Elizabethtown (2005)
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The story
Drew Baylor, a shoe designer for a global sportswear company, is humiliated and fired after a design flaw costs his employer nearly one billion dollars. On the brink of suicide, he receives news that his father has passed away in Elizabethtown, Kentucky. Because his mother refuses to travel there due to a long-standing family dispute, Drew volunteers to retrieve his father's remains. During the journey, he meets a bubbly flight attendant named Claire. Despite his deep depression, Drew embarks on a road trip to Kentucky, navigating family tensions and his own internal turmoil while beginning an unexpected connection with Claire.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Drew Baylor is a shoe designer for Mercury, a global sportswear company. When his latest shoe is found to have a flaw, it costs the company $972 million, leading to his public shaming and firing. Devastated, Drew prepares to end his life but is interrupted by his sister, Heather, who informs him of his father Mitch's death in Elizabethtown, Kentucky. His mother, Hollie, refuses to go due to a bitter dispute with the Kentucky Baylors, so Drew agrees to transport the body back to Oregon, intending to commit suicide upon arrival. On a flight to Kentucky, he meets Claire, a quirky flight attendant who becomes his constant companion. After arriving in Elizabethtown, Drew navigates a tense environment involving his mother's demands for cremation and the family's objections. While staying at a hotel, he spends hours on the phone with Claire. She eventually joins him in Kentucky, helping him manage the funeral arrangements and emotional stress. After a series of events including a physical encounter in his hotel room, Claire gives him a binder of itineraries for a final trip with his father's ashes. Drew follows the map, spreading the ashes at various locations until reaching Nebraska. There, he finds Claire again, they kiss, and he realizes he is in love.
- First release year
- 2005
- Runtime (minutes)
- 124
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Cameron Crowe
- Writers
- Cameron Crowe · writer
- Cast and characters
- Orlando Bloom · Drew Baylor; Kirsten Dunst · Claire Colburn; Alec Baldwin · Phil; Susan Sarandon · Hollie; Judy Greer · Heather
- Genres
- romantic tragicomedy; comedy-drama
- Themes
- redemption; grief; divine intervention; failure
- Tone and mood
- sweet; good-hearted; quirky
- Premise and plot tags
- road movie; tragicomedy; angelic intervention
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics, though it was noted for its 'sweet and good-hearted' nature and its 'unrelenting Meet Cute'. Audiences gave it an average grade of 'B'.
- Production trivia
- Jane Fonda was cast in Susan Sarandon's role but dropped out.; Ashton Kutcher was hired to play Drew but left the project during filming.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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