It's good to be back home after spending Thursday through mid-day today at GodBlogCon. And one of the best parts is that my laptop is now behaving and making a reliable internet connection, unlike the way it behaved at the conference.
Thursday night, Grace Hill Media offered a pre-screening of Elizabethtown. I realize, though, that my review isn't as timely as it might have been if the laptop had been minding its P's and Q's.
Overall, my review is this: I laughed. A lot. Normally I just smile or chuckle at funny movies.
Now for the detail (this is not a spoiler, so don't worry on that score). I had trouble connecting with Kirstin Dunst's character, and I had trouble seeing the connection between her and Orlando Bloom's character. Her quirkyness had its charm, but didn't hit the right emotional note for me.
But that's OK, because she's not the focus of the movie, just its ongoing catalyst. Orlando Bloom did a fine job of portraying a young man who's had life beat him up with an I-beam and who begins to find healing in the midst of tragedy.
The movie really sings, though, when Bloom's Kentucky family is on display. They surround--and even smother--him with their unique brand of affection, and this is the part of the movie that works best.
One thing was missing from this movie (it was pointed out to me by cehwiedel of Kicking Over My Traces). It's set in Kentucky, in the Bible Belt, and there's a funeral in the movie. And there wasn't one Baptist preacher, or any other member of clergy. The closest they got was the funeral director.
Elizabethtown is not Oscar material, but it's not supposed to be. There are plenty of laughs in the movie that they didn't give away in the trailers, so if you're looking for an enjoyable movie without much to object to (no overt sexuality), then this should fill the bill.
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