Ahoy, squirts! Quint here with a couple reviews from early, early, early screenings of Cameron Crowe's newest flick ELIZABETHTOWN. Now, the below reviews don't go into heavy spoilers, but I can tell you upfront that they're pretty lukewarm if you don't want to know any details at all. They describe the movie as "good" but say that a Cameron Crowe movie is supposed to be better than "good."
I will say right now that the film doesn't come out until October and these test screenings are being used to see what works and what doesn't. Overall there seems to be a sense that there is a great movie in there somewhere, but it isn't there yet, that the flow is off. I have complete faith in Crowe. ALMOST FAMOUS is one of my favorite movies and he hasn't failed me before, so I anticipate him using the criticisms from the test screening to make the film as good as it can possibly be. Here's the first of two!
Just got back from seeing the screening (second in the world, they said...who got the first?) and figured I'd put in my two cents. If you use this, please call me "Cooper".
I'm not going to say I had a great time. I'm only going to go so far as saying I had a good time, and that was SEVERELY in danger the last twenty minutes or so of the film, which just go on and on only to reach the most absolutely predictable ending you can imagine. My gut feeling is that Cameron Crowe is really retelling the same story over and over again. Which isn't necessarily the worst thing you can do if you're retelling Jerry Maguire or Say Anything, but really, why watch the retelling if you can watch Jerry Maguire or Say Anything.
In any case, the two basic MacGuffins are a "fiasco" that Orlando Bloom's character engineers, which puts him in a self-drestructive zone that is interrupted by the death of his father. Nothing earth-shattering here, and Alec Baldwin is really fun as the company president. Unfortunately, that's the end of Alec Baldwin, and the viewer is really left to understand what, exactly, that character is supposed to be there for other than comic relief. For that matter, the "fiasco" is SO ridiculous (apparently, that company doesn't test market things they're sinking $972 million into) that it's hard to take seriously. There's some cute narration with Orlando Bloom repeating "I'm Fine" that I wish had maybe kept going throughout the movie, but it didn't.
And that was my main problem with the movie. It was too schizophrenic. A hundred little ideas are developed and never followed up on. In fact, the entire movie jumps the rail a couple times and starts, more or less, telling another movie ENTIRELY. For example, an early suicide attempt is, except for one or two laughs, never mentioned again...the movie just moves on.
The acting. Actually, wonderful. That's Cameron Crowe's gift, I suppose. My only complaing with Orlando Bloom is that he does better in short burts of American-accent talk. Too much and one gets the feeling something's off. So short sentences, and great reaction shots. Kirsten Dunst, who I'm not really a fan of, does a spectacular job, although her character starts out as the most annoying person on the planet And, near the end of the movie, you get to see just how insanely anal and possibly crazy she is! Susan Sarandon, who I LOATHE, is very good, and has a pretty nice speech that goes on a little long (like much o the movie). Most importantly, the man who will always be Jack Dalton to me, Bruce McGill, well, he's just great in everything he does. Even if I know he's gonna be in it, I'm stll pleasantly surprised when he shows up. (Aside...I still remember watching the last episode of Quantum Leap and thinking, "Hunh. Jack Dalton's God.")
I said the movie was too long, and you could definitely sense that in the preview crowd. Especially with a road trip that comes out of NOWHERE to turn the movie into a "slice of Americana" flick (I did say schizophrenic). People were audibly grumbling everytime ANOTHER tourist trap came on screen. So there was that, and the Cameron Crowe staple, music, music, music. Actually, it was very overpowering, and frankly, there was too much of it. All over the place. Sometimes one "classic" song would segue directly into another. The road trip at the end had even more. Honestly, if Cameron Crowe wanted to let the world know the contents of his iPod, there are better ways to do it. Because THAT'S what it really felt like...like maybe he was trying to find another Secret Garden...the musical centerpiece, a rendition of Freebird...good, cause I've never seen THAT before...
It sounds like I'm bashing it. I rated it "good" on the paperwork. I didn't have a BAD time, I just felt like Cameron Crowe made the movie for himself in the end...he showed what he wanted to show, played the music that he wanted to listen to, but it made for a very uneven movie that went in several directions to no purpose (the questionaire at the end actually asked what plot points were not wrapped up...I have never seen that on a form before, or maybe I just go to the wrong screenings...). The audience really felt that, I think. I do believe they'll cut some of the music out and about 15 minutes.
Anyway, that's what I saw.
That above review is the more positive of the two... the below reviewer dislikes many of the things liked by the above reviewer, like Alec Baldwin and Orlando Bloom's performances. The next review also underscores some concerns he has about the studio and filmmakers misunderstanding what works and doesn't from the focus group. Here's the review:
Dear Harry & the gang,
Let me start off by telling you how much I enjoy your site and that I have so very wanted to write something up for it for quite some time now but was never privy to any info worth reporting until now!
Tonight I was front row (well, second row in the stadium seats to be perfectly honest) and center for a test screening of Cameron Crowe?s latest work ?Elizabethtown?. I?ve been a big fan of Mr. Crowe?s for quite some time and had been heavily anticipating this film for a little over a year now, so it was quite the treat to be invited to this event ? unfortunately the treat just wasn?t as sweet as I?d hoped.
As stated above I really like Cameron Crowe?s pictures and I really wanted to fall in love with ?Elizabethtown?, but no matter how hard I tried (and believe me, I? TRIED) I just can?t bring myself to give it the ol? thumbs up (at least not it?s current cut). Don?t get me wrong, it isn?t a bad film; in fact it?s down right good ? just not Cameron Crowe good (I mean the man made ?Almost Famous?, he?s just plain better than this).
Elizabethtown? has some truly incredible moments, scenes so good they seem to capture magic in a mayonnaise jar; the trouble is that these moments are surrounded on all sides by standard (maybe slightly above standard on a good day) romantic comedy mediocrity. A lot of the devices are nothing different from any number of pictures you could pick up at the local video store; true, they are handled in an above standard way, but certainly not in any above standard way that would redeem them. It?s like your seeing something that makes your brain say ?wow, this is the best thing since pre-sliced cheese? one second and then for the next few minuets you?re watching Susan Sarandon talk about boners in a eulogy/stand-up comedy routine. What?s up with that?
And of course it was the scenes like the one that the audience adored while the scenes I liked were the ones stoned in the focus group. The audience seemed to feel that such things like the fifteen minute phone call between Orlando and Kirsten or the couples first romantic outing needed to be cut if not completely dropped all together.
By-the-bye ? just something I?d like to clarify: ?Elizabethtown? is NOT a romantic comedy ? the vibe I got from the flyer/the studio people seems to say that?s what they?re trying to sell it as (something that this cut seems to affirm). Rather this is the story of Drew Baylor (Orlando Bloom) discovering the beauty in life that he had forgotten with a romance sub-plot (at least that?s how I felt about it). But instead this element of the story is really only found in the last 5th of the film while the rest is occupied by a romantic comedy. How in the hell did the sub-plot become the feature?
But I digress
Another problem I had was with the performances. Susan Sarandon worked well some of the time, but most of the time she acted as nothing more than a clown (which is a real shame considering that all her slap-stickiness originates from a center of pain that is limited to the sub-text). Kirsten Dunst was quite loveable in this role (and I don?t dig Kirsten Dunst all that much!) but her light Southern accent that?s very prevalent in the beginning of the film mysteriously disappears during the course of the picture. Alec Baldwin (whose only in the film for all of ten seconds) felt like he showed up, read the script, and did his scenes all in the same day ? he?s usually so good, but here he never seems to find his character and thus his performance really flops. But by far the biggest offender is Orlando Bloom; this movie seems to scream from a mile away that the kid can?t act. It really just goes to show he?s just a pretty face attached to a talent less body that Hollywood has picked to stick in every movie (yes, I am being a little biased ? but I?m also being honest).
To reiterate: I LOVED all of Crowe?s past films and wanted so badly to rant on-and-on about how everyone should run out and see it the moment it hits theaters, but I just can?t do that because, no matter how much I wish it were, it just isn?t the truth. There is an awesome movie in here itching to get out ? some scenes tell you this ? but in its current form that great film is just to mucked up with the standard Hollywood affaire. I really hope that I can say that I love the film they wind up releasing, but as of right now those hopes just ain?t too high.
True, in its current state ?Elizabethtown? is a good and solid movie, but it just doesn?t live up to the expectations that Cameron Crowe?s name inspires.
Well, that about wraps it up I suppose. Again, I love this site and wish that I could submit something more positive to it than this (especially for my first time) but ce la vie, eh.
I suppose it is customary to bestow a name unto myself at this point; so, if you use any/some/all of this just call me ?Eddie Adams?.
