why some people don't like this movie.... Maybe their attention span is too short.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
8
NatOct 17, 2005
A journey for the heart and soul. A wonderful slice of Americana - a must see for music lovers, as is always true with a Cameron Crowe film.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
8
KelleyE.Oct 17, 2005
This is not a great movie by any means, but it was enjoyable. it was nice to see Bloom in a real role, not a bigger than life hero character. Kirstin Dunst was a bit too ditzy but the relationship balanced out the two characters. The message This is not a great movie by any means, but it was enjoyable. it was nice to see Bloom in a real role, not a bigger than life hero character. Kirstin Dunst was a bit too ditzy but the relationship balanced out the two characters. The message I got from the move was that family is more than just those you see everyday; family is a bond that transcends time and distance. The characters were real people, not stereotypes or bumkins. The movie made me feel good and that is all I hoped for.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
8
ShawnM.Oct 17, 2005
Not Crowe's best. However, even if it is his worst, his worst is better than most current Hollywood films.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
10
petes.Oct 24, 2005
Does everyone think they could do a better job directing a movie that is about death and life? Rusty's video was genius! Chuck and Cindy were really funny. Great movie about real things. Awesome! Laughed and cried!!!!
0 of 0 users found this helpful
10
AndyH.Oct 26, 2005
I loved this movie...but more than that I love Mark B.'s review from the advance scout team. If your like me, you can't get enough of his many, many interesting words. I don't care how long he writes those interesting reviews, I loved this movie...but more than that I love Mark B.'s review from the advance scout team. If your like me, you can't get enough of his many, many interesting words. I don't care how long he writes those interesting reviews, I just think they get better and more interesting line after line. I'm sure there are some of you out there who are thinking to yourself "hey, Mark B, why can't you be more like Chad S and not write so much." BUT, I say to those naysayers "Shutta ya mouth." To tell you the truth, I think he is a producer/director in disguise because he always has wise and interesting ideas to add to movies. I know everyone on metacritic would agree with this statement, Mark B. would have directed this film ten times better than Cameron Crowe. Mark B you need to move to Hollywood to consult all the directors on how to make excellent movies because everything you do is excellent-check that-incredibly excellent!!! Mark B, I would like to personally thank you for you long, interesting reviews, but, the grasshopper has one humble request of his master-could you possibly make your reviews longer?… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
8
OliMar 3, 2006
It's beautiful, it's funny, it's entertaining, and above all simply charming!
0 of 0 users found this helpful
10
ScarbaroughPainlessMay 6, 2007
This movie was very beautiful, and very thought provoking. Like the best of these films, the soundtrack was exquisite, cinematography right on target, and a little off kilter. The subject matter brought questions of life, and what it's This movie was very beautiful, and very thought provoking. Like the best of these films, the soundtrack was exquisite, cinematography right on target, and a little off kilter. The subject matter brought questions of life, and what it's worth. Is true love really worth an otherwise banal existence? The answer is a resounding yes.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
8
DavidJan 25, 2009
the movie was about a person so tied up in his misfounture that he stop living. then a girl comes along shows him there is still life after failure. best to celebrate life and remembrance.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
7
VinceH.Nov 1, 2005
I totally agree with Laura Sinagra's "Village Voice" review about this film. It really feels like a collection of ideas, moments, lines, character-quirks, shots, names, etc. that Crowe collected in his journal and then tried to create a I totally agree with Laura Sinagra's "Village Voice" review about this film. It really feels like a collection of ideas, moments, lines, character-quirks, shots, names, etc. that Crowe collected in his journal and then tried to create a plot to include it all. Because it is Crowe, the romantic stuff works the best and all of it is really well-written and genuinely romantic. The cross-country trip at the end isn't exactly Cusack blaring the boombox or Tom Cruise saying "You Complete me", but it works nonetheless. If anything, this film proves that it's pretty effortless for Crowe to write this kind of stuff while so many Hollywood hacks try to make a romantic comedy. Only Richard Curtis IMO is as good with character and plot. Unfortunately, that's the problem - there's too much of it. Crowe tries to stuff in so much in the film, it eventually becomes reductive to its own purpose. There are obviously great ideas here, but we forget about them so quickly because he just keeps throwing stuff at us. The movie never takes the time to breathe and relax. It is constantly fussy, fast, plot-heavy, etc. The film is over 2 hours and moves very quickly, which is not necessarily a good thing. Note: The performances are very strong, particularly from Orlando Bloom, turning in his best performance by far. Also great are the always reliable Judy Greer and a hilariously deadpan turn by Alec Baldwin. Overall the performances, strong writing (for the most part), and of course, the music, make this a film that you won't feel terrible spending $10 on.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
9
CharlieW.Nov 19, 2005
If you gave this movie anything below an eight, then there is something seriously wrong with you. I am only thirteen but I found this movie to be incredibly entertaining and very enjoyable. I felt like clapping at the end, and the scene with If you gave this movie anything below an eight, then there is something seriously wrong with you. I am only thirteen but I found this movie to be incredibly entertaining and very enjoyable. I felt like clapping at the end, and the scene with the flaming bird was absolutely hillarious! P.S. Great soundtrack.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
9
JCPurdyNov 2, 2005
The major reviewers have this movie wrong! The cadence of the scenes are more how the mind really works and how memories flow. See it with someone you love, it brings up many different emotions. I didn't want it to end. So be it if it The major reviewers have this movie wrong! The cadence of the scenes are more how the mind really works and how memories flow. See it with someone you love, it brings up many different emotions. I didn't want it to end. So be it if it simply becomes a cult movie -- it is actually sublime and shows how two people connect and become committed to each other.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
10
karis.Nov 20, 2005
I thought it was one of the best movies I have ever seen. I LOVED IT!
0 of 0 users found this helpful
8
ThomasM.Nov 4, 2005
Yes, the film has flaws, but it also has real heart, an excellent performance by Ms. Dunst, three terrific scenes, and good number of genuine laughs. The flaws keep it from rising into the pantheon of the Best of Crowe, but the pluses Yes, the film has flaws, but it also has real heart, an excellent performance by Ms. Dunst, three terrific scenes, and good number of genuine laughs. The flaws keep it from rising into the pantheon of the Best of Crowe, but the pluses outweigh the minuses by a good measure. I loved it.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
9
AngelsK.Oct 16, 2005
This movie was great. I don't understand how you could deem it a failure. Sure it has it's slow bits and you could beat up the acting at times but it has something most films these days don't have and thats originality. It This movie was great. I don't understand how you could deem it a failure. Sure it has it's slow bits and you could beat up the acting at times but it has something most films these days don't have and thats originality. It lets you laugh and cry and it's interesting and it doesn't have that dumb humor that everyone feels obligated to add to romantic comedys. Overall it was a good movie with slight flaws that's worth your time.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
8
C.B.BrowneOct 18, 2005
It's a mess... a beautiful mess. There's so many storylines and interesting characters that it's better suited to a TV series. Crowe has written a love letter to his father, to Kentucky, to road trips, to resiliency... to too It's a mess... a beautiful mess. There's so many storylines and interesting characters that it's better suited to a TV series. Crowe has written a love letter to his father, to Kentucky, to road trips, to resiliency... to too much. But I really enjoyed it.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
8
MickLovesAvrilLavigneDec 14, 2005
Not half bad - actually surprising touching.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
9
ChadS.Oct 24, 2005
With "Elizabethtown", Mr. Crowe has apparently made a film for his cultists, those Stillwater enthusiasts who can quote entire scenes from "Almost Famous". This guy loves rock and roll so much, southern rock crashes a funeral. What ensues is With "Elizabethtown", Mr. Crowe has apparently made a film for his cultists, those Stillwater enthusiasts who can quote entire scenes from "Almost Famous". This guy loves rock and roll so much, southern rock crashes a funeral. What ensues is incredibly surreal (and arguably, idiotic), but Judy Greer saves the scene, and against all odds, transforms this creative miscalculation into something oddly moving. Greer's priceless reaction shots also help make us forget that her mother's stand-up act would've been greeted with stony silence in real-life. Sure, "Elizabethtown" has some unforgettable imperfections, starting with the whole Chuck & Cindy: The Wedding subplot, and that wacko videotape which helps placate a group of screaming kids. But then Crowe counterbalances those missteps with some of the pathos involved with cremation, and a very sweet tribute from Claire (Kirsten Dunst) to Drew's father when you stop to consider from which album "Pride (in the Name of Love) comes from. Like how "Jay and Silent Bob Strikes Back" was a love-letter from Kevin Smith to his devout fans, "Elizabethtown" is for the people who call his 2000 masterpiece, "Unitled".… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
10
MikeDec 31, 2006
Compared to the typical swill of today's films, this one rates a 10 in my book. This film dares to find hope and love in a world of shallow cynics. I am disturbed that Borat gets critical acclaim while this rhoughtful and sensitive Compared to the typical swill of today's films, this one rates a 10 in my book. This film dares to find hope and love in a world of shallow cynics. I am disturbed that Borat gets critical acclaim while this rhoughtful and sensitive exploration of the human condition gets panned. The herd didn't get it, did you? Congratulations to Cameron Crowe and everyone else who made this film.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
9
lukechristianscAug 22, 2015
Cameron Crowe's romantic-comedy road trip picture is touching, moving and emotional but it does suffer with the cliche's, but writer-director Mr. Crowe has a big heart when it comes to making a story about when you get lost and finding yourCameron Crowe's romantic-comedy road trip picture is touching, moving and emotional but it does suffer with the cliche's, but writer-director Mr. Crowe has a big heart when it comes to making a story about when you get lost and finding your way back up again into a film. It succeeds as a comedy but somehow as a drama it doesn't because it's predictable, you know were it's going to go but Crowe wants you forget the cliches and want you to focus more on the characters and the situations their going through and care for them also relate to, he succeeds at that when the cliches start popping back up again it makes you groan and it's just so irritating. Orlando Bloom plays Drew, a shoe designer who is on a flight to Kentucky, where his father died of a heart attack, during a family visit. Kristen Dunst plays Claire Colburn, the only flight attendant who meets Drew on a deserted plan, where he is the only one passenger on that plane. He just wants to be alone. She insists he moves up first class, coddles him, makes bright, and she starts a lovely conversation with him. Drew was about to commit suicide on the death exercise bike machine, when the phone call came in about his father's death. He is a successful young shoe designer of the Spasmodica shoe, a popular world-wide shoe but a new product that his boss Phil (Alec Baldwin) informs him that he'll lose $972 million. Drew's suicide plan is now going to wait for the visit to Elizabethtown, where his father is related to half of the population and the best friend on the other half. His mom Hollie (Susan Sarandon) is still hated because she took her husband away from his hometown and family to California. Drew is sent there to represent his mom and his sister's wishes for Mitch's funeral against Mitch's extended family. Ultimately, Claire may not only help Drew get through the arrangements of his father's funereal, but she does provide Drew with a different perspective of his life and drifting him away from his thoughts of suicide. While this movie is a cliche'd drama it does get emotional and works for me, Bloom isn't the great at acting but he's is good at drama and he should be in these roles more often; him and Dunst has decent chemistry on screen which makes the film even more better. It may not be the best film Crowe has ever made and maybe not Oscar "worthy" but it's Golden Globes "worthy" like I said not the best Cameron Crowe movie, but it proves he is one of the best directors. It's skillful reverence of deep beauty melancholy dipped in reality. Grade A-… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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7
stevekmNov 12, 2022
A good rom-com, different original story line, loved Kirsten's character, Susan Sarandon's character was a walk on until the end of the movie when she had a big finish.
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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