Hits:
Director- Before the movie begins, it has three big wins, and they all stem from Cameron Crow's directorial style. He always chooses real life stories, backs them with phenomenal music, and ties it all together with smart and true dialogue. Cameron Crow is one of my favorite directors and all his talents are throughly used in this film.
Music- Sometimes I want to watch the movie, and sometimes I just want to play it in the background. It's different from a mix tape or soundtrack because it all ties together, and never reaches that note that gets held out because the songs over. I love the music because the songs are more unusual and have more age and soul to them then most movies these days. I also want to point out here that Cameron Crow uses an Elton John song twice in the piece to drive his point home, I think it is a very strong use of music, which I cannot think of another time it was used in this way.
Setting- For some reason, very few films are set in the South, my South. There are a bunch that stereotype the place and there are a bunch that over-dramatize it, but few films tell a story that I can directly relate to; infact, I can only think of one other Junebug right now, if you can think of any more, send me an e-mail or write a comment.
Actors/Casting- I didn't think Orlando Bloom was bad, but he didn't shine because everyone else did such a good job creating this complex but fake world. The character of Jesse (played by Paul Schneider) is one of my favoite parts of the film.
Kristen Dunst- She plays both the broken-hearted angel/lover and the witty sidekick. She is so versitile in this role, and deftly able to move back and forth from hurt to expressive. Furthermore, in this film, she portrays everything I love about girls, and people in general.
Susan Sarandon- Susan Sarandon is my Mom. By this I mean, her and my mother share so many similar atributes, that when I think of my mom in movies and putting her in scrips, Susan Sarandon immediately comes to mind.
Misses:
Orlando Bloom- Not a huge miss here, but he wasn't quite in the swing of it like everyone else was.
Use of Tom Petty Music- This movie uses Tom Petty music to set several scenes, and it works beautifully. But, it build false hope because not one of Tom Petty's CD is good all the way through.
I like alot of movies, and of course I have a top ten list. Elizabethtown is not on it. But I find that I rarely re-watch the films on my top ten list, in fact, I've only watched Godfather four or five times. Whenever I watched Elizabethtown, I end up watching it three or four more times before I put it back on the shelf. This movie really connects with me, and is well worth watching, once with a group of friends/family and once by yourself
