Elizabethtown: Paramount Presents Blu-ray Review

THE MOVIE — 3½/5

Plot Synopsis: Aspiring young shoe designer Drew Baylor (ORLANDO BLOOM) gets fired from his high-profile job after the failure of his latest project. To make matters worse, his girlfriend, Ellen (JESSICA BIEL), leaves him, and he becomes suicidal. Drew’s morbid plans are interrupted by the news of his father’s death, and he is called back to his Kentucky hometown. On his flight, he meets the lovely Claire (KIRSTEN DUNST), a sunny flight attendant who tries to help him embrace life once again.

Quick Hit Review: Cameron Crowe is a filmmaker I, for one reason or another, tend to overlook, not that he hasn’t produced great movies (Vanilla Sky is a personal favorite) but he seems to take his time with projects, releasing them every few years and as of this writing, hasn’t released anything since 2015’s Aloha, a movie I had seen but didn’t care for. Prior to Aloha, though, one of Crowe’s least reviewed films was Elizabethtown breaking a string of successes dating back to 1989 with Say Anything.

For one reason or another, despite owning the film on DVD, never got around to checking it out but after now seeing it 15-odd years later, while it’s not one of Crowe’s strongest, I found it charming enough if not also a bit disjointed not so much in tone (does have a dark humor streak which I liked) but goes from career-tragedy to family issues and finishing with a road trip adventure. Doesn’t quite flow smoothly, but I was along for the ride thanks to a well rounded cast. In particular, the chemistry between Orlando Bloom and Kristen Dunst was wonderful. And as a side, both actors were in their prime coming off of massively successful trilogies, Lord of the Rings for Bloom and Spider-Man for Dunst.

As with Crowe’s other films, it’s filled out with a solid supporting cast that includes Alec Baldwin as a Phil Knight like character (the at one time CEO of Nike), Susan Sarandon as Bloom’s mother and wonderful character actor, Bruce McGill. Sarandon especially shines culminating with her eulogy at the memorial which oddly included a stand-up routine. Funny, but odd.

SPECIAL FEATURES – 3/5

This is release #14 in the “Paramount Presents” line and includes a slip cover with a front fold-out showing the film’s original poster artwork; the inside sleeve also has different artwork versus the slip. There is also a redemption code for the Digital HD copy.

Filmmaker Focus: Cameron Crowe on Elizabethtown (6:22) – Interview with Crowe on the origins of his movie, the cast and includes some behind-the-scenes pictures.

Deleted and Extended Scenes (23:49) — There are eight scenes that got cut, including an alternate ending. Includes an introduction by Crowe.

On the Road to Elizabethtown (13:49) — Making-of featurette  from 2005 with interviews by the cast and crew on the story and characters.

The Music of Elizabethtown (5:32) on the importance of the songs that Crowe incorporates into the story.

Meet the Crew (2:35) featurette, introducing the first assistant director, still photographer, etc.

Training Wheels (2:21) — Some fly-on-the-wall test footage with the cast.

Photo Gallery — Several galleries from behind the scenes to the Baylors and Kentucky.

Last up are Trailers and TV Spots (5:17).

VIDEO – 4½/5

AUDIO – 4½/5

OVERALL – 3¾/5

Elizabethtown isn’t Cameron Crowe’s strongest work but has some heartfelt moments, plus some nice scenes between Orlando Bloom and Kirsten Dunst, though the plot at times felt a little disjointed. The release as part of the Paramount Presents line offers up great video and audio transfers and has some fine bonus features.