For some reason I didn’t have a lot of expectations from this movie even though my friend recommended this highly, as if it was going to change my life.

It didn’t change my life for sure. With a very weak plot and half-hearted efforts at getting into the character by most of the actors (notably Bloom), the movie sort of becomes predictable as there are too many story angles not meshing with each other.

But why I gave this movie a “wishy washy” rating was that there was really nothing specifically wrong with the movie, even though there was nothing exceptionally “right” either. It’s sort of like a in-between movie with endearing moments that you can enjoy on a day when you have nothing better to do.

i kept putting this off. i was supposed to go see this in the theatre w/perch when it was released. it was our thing. we did not go. i felt like i was cheating on him if i watched it for myself. i out this title way down on my netflix queue. i saw it at the lib. and decided to go for it. i even called him and guiltily confessed i rented it. (turns out he was resisting renting it for the same reasons). i’m not a huge orlando bloom fan, but i love kirsten dunst. i tohught her character in the movie was charming but a little weird/annoying/stalkerish at first. i’m glad i gave it a chance. i thought the message was good, the soundtrack fabulous, and loved the idea of the map.

I got this from the library thinking that it would be something silly to play in the background while I was sick. But I ended up really loving it. The conversations, the music, the scenery, the map. In the end, I was laying in bed kicking my feet with excitement and anticipation about what was going to happen. And it made me think about my own life and things that were missing.

All from the girl who scoffed and ignored it when it was released in theaters.

I always have mixed feelings on Kirsten Dunst – I think she’s not a very good actress and she annoys me a lot of the time, but other times I find her charming. I can’t ever decide one way or the other. Her character in this was annoying through most of the movie – just a little too cutesey, and Ms. Dunst does a terrible southern accent. Why not just have her character have grown up somewhere else and moved to Kentucky, rather than have her do this awful accent?

Orlando Bloom is only a slightly better actor than Kirsten Dunst, but he did a more convincing accent having grown up on a different continent than she did living on the same. His performance was pretty dull, though, and fell flat for the most part.

Despite all this, I found the movie touching. Not until about the last 45 minutes of it, but I felt that kind of made up for the first part quite a bit. It reminded me of Garden State that way; inconspicuously thoughtful.

Not a big fan of the movie… it’s an OK chick flick/date movie (maybe).

A 20-something California kid walks around in a daze where funny yet depressing things happen to him while he realizes his failure as a human being and simultaneously finds out that his distant parent figure has just died unexpectedly. He meets a cute, spunky girl with good music taste along the way who he ends up spending countless hours with.

Sounds strangely familiar. Garden State perhaps? Certainly there are differences between the two movies, but the overall style and mood of the first half of the film seemed to be a desperate attempt to attract the countless faux-indie kids who thrive on dark humor mixed with cute love interests and a good soundtrack.

But maybe it’s not so unacceptable to copy a successful movie. The entire 80’s and 90’s were filled with romantic comedies based on the Sleepless In Seattle, fate-brought-us-together idea, and not too many people are complaining. Maybe it’s just that the Zach Braff formula is still fairly new to us so it still seems like a cheap knockoff.

Luckily, Elizabethtown sets itself apart in the second half. A heartfelt tribute to a fallen Southern hero comes to life. Kirsten Dunst’s character shows a mind behind the smile. The best “live” performance of Freebird I’ve ever seen. And an Americana-laced road trip that lightens the mood despite Orlando Bloom’s lacking versatility.

This one is worth watching for the occasional well-timed laugh, the “cute but not too cute” factor and, of course, the good music.

GREAT MOVIE.
It’s the meaning and the moral of the story that got me.
It’s so down to earth. I’ve never seen a movie quite like this.
It’s a chick-flick and a reality check at the same time.
I loved it.

Maybe it was because I don’t really enjoy Kristen Dunst acting or the fact that Orlando Bloom’s American accent was really off…But I did not really enjoy this movie. I think the story was interesting and could have been a bit more compelling…I usually like Cameron Crowe movies so I thought I would give this one a shot but I could not get past how annoyed I was with Kristen Dunst especially her Southern accent that fluctuating in and out.