Elizabethtown (2005)

During a hometown memorial for his Kentucky-born father, a young man begins an unexpected romance with a too-good-to-be-true stewardess.

Director:

Cameron Crowe

Writer:

Cameron Crowe

Stars:

Orlando Bloom, Kirsten Dunst, Susan Sarandon

2 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Orlando Bloom	...	Drew Baylor
Kirsten Dunst	...	Claire Colburn
Susan Sarandon	...	Hollie Baylor
Alec Baldwin	...	Phil Devoss
Bruce McGill	...	Bill Banyon
Judy Greer	...	Heather Baylor
Jessica Biel	...	Ellen Kishmore
Paul Schneider	...	Jessie Baylor
Loudon Wainwright III	...	Uncle Dale (as Loudon Wainwright)
Gailard Sartain	...	Charles Dean
Jed Rees	...	Chuck Hasboro
Paula Deen	...	Aunt Dora
Dan Biggers	...	Uncle Roy
Alice Marie Crowe	...	Aunt Lena
Tim Devitt	...	Mitch Baylor

Storyline

After causing a loss of almost one billion dollars in his company, the shoe designer Drew Baylor decides to commit suicide. However, in the exact moment of his act of despair, he receives a phone call from his sister telling him that his beloved father had just died in Elizabethtown, and he should bring him back since his mother had problem with the relatives of his father. He travels in an empty red eye flight and meets the attendant Claire Colburn, who changes his view and perspective of life.

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Plot Keywords:

publicity | bad publicity | quote | cubicle | suit and tie | 

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Taglines:

The Best Place To Find Yourself.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for language and some sexual references

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [UK] Paramount Pictures [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 October 2005 (USA)

Also Known As:

Rencontres à Elizabethtown

Filming Locations:

1 University Drive, Aliso Viejo, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$57,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$10,618,711, 16 October 2005, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$26,838,389, 18 December 2005

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$13,500,000, 13 November 2005

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures, Cruise/Wagner Productions, Vinyl Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

123 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Cameron Crowe's first choice for the part of Claire Colburn was Kirsten Dunst. Dunst wanted the part very much but had already signed for The Village (2004). Evan Rachel Wood (who was apparently too young) was then under consideration for the part but Dunst dropped out of The Village (2004) at the last moment to audition for the part and won it. Judy Greer, however, appeared in both "The Village" and "Elizabethtown".

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Goofs

When Drew is on his trip planned by that Claire, we see a series of scenes suggesting that a lot of time passes. Drew browses through the book, changes CDs and from time to time takes a look at the father's urn. In these moments the book is opened always on the same page.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Dock Worker: [receiving returning good] Welcome back, boys.
Drew Baylor: As somebody once said, there's a difference between a failure and a fiasco. A failure is simply the non-present of success. Any fool can accomplish failure. But a fiasco, a fiasco is a disaster of mythic proportions. A fiasco is a folktale told to others, that makes other people feel more... alive. Because it didn't happen to them.

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Crazy Credits

This film opens with the 1954 "VistaVision" Paramount Pictures logo - instead of the new 'live-action' one. This logo was used at the head of all Paramount films released from the mid-1950s through to 1986.

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Connections

Referenced in Dreaming Alaska (2012)

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Soundtracks

Let It Out (Let It All Hang Out)
(1967)
Written by B.B. Cunningham (as BB Cunningham), Gary McEwen, Jerry Masters & John Hunter
Performed by The Hombres
Courtesy of Universal Records
Under license from Universal Music Enterprises
(p) 1967 Universal Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.

User Reviews

Felt like a Cameron Crowe move... Oh wait, it was...

Very typical Cameron Crowe. Felt a bit like Jerry McGuire, and a lot like Almost Famous.

At 2-hours and 15-minutes, it was a relatively long film, especially for the type of film that it is. It could have had about 30-minutes or so cut out, and I think it could have made for a more powerful and capturing experience overall.

Susan Sarandon, though playing a relatively small role, gave an outstanding performance, as did Judy Greer. For me, the biggest pleasant surprise was the performance given by Kirsten Dunst - mature, intelligent, sexy, and, well, quite good. The big disappointment was Orlando Bloom - there were moments he may as well have been reading directly from the script for the first time.

In typical Cameron Crowe fashion, this is a movie about finding one's self and the journey therein. It has it's funny moments, serious moments, silly moments, emotional moments, sexy moments, and, well, a lot of 'moments'. It doesn't take a lot of thought or analysis to 'get' this movie. Its story and message are quite simple, and quite simply told. Oh, and Cameron Crow has again managed to put together a pretty cool sound track.

If you're looking for a deep analytical film, look elsewhere. If you want to explore discovering one's self with a few laughs and maybe a few tears along the way, Elizabethtown won't disappoint.