substitute

So again with the movie reviews...

I watched Elizabethtown last Friday and loved it. Not only because Cameron Crowe can make one hell of a soundtrack, but he seems to know how to write for me. Somehow, he seems to "write" women that I can instantly fall for. In the last three Crowe movies I saw (Almost Famous, Elizabethtown and Jerry Maguire), I fell for each of the leading ladies. Not because they are played by beautiful women, but because they each had this intangible quality about them that I wasn't able to place until this last movie. They all had faith in their importance in their man's life. In Elizabethtown, it seemed like Claire (Kirsten Dunst) had this uncanny sense that Drew (Orlando Bloom) needed her when his life was turning into a fiasco. Ditto for Renee Zellweger's character in Jerry Maguire. These women's ability to inspire and, in a sense, save the men they loved was what attracted me to them. Much like Penny Lane in Almost Famous,each of Crowe's women was a muse to her man. They knew they were needed and believed in their destiny to inspire.

Elizabethtown, introduced a concept that struck a chord in me. The concept was one of being someone's "substitute person." The way I understood it, a "substitute person" is a person that one can get caught up in to fill a momentary void in their life. Not the love of one's life, but a reasonable "substitute." I was this guy many times in life. I filled that need for companionship and intimacy for many women in my life. I was always the friend they could cuddle up with, that guy that would make them chicken soup when they were sick (happened once) or would fill their arms when they longed to feel someone close to them. Dunst's character, Claire, felt that way. She felt that she was always the substitute and never “the one.” I, Like Claire, am tired of being the substitute. I’m tired of being the one who always hears, “Why can’t my boyfriend be more like you?” or, “If I ever get a boyfriend, I hope he’s as nice and sweet as you.” I’m tired of it. I’m ready to be the person in the red hat that will show her a new plan, take her down a new path and draw a new map for her, whoever she may be.

The other great thing about this movie was the road trip. This movie made me yearn to take a road trip, drive around the country, and see what there is to see… just me, my map and a handful of mix-tapes. The road trip scenes in this movie were powerful. Set to an eclectic soundtrack of Claire’s design, Drew’s trip was moving and cathartic. It was the drive he’d always dreamed of and could never have imagined. I want to live that road trip. I want to drive.

So… needless to say I highly recommend this film. Some critics have said it’s wandering and slow. I think it’s thoughtful and pensive. Cameron Crowe gifted this hopeFUL romantic with this film.