Ahoy, squirts! Quint here with a spy by the name of MidnightBomber, who caught a test screening of ELIZABETHTOWN. I've said it before and I'll say it again. I love Crowe's movies and I can't wait to see this one! Some spoilers below, so tread lightly if you don't like that kind of thing! Enjoy!
Hey, Harry & Co.
I was able to catch a test screening of "Elizabethtown" last night, so I thought I'd write in and give my $.02.
When a friend called to say he had scored tickets for a free test screening - an unfinished director's cut of 'some movie' - I jumped at the chance. It seems like Memphis rarely gets to host this kind of thing, so I wasn't going to pass it up.
When I found out we were seeing "Elizabethtown," I'll admit to being a little disappointed. I had been hoping for a film like "Serenity" or "Narnia" - you know, something I could sink my geek chompers into.
I must say, however, that I was very pleasantly surprised.
WARNING: Some spoilers to follow…..
This film had a lot to absorb, so I'll just break it down and give my reaction to each piece.
Orlando Bloom: Bloom does a superb job portraying Drew Baylor, the only "successful" man in his family, now carrying the secret of his recent colossal failure. When the call comes that his father has suddenly died of a heart attack, Drew must travel to his father's flyspeck hometown in Kentucky as the representative of the "California" side of the family. This forces him to suspend his calmly -even whimsically- laid plans to kill himself until family business is cared for. Fortunately, this trip does not devolve into some profound voyage of discovery for Drew, as lesser films would most certainly have strived for. Instead, the film is content to let Drew make small steps, to deal with life as real people do - one day at a time. He doesn't reach any grand epiphanies and reaffirm his humanity while rescuing children from burning buildings. No, nothing so dramatic would dare make its way into the life of such an ordinary guy. Like most of us, he doesn't always have a clear plan. He doesn't always know what he's doing, what he wants, or even what he's feeling. In his life, sometimes things just happen. Bloom is able to convey all this and more in the most complex, layered performance I have seen from him. And yet he does it quietly, understated, as if he were more intent on serving the character in the way it deserved, rather than serving his career with a dramatic role.
Kirsten Dunst: As Claire, Dunst is surprisingly great, bringing a charm and reality to what could easily have become the trite and formulaic "quirky love interest" we've all seen far too many times. Her presence, designed to be slightly invasive and painfully colorful at first, mellows as time passes. With each successive scene, we see her become more human. Instead of staying in the mold of the "eccentric force of change", Claire shows that all her colors run deeper than they seemed to at first. We see her struggle to maintain the free-spirit persona she clings to like a security blanket, as if telling herself she doesn't really care will make things easier. She is flawed, and even a little lost. Yet, as she nudges Drew towards the release and closure that he so desperately needs, we watch as she finds herself, too. I can honestly say that in this film, Dunst's presence is both a spark of life and a warm, comforting glow. As Bloom did, she respects the character enough to breathe real life into it, to make you believe every word and every glance.
Supporting characters: Respect for the characters is a universal theme throughout this movie, and the large supporting cast of is no exception. Whether it's the mischievous child with an ear-piercing scream, or his never-was rock band father, or Chuck and Cindy (see the movie and you'll know exactly who I'm talking about), each puts their own mark on the story. Whether they're newfound family or just there for laughs, each one is given a chance to be more than just a caricature. Each has a soul, and a reason for doing what they do. Possibly the best example is Drew's mother, played by Susan Sarandon in a role that made me forget I don’t like her very much. Her growth, and her unorthodox struggle with grief, felt real.
Simply put, I loved this film. It reminds me of a less angst-y "Garden State," another film I thoroughly enjoyed. The unfinished cut was quite long - about 2.5 hours - and while I know some scenes should probably be removed for pacing's sake, I can't think of a single scene I would want them to cut. The eclectic soundtrack fit perfectly in ways difficult to describe. The humor, clever and absurd, brought an enjoyable dimension to what could have been an unnecessarily heavy film.
This is a film that's easy to respect, because it respects the audience. It respects them by giving them realistic, well-rounded characters; by letting dramatic things happen without playing them up for cheap tear-jerker fare; by letting things hang and simmer without immediate resolution, giving us a chance to drink it in and experience it along with the characters; and by giving us hope that even the most colossal failure, even the biggest fiasco, can lead to the things we least expect.
