Elizabethtown - Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Elizabethtown



Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:


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Movie
The Paramount Presents line has MOSTLY brought us 4K remasters of previously released Paramount classics, but more recently we’ve begun to see a slew of titles making their debut on Blu-ray for the first time. A few weeks back we got to see The Court Jester hit High Definition for the first time on physical media, and now we get to see 2005’s genre bender, Elizabethtown come to Blu-ray. I haven’t seen the movie since it came in theaters almost 16 years ago (it was a date with my then VERY recently married wife) and I remember feeling it was a mood film. Fast forward 1.5 decades and I still think it’s a mood film. A genre bending flick that blends rom-com, tense interpersonal drama, and music together for one strange romantic ride.

Drew Baylor (Orlando Bloom) is a highly successful businessman who works in the shoe industry. In fact, he’s made it his life’s work to develop brand new types of shoes and he has invented a new one that is sure to revolutionize the industry. Unfortunately that future escapes him when the shoe is forced to undergo a massive recall. One so large that he is the scapegoat for his company, and subsequently fired for the problematic roll out of the shoe. Depressed, destroyed, and with no seeming future ahead, Drew decides it’s time to end it all and leave this life with what little dignity he has left. In a rather comical turn of events, Drew’s suicide is interrupted by his sister (Judy Gree) calling to let him know that their father has died. Shaking off his own problems for a short while, Drew heads to Elizabethtown, Kentucky, to get his father’s remains and say his peace so that he can return home and finish what he started (himself to be exact).

However, when he gets to Elizabethtown, Drew runs into a motley collection of friends, relatives, and other people who knew his father that have their own unique life story to tell the suicidal young man. On his way back home he runs into a strangely eccentric stewardess named Claire (Kirsten Dunst), who prompts him to look her up when he gets to Elizabethtown, and strangely enough forms a relationship with the odd girl that very well just may save his life from the mistake he’s intending to make.

Drew’s burgeoning epiphany is not based upon some fairy tale romance. Instead it’s his time IN Elizabethtown that begins to change the perceptions of the failed businessman. He’s come home to watch an entire town mourn the passing of a man who was at best a distant father, and at worst a failure at what Drew would consider life. However, it’s this very different town that makes all the difference. There he finds the slowed down peace he wish he had in his high stress job, and begins to realize that success doesn’t come from what kind of money you make, or how much “respect” you have in the business world from your acquisitions and accomplishments. Rather it comes from how well you treat others and what others think of you at the end of the day.

Elizabethtown is a cut and dry rom com at first glance, and the script backs that up. What saves the film from being a cookie cutter rom com is Cameron Crowe’s impeccable eye for characters and story. The tale itself is old as time (get out of my head Beauty and the Beast!), but the way the characters interact is so organic and fluid that you can almost overlook most of these issues. Bloom and Dunst are exceptionally good at finding the heart and soul of the characters, giving the stereotypical movie a much needed boost in the emotions department. It’s not perfect, but Elizabethtown is a highly enjoyable heart bender that twists varying portions of various genres of films together to make a rather unique film.




Rating:

Rated PG-13 for language and some sexual references




Video:

As with most of the Paramount Presents line of films, Elizabethtown knocks the video score out of the park with a great 4K remaster that is supervised by director/writer Cameron Crowe himself. The transfer looks incredibly organic, with a nice layer of grain over the entire thing and tons of fine detail to enjoy. Colors are very cool and neutral looking for the most part, with splashes of a blue tinge to the film. Bright green of the Kentucky locals pop off the screen, as does the red of Claire’s outfit and the varying background items really do pop with deeply saturated colors. The film does look occasionally soft there and there, but overall the movie is very filmic, with strong black levels and only mild crush. The dreamer in me really would have loved to have seen this in 4K, but the Blu-ray presentation is nothing to sneeze at.






Audio:

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA track is near flawless for the genre movie that Elizabethtown is. The mix allows the audience to bask the quiet ambiance of the Kentucky town, as well as revel in Nancy Wilson’s score (I adore Nancy Wilson, and her twangy score is absolutely a treat to listen to). Dialog is rendered clearly up front in the center channel, and the mild ambiance of the small town is quite impressive in the surrounds. Bass is usually relegated to the movie itself, but there’s a few low end rumbles in regards to the plane trip, as well as the hubbub with some pickup trucks. All in all, a very nice track that is technically near flawless despite the quiet sound design of a rom com.





Extras:

• Filmmaker Focus: Cameron Crowe on Elizabethtown
• Deleted and Extended Scenes
• On the Road to Elizabethtown
• The Music of Elizabethtown
• "Meet the Crew" Featurette
• "Training Wheels" Featurette
• Photo Gallery by Neal Preston
• Trailers & TV Spots

Final Score: ​

Remember when Orlando Bloom, Kirsten Dunst and Jessica Biel were high profile actors? Yeah, I know. We’re getting old when we can remember that. But all joking aside, Elizabethtown is a highly enjoyable film that really is one of those mood things. When you want to relax, lay back and watch an oddball rom-com with various underpinnings from other genres, then this is the flick for you. Paramount has given this a fantastic new 4K remaster with solid (not the greatest, but still good enough) special features and a handsome new slipcover that makes it a good pickup for fans of the movie.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: Orlando Bloom, Kirsten Dunst, Alec Baldwin, Bruce McGill, Judy Greer, Jessica Biel
Directed by: Cameron Crowe
Written by: Cameron Crowe
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 AVC
Audio: English: DTS-HD MA 5.1
Subtitles: English, English SDH
Studio: Paramount
Rated: PG-13
Runtime: 124 minutes
Blu-Ray Release February 9th, 2021

Recommendation: Fun Watch

 

[tripplej]

Thanks for the review. I never saw this so will check it out once available on amazon prime/netflix.