Crowe's 'town' worth visiting

Man, do I hate Orlando Bloom and Kirsten Dunst. And not just in a cute, pouting kind of way. Whenever I see either one of them I have the overwhelming desire to throw my shoe at the T.V./movie screen/billboard. If ever you read the headline "Bloom attacked with loafer," chances are it was me. That is why it is so amazing that Cameron Crowe ("Almost Famous," "Vanilla Sky") was able to make an enjoyable movie starring both of them. Yet that is what "Elizabethtown" is, maybe not as great as his past efforts, but still worth a trip to the theater.\n"Elizabethtown" is the story of young corporate ladder climber, Drew Baylor (Bloom), who gets fired from a large Oregon shoe company named after the Greek god Mercury (hmm, what subtle satire) when his newest creation loses the company close to a billion dollars. Then, just as he hits his lowest, he finds out his father has died, and he must go to his father's hometown in Kentucky to deal with the aftermath. On the flight he meets a precariously friendly flight attendant named Claire Colburn (Dunst) who, despite Drew's best efforts, is determined to have a conversation. After meeting his eccentric southern relatives, Drew is desperate for a conversation and he finds Claire's number on the back of a set of directions that she gave him. As the two confide in each other over the course of the film, a love affair develops, which gives Drew new hope for his life.\nLike many of Crowe's films, "Elizabethtown" is emotional without collapsing into a sappy saccharine mess. By including his own wry sense of humor in the dialogue, he is able to write a cute love story without making the audience want to vomit honey. Although I would like to say that I find the idea of a kind attractive flight attendant laughable. The most meaningful conversation I've ever had with a stewardess was over whether or not she had given me any silverware with my meal (as if I'm secretly hoarding plastic forks and little packets of salt). \nAlso, if you have ever seen a Cameron Crowe film before, then you are no doubt familiar with his prolific use of music almost to the point of giving it a co-starring role in his films. Some of the most memorable moments in his films are centered around music, for example I still can't hear Peter Gabriel's "In Your Eyes" without imagining John Cusack holding a stereo over his head. "Elizabethtown" is no exception. Without giving too much away I will just say that I will no longer be able to listen to Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Freebird" with a straight face.\nHowever, there is one major problem with this film, and that is the abundance of abandoned and underdeveloped story points. For instance -- we never quite know what went wrong with Drew's infamous shoe design. Also, what takes place toward the end of the film, while interesting and poignant, seems to be superfluous to the actual story, and provides a somewhat weak ending to an otherwise strong film.