(no subject)

[salixbabylon]

Mmmm.... Got off work early yesterday, had a massage, took my car to have someone else clean it, had dinner, saw "Elizabethtown."

No, it wasn't The Very Best Movie I Have Ever Seen... But it was exactly what it wanted to be, and exactly what I needed. It is so very much "where I am right now" in my life - I thought it was hysterical and poignant and touching and the "message" was just what I needed to hear. Plus, OMG cute boy. :) (I even liked Kristin Dunst, who usually pushes all of my "too-skinny blonde" buttons.)

Oh yeah, and my dad is from a very small town in Kentucky. I should call him more often.


I thought the opening/Drew's screw-up was way too over-the-top and totally couldn't relate. How could a $1 billion loss possibly be *his* fault alone? Unrealistic, and even my usual suspension of disbelief got annoyed by it.

I thought the relationship was Drew and Claire was awkward in some parts. His refusal to express verbally how he felt about her at certain times frustrated me. She was a little too perfect/psychic.

The Susan Sarandon scene at the memorial just seemed weird and out of place and went on waaaayyyyyy tooooo loooonnngggggg. I like her, love her, even, but it just didn't actually add anything to the story or even fit.


Aside from those points, I loved it, and I'm glad I got to see it opening night. I concur with the parallels my friend made with "Garden State" - it's that kind of movie, not a romantic comedy.


Today = either hiking/picnic or quince jelly-making and job-applying, if it decides to rain...

Yay for autumn!

Comments

[mellacita.livejournal.com]

No, it wasn't The Very Best Movie I Have Ever Seen... But it was exactly what it wanted to be, and exactly what I needed. It is so very much "where I am right now" in my life - I thought it was hysterical and poignant and touching and the "message" was just what I needed to hear.

EXACTLY. The reviews it is getting seem so overreactionary. What did they expect? It's Cameron Crowe. And it's a lovely film, and I thought Orlando was great. I have certainly enjoyed worse films, and I have seen worse films do well with critics and audiences alike. I really wonder sometimes if Orlando's films are held up to some higher bar from the beginning, so he is guaranteed to fail. He never had to pay Hollywood dues and I think it makes people furious and antagonistic. :( He may have a lot further to go as an actor but he is *far* from the least talented actor out there making films and making big money!

[jasmineskie.livejournal.com]

I agree with everything you said here. Am really amazed that your friend brought up "Garden State", because that's exactly the movie it reminded me of too.

The whole opening was weird. The loss wasn't Drew's fault alone, but he was being used as the sacrificial lamb on the altar of Phil's ego. I think the whole $1 billion was Crowe's attempt to make this into a 'big movie'. But this was never a big movie. This is a small movie filled with small, personal stories, and it was way over-hyped for what it is.

[salixbabylon.livejournal.com]

Heheh. Great minds must think alike - I know I didn't come up with it. :) My friend K. was a lot less happy with the film than I was and had quite a monologue about why as we drove home. (I think I also liked "Garden State" a lot more than she did. *g*)

I agree - Drew was just the scapegoat. It's kind of lame that he submitted to being that, too, IMO. And while I am admittedly numbers-illiterate, $1 billion seems a little extreme for the amount *any* shoe company makes.

Otherwise I had fun. I will definitely rent it when it's time and see what was left out if there's a director's cut.

I think you're right in that the biggest problem with the film is it's marketing - the romance was, in my view, totally NOT the point of the movie. As you said in your post, it is a small movie about personal redemption -- and it's a good one. I have always liked the quirky-ness of Crowe's movies, but I can see why they are never fabulously popular if they keep getting the marketing wrong...

[salixbabylon.livejournal.com]

I thought he was great too... I have actually been far more impressed with Orlando's acting in Elizabethtown and Calcium Kid than in his other roles...

I wonder if it's a Cameron Crowe problem or an Orlando problem, all the bad press. Crowe seems to have a problem with his movies being marketed incorrectly as "romances" when they're not. And people seem to want Orlando to fail, like all of the "this year's hottest star" actors eventually do...

Well, I love them both, and I hope they succeed, even if they are never mainstream. ANd nfrankly, I think I prefer non-mainstream Orlando. ;)

[bloominbabylon.livejournal.com]

It wasn't the best, I've seen, but overall I enjoyed it very much. Thought it was very understated and loved that. ANd I thought Orlando was amazing. I loved the hissy fits that Drew threw...too cute.

To me there seemed to be holes in the script. Maybe they were intentional, maybe I just didn't get it. I like subtle, but then again sometimes I like things presented a little more clearly...like Drew and Claire's relatiosnhip. Didn't get the 'substitute people' thing Claire kept going on about. She seemed far too perky and self confident to be a 'substitute' anything.

There were too many 'side' stories going on...Jesse and his dad, the whole Bill Banyon scandal, Hollie's history with Mitch's family.

christ...sounds like I hated it. I didn't, just wanted a little more...

[salixbabylon.livejournal.com]

I know what you mean about the holes in the story -- I wanted all the loose ends taken care of as well. Crowe's movies don't usually do that, though; they're more slice-of-life with things that don't make sense and never get resolved.

Which is frustratingly realistic, sometimes. There were a few too many of them in this particular film, though, IMO.

I loved the hissy fits too - the "I have had enough" moments -- I only wish Drew had had one at work and stood up for himself.

I didn't get the substitute people thing either. I suspect there was something missing that would have explained that more. I really want to see the director's cut version.

But yes, I loved the movie, too, despite it's faults. Orlando was great. :)

[bloominbabylon.livejournal.com]

Crowe's movies don't usually do that,

that may explain why I've never seen a Cameron Crowe movie...except Vanilla Sky, and only then becasue a friend ragged at me unitl I did watch it. And then I was very, very sorry.

Pity...he was very nice when I met him. Wish I liked his directing style more.

[salixbabylon.livejournal.com]

Well, I really loved "Almost Famous" and "Say Anything" so I would recommend those, but hey, YMMV. You don't have to like him just because some folks do. :)