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A couple ELIZABETHTOWN test screening reviews come in! Will the movie complete you' Is it a Golden God'
Ahoy, squirts! Quint here with a couple reviews from early, early, early screenings of Cameron Crowe's newest flick ELIZABETHTOWN. Now, the below reviews don't go into heavy spoilers, but I can tell you upfront that they're pretty lukewarm if you don't want to know any details at all. They describe the movie as "good" but say that a Cameron Crowe movie is supposed to be better than "good."
I will say right now that the film doesn't come out until October and these test screenings are being used to see what works and what doesn't. Overall there seems to be a sense that there is a great movie in there somewhere, but it isn't there yet, that the flow is off. I have complete faith in Crowe. ALMOST FAMOUS is one of my favorite movies and he hasn't failed me before, so I anticipate him using the criticisms from the test screening to make the film as good as it can possibly be. Here's the first of two!
Just got back from seeing the screening (second in the world, they said...who got the first?) and figured I'd put in my two cents. If you use this, please call me "Cooper".
I'm not going to say I had a great time. I'm only going to go so far as saying I had a good time, and that was SEVERELY in danger the last twenty minutes or so of the film, which just go on and on only to reach the most absolutely predictable ending you can imagine. My gut feeling is that Cameron Crowe is really retelling the same story over and over again. Which isn't necessarily the worst thing you can do if you're retelling Jerry Maguire or Say Anything, but really, why watch the retelling if you can watch Jerry Maguire or Say Anything.
In any case, the two basic MacGuffins are a "fiasco" that Orlando Bloom's character engineers, which puts him in a self-drestructive zone that is interrupted by the death of his father. Nothing earth-shattering here, and Alec Baldwin is really fun as the company president. Unfortunately, that's the end of Alec Baldwin, and the viewer is really left to understand what, exactly, that character is supposed to be there for other than comic relief. For that matter, the "fiasco" is SO ridiculous (apparently, that company doesn't test market things they're sinking $972 million into) that it's hard to take seriously. There's some cute narration with Orlando Bloom repeating "I'm Fine" that I wish had maybe kept going throughout the movie, but it didn't.
And that was my main problem with the movie. It was too schizophrenic. A hundred little ideas are developed and never followed up on. In fact, the entire movie jumps the rail a couple times and starts, more or less, telling another movie ENTIRELY. For example, an early suicide attempt is, except for one or two laughs, never mentioned again...the movie just moves on.
The acting. Actually, wonderful. That's Cameron Crowe's gift, I suppose. My only complaing with Orlando Bloom is that he does better in short burts of American-accent talk. Too much and one gets the feeling something's off. So short sentences, and great reaction shots. Kirsten Dunst, who I'm not really a fan of, does a spectacular job, although her character starts out as the most annoying person on the planet And, near the end of the movie, you get to see just how insanely anal and possibly crazy she is! Susan Sarandon, who I LOATHE, is very good, and has a pretty nice speech that goes on a little long (like much o the movie). Most importantly, the man who will always be Jack Dalton to me, Bruce McGill, well, he's just great in everything he does. Even if I know he's gonna be in it, I'm stll pleasantly surprised when he shows up. (Aside...I still remember watching the last episode of Quantum Leap and thinking, "Hunh. Jack Dalton's God.")
I said the movie was too long, and you could definitely sense that in the preview crowd. Especially with a road trip that comes out of NOWHERE to turn the movie into a "slice of Americana" flick (I did say schizophrenic). People were audibly grumbling everytime ANOTHER tourist trap came on screen. So there was that, and the Cameron Crowe staple, music, music, music. Actually, it was very overpowering, and frankly, there was too much of it. All over the place. Sometimes one "classic" song would segue directly into another. The road trip at the end had even more. Honestly, if Cameron Crowe wanted to let the world know the contents of his iPod, there are better ways to do it. Because THAT'S what it really felt like...like maybe he was trying to find another Secret Garden...the musical centerpiece, a rendition of Freebird...good, cause I've never seen THAT before...
It sounds like I'm bashing it. I rated it "good" on the paperwork. I didn't have a BAD time, I just felt like Cameron Crowe made the movie for himself in the end...he showed what he wanted to show, played the music that he wanted to listen to, but it made for a very uneven movie that went in several directions to no purpose (the questionaire at the end actually asked what plot points were not wrapped up...I have never seen that on a form before, or maybe I just go to the wrong screenings...). The audience really felt that, I think. I do believe they'll cut some of the music out and about 15 minutes.
Anyway, that's what I saw.
That above review is the more positive of the two... the below reviewer dislikes many of the things liked by the above reviewer, like Alec Baldwin and Orlando Bloom's performances. The next review also underscores some concerns he has about the studio and filmmakers misunderstanding what works and doesn't from the focus group. Here's the review:
Dear Harry & the gang,
Let me start off by telling you how much I enjoy your site and that I have so very wanted to write something up for it for quite some time now but was never privy to any info worth reporting
until now!
Tonight I was front row (well, second row in the stadium seats to be perfectly honest) and center for a test screening of Cameron Crowe?s latest work ?Elizabethtown?. I?ve been a big fan of Mr. Crowe?s for quite some time and had been heavily anticipating this film for a little over a year now, so it was quite the treat to be invited to this event ? unfortunately the treat just wasn?t as sweet as I?d hoped.
As stated above I really like Cameron Crowe?s pictures and I really wanted to fall in love with ?Elizabethtown?, but no matter how hard I tried (and believe me, I? TRIED) I just can?t bring myself to give it the ol? thumbs up (at least not it?s current cut). Don?t get me wrong, it isn?t a bad film; in fact it?s down right good ? just not Cameron Crowe good (I mean the man made ?Almost Famous?, he?s just plain better than this).
Elizabethtown? has some truly incredible moments, scenes so good they seem to capture magic in a mayonnaise jar; the trouble is that these moments are surrounded on all sides by standard (maybe slightly above standard on a good day) romantic comedy mediocrity. A lot of the devices are nothing different from any number of pictures you could pick up at the local video store; true, they are handled in an above standard way, but certainly not in any above standard way that would redeem them. It?s like your seeing something that makes your brain say ?wow, this is the best thing since pre-sliced cheese? one second and then for the next few minuets you?re watching Susan Sarandon talk about boners in a eulogy/stand-up comedy routine. What?s up with that?
And of course it was the scenes like the one that the audience adored while the scenes I liked were the ones stoned in the focus group. The audience seemed to feel that such things like the fifteen minute phone call between Orlando and Kirsten or the couples first romantic outing needed to be cut if not completely dropped all together.
By-the-bye ? just something I?d like to clarify: ?Elizabethtown? is NOT a romantic comedy ? the vibe I got from the flyer/the studio people seems to say that?s what they?re trying to sell it as (something that this cut seems to affirm). Rather this is the story of Drew Baylor (Orlando Bloom) discovering the beauty in life that he had forgotten with a romance sub-plot (at least that?s how I felt about it). But instead this element of the story is really only found in the last 5th of the film while the rest is occupied by a romantic comedy. How in the hell did the sub-plot become the feature?
But I digress
Another problem I had was with the performances. Susan Sarandon worked well some of the time, but most of the time she acted as nothing more than a clown (which is a real shame considering that all her slap-stickiness originates from a center of pain that is limited to the sub-text). Kirsten Dunst was quite loveable in this role (and I don?t dig Kirsten Dunst all that much!) but her light Southern accent that?s very prevalent in the beginning of the film mysteriously disappears during the course of the picture. Alec Baldwin (whose only in the film for all of ten seconds) felt like he showed up, read the script, and did his scenes all in the same day ? he?s usually so good, but here he never seems to find his character and thus his performance really flops. But by far the biggest offender is Orlando Bloom; this movie seems to scream from a mile away that the kid can?t act. It really just goes to show he?s just a pretty face attached to a talent less body that Hollywood has picked to stick in every movie (yes, I am being a little biased ? but I?m also being honest).
To reiterate: I LOVED all of Crowe?s past films and wanted so badly to rant on-and-on about how everyone should run out and see it the moment it hits theaters, but I just can?t do that because, no matter how much I wish it were, it just isn?t the truth. There is an awesome movie in here itching to get out ? some scenes tell you this ? but in its current form that great film is just to mucked up with the standard Hollywood affaire. I really hope that I can say that I love the film they wind up releasing, but as of right now those hopes just ain?t too high.
True, in its current state ?Elizabethtown? is a good and solid movie, but it just doesn?t live up to the expectations that Cameron Crowe?s name inspires.
Well, that about wraps it up I suppose. Again, I love this site and wish that I could submit something more positive to it than this (especially for my first time) but ce la vie, eh.
I suppose it is customary to bestow a name unto myself at this point; so, if you use any/some/all of this just call me ?Eddie Adams?.
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what I meant to say was: "Boo!". Here's hoping Cameron can pull it all together.
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Jul 01, 2005 4:45:15 AM CDT
Doing research with test audiences to tweak the cinematic perfec
by docfalken
PRICELESS.
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Im no big fan but to say the kid can't act is a little ridiculous..I mean if he was an ugly dude everyone would say he was the next Marlon Brando , well maybe not but i get the feeling he is just not liked cause the trim all love him..everyone here acts like he is the next Pauly Shore.
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...the only Cameron Crowe film I like is Almost Famous. I admit he does write original stuff, but there's always something a little too saccharin for my tastes in his work. But I hope this one is as good as Almost Famous, since it takes place in the state I was born.
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... the same thing happened to me when I watched Dirty Dancing. I've been on the transplant list ever since. For more info on how you can help the victims of Pelvic Pukage check out our website at www.pelvisesforperverts/jessicaalba/whatthefuckamitalkinabout.org.
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E-Town represent, yoe! Mad Props to Rhineyville! Fort Knox in the hiz-ouse! I'll be there opening day (the movie, not E-Town)...
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Jul 01, 2005 7:23:39 AM CDT
I live in KY and everyone here really acts like the folks in tha
by solartaco3
YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!
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Nice to see some fellow MacGyver fans out there. By the way, did you all know that Dana Elcar (Pete Thorton) died a few weeks back? Sad really. I still look forward to this film. With the disastrous exception of "Vanilla Sky," Crowe's movies are always at least very good and usually so much more.
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love say anything, jerry maguire & almost famous. that said, saw the looooongest preview b4 war o'the worlds & it made me feel like i had just eaten packet after packet of nutrasweet. strictly for rental only....
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almost. if only Crowe wasn't such a nicey poo scaredy pants. he's too much of a believer for me to take seriously. yeah, maaaan, like, rock n' roll is, like, so pure, duuuuuuuude. but, still, ALMOST FAMOUS had some funny moments. all capped off a painfully bad denouement in which my tv went into a diabetic seizure what with all the sugary sweet sugariness.
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Jul 01, 2005 9:33:12 AM CDT
And Don't Even Get Me Started on JERRY MAGUIRE aka TREACLE:
by zombiesolutions
if any film can turn a man into a raving lunatic mass murdering psychopath, it's this one. i'm generally a peaceful guy, but i seriously wanted to brutally murder everyone involved in that film. starting with that fucking kid. and i like kids! but that kid? he must die a brutal, pointless, death. anything that emotionally manipulative and obvious could only come straight from the very depths of hell. come to thin of it, i think i hate Crowe. fuck 'em!
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and why the heck don't they use the trailer that was posted here on AICN instead of the completely un-inspired version I just saw in front of WOTW?
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Since almost every film of Crowe's is based on a certain rhythm. If Crowe finds it, I think even banal scenes will play brilliantly well. Crowe is a VERY smart guy, and I'm sure he'll pull it off. But, truth be told, Crowe can get so caught up in his quirks that he loses sight of everything else. Although, I still think he's generally one of the best writer/director's alive.
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Jul 01, 2005 11:44:12 AM CDT
I can't fucking stand movie fans who can't apply the ter
by mosquito march
That shit happens a lot.
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Unlike so many others, I think Jerry Maguire is absolute shit (it's Breakfast at tiffany's using sports), Singles is beyond boring (I wanted every character to die) and Say Anything had nothing to say. Vanilla sky was horrid ripoff of a great spanish film (why is it nobody called cruise to task for totally copying Eduardo Noriega?). Still I want to see this damm movie and yet I know I'll probably dislike it as the only one of his films I did like was Almost Famous.
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was this screening? The first one was in Roseville, CA. And whatever messed-up crap CC did to the movie since then, he'd better undo! This movie could be GREAT! Maybe he'd better stop relying on test audience reactions to tell him how to edit his own shit.
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That's a damn fact.
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You're right, Garden State is a better film. Further, hooray MacGuyver, and yes, people do tend to use the term McGuffin incorrectly.
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...I'll second that McGuffin.
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I'm very, very cautious about movies set in Kentucky, where I grew up. The appalachian accent that my parents have is WAY different than a southern accent (say, Georgia or SC). Most any time a movie is set in Appalachia, the people talk like cowboys from Texas, which isn't right. I'm looking forward to cringing at all the terrible accents.
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I live in Elizabethtown and still won't be seeing it. I went to see WotW, hoping for the Kong trailer, and instead got this one. Bah. Should've, at least, called it "E-Town", lol. I'll stick rewatching my cameos in Stripes.
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They should have left out the shots of Orlando Bloom scattering his father's ashes.
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...but it is just an hour north of me. I understand how this may not be a great movie for some of these reviewers...but for me it represents maybe one of the first times Kentucky can be properly represented in a film. Most of the time if KY appears in a film it only focuses on Appalachia (Next of Kin, Fire Down Below, etc.) but Appalachia only counts for like MAYBE 1/3 of KY. The other 2/3 is quite different of which Elizabethtown is a part (pretty much dead center in Kentucky). Some people in the trailer looked like typical movie Kentucky AK-ceent but other characters seemed to have a more realistic accent. That is actually pretty good because that is more representative of KY. Some people indeed have that AK-ceent but just as many people would sound too northern to a true southerner and too southern for a northerner. So, it looks good in that maybe it will be the first movie to represent Kentucky as what it truly is...a central state...isolated from the north...identifying with the south...but really on its own. I didn't forget The Insider, but that film is in Louisville, KY (love the play on that old pronunciation joke of Louisville in the trailer by the way) and Louisville is a tad different than the rest of KY as I am sure any Kentuckians on here will attest to. PEACE!!!
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Jul 01, 2005 3:35:44 PM CDT
Jerry McGuire was total cheese -- which this seems to be judging
by kielbasa
Crowe's done some great films in the past, but he can get pretty ham fisted as well. And thanks for pointing out the McGuffin abuse Mosquito -- it does seem to be catching.
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Livingston Co., near Paducah. So, I'll be watching the accents like a hawk, as well. And, if someone says "McGuffin" with an incorrect accent, I'm gonna fucking flip.
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Combine these reviews with that lousy preview that Harry had up the other day and you've got a disaster on your hands. The part about classic rock playing non-stop sums it all up... Cameron Crowe writes scenes that he can set to the soundtrack in his head, not scenes that actually have drama or characters in them. His movies have become soft, mushy, phony sentimental bullshit. And watched today Jerry Maguire is rancid... just give it up, Cameron... go back to basment listening to Frampton Comes Alive 15 times a day and leave the world in peace.
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Criticising Bloom's acting seems to have become a favourite pastime. I mean sure i haven't seen the movie but from the trailer and 7 min internet clip his acting looks fine. I suppose it is possible (but highly unlikely) that Crowe picked all Bloom's good acting moments to show in the trailers and that he's horrible for the entire rest of the film. By the way,what's with all the "pretty boy" comments. Its hollywood - they're all pretty boys! And being biased, but honest? ....Isn't there some sort of oxymoron in there somewhere?
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I wouldn't sit though this film if you paid me to,
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I, too, am only an hour from E-Town (as most call it around here). Watching the trailer is very surreal as I used to travel those same roads at least once a month. And the "Looeyville" "Looville" joke is very common here in Kentucky, I loved seeing it pop up in the trailer. We need to make one thing clear... THIS MOVIE IS NOT SET IN APPALACHIA. The Appalachians are in far eastern Kentucky. E-Town is right near the center. If the trailer is any indication, the accents seem fine to me and the characters seem real enough. I'll definitely see this movie.
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Anyone ever notice that EVERYONE seems to follow the crowd in expressing excitement/disdain for a project? When the extended trailer came out, everyone was giving Crowe the proverbial blowjob...and now that a less than perfect review has been posted, everyone is bashing the man. Seriously...try to stick to an opinion for more than 5 minutes. Im still running off the high of the extended trailer. There is an emotional truth in Crowe's films that does feel saccharine at times, but is always earned and honest and "optimistic as a revolutionary act." I'm going to assume that I'll love this movie until proven wrong...it hasn't happened with Crowe yet.
And on a different note, it is quite nice to see some semblance of fairness shown toward Kentucky. I live in Louisville and get a little tired of the stereotypes etc etc. For the love of God, drive through parts of ohio or pennsylvania and you'll find more "backward" places than are within 4 hours of Louisville and Lexington. Then again we do have that horse problem around here....I hate those fucking horses. -
Before Vanilla Sky I simply hated the facts that all his characters say precisely what they mean to say. They don't lie (In CLOSER we have characters who don't lie also, and I LOVE that). But Crowe's characters talk as if they could always think of the most precise, sugar coated, hallmark card thing to say. I think that's as good a way of writing as anything else, but I just hate it when he does it. Now AFTER Vanilla Sky I hated EVERYTHING about this guy. And I mean it, EVERYTHING. So fuck this shit, show-me-the-money writing diabetes-inducing mother fucker.
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Painful, in fact.
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I love most of Crowe's films. Almost Famous is right up there for me as far as a transcending filmgoing experiences is concerned. I grew up around a lot of 70's bands who were always touring etc.... AF brought me right back to those days of backstage bliss. I love that film.
Apart from Vanilla Sky [which has a better name 'Obre Los Ojos'] A film that was nearly a shot for shot remake of its foreign counter-part, which did not need to be re-made AT ALL; Crowe's films have always been safe, he doesn't seem to have an edgy bone in his body, he sticks to what's fun to listen to and what makes us feel good. That's not a bad thing, it just gets old. What I love about Spielberg is that he is able to do soo many different styles & genres [albeit not always successfully but he tries]. Crowe has only shown us one side of himself since the 80s.
I like Bloom, I enjoy Dunst and I'm looking forward to this film but I know what to expect out of a Cameron Crowe film, and again, edgy is not usually part of the mix.
As a creative person myself I think that 'retelling the same story' is just part of being an artist. Sir Alfred Hitchcock did it, Jean Pierre Jeunet [who I met recently] does it, Spielberg does it, Lars Von Trier does it, and the list goes on and on. For me, it's not the retelling that's the problem, it's how it's re-told and a lot of the time directors these days can't seem to be original. Here's hoping Crowe re-groups before this film releases and can make it the best it can be.
J.M. Prater -
Bla bla bla song after song, bittersweet-but-shallow scenes. Orlando Bloom was only decent in lotr anyway. He's better off being a better actor for Australian cinema.
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I too saw WOTW this weekend...and was disappointed to have then take out KONG and put in EVERY OTHER trailer in the WORLD on the print..but was pleasantly suprised by this. I had read some negative talkback on the movie. I was NOT a fan of the title...which brings up visions of the Victorian era for some reason. Anyway, I really enjoyed the trailer. I am a Crowe fan and thought this was really good...hopefully a return to form after Vanilla Sky. I did NOT like that movie at all. Also, War of the Worlds was awesome. The best movie I've seen this year by far.
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Ok, I am immensely sorry if I affend you, but I am not ok with you're comment on Orlando's acting. I haven't actually seen the movie yet, and I probably shouldn't make this comment because of it. The only thing is, I AM TIRED OF ORLANDO BASHING. It seems to me, that you are one of the many people that is just not willing to change, and notice improvement. You are stuck int eh past. I admit, Orlando's acting was a little shakey in the beginning. But, keep in mind he is learning. He was not born into the business. This leads me to the point that Orlando is developing very well, and his acting is only getting better. And I am sure this movie is no exception to the rule. I would know, because I am an actor, what Orlando is going through. I am also very picky when critiqing an actor. I would not say he was improving, and is now a fairly good actor just because he is handsome. I can tell his accent is a little off, but don't let that allude your conclusion of his overall acting in the movie.
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