Elizabethtown

A love letter to the resilience of the life force, “Elizabethtown” is the story of an unexpected romance that develops against the backdrop of a Kentucky patriarch’s hilariously elaborate memorial. It’s a heartfelt journey that proves amazing things can happen when you least expect them.
“How do you say goodbye to someone you barely said hello to?” asks writer-director Cameron Crowe in his new film, “Elizabethtown.” Crowe, who won an Academy Award® in 2000 for his original screenplay for “Almost Famous,” again draws on his own experiences – the emotions he felt at his own father’s unexpected passing – to inspire this film. At the center of “Elizabethtown” is a young man who begins to truly know his father and his own family roots only after the man’s death. He is aided in his journey by an irrepressibly optimistic flight attendant he meets on his way to the memorial in Elizabethtown, Kentucky. The rich mix of comedy and drama makes it a movie experience not quite like any other and one uniquely that of a Cameron Crowe film.
Crowe says that his goal in “Elizabethtown” was to make the type of film his father liked best: one that could achieve genuine emotion and also make the audience laugh. “A movie like ‘The Apartment,’ a movie that blend tears and laughter… that was his favorite combo,” says Crowe.
“Cameron has an ability to take life and put it on the screen,” says Orlando Bloom, who takes on the role of the central character, Drew Baylor. “He makes it so real and so human that it just breaks your heart and makes you laugh all at the same time.”
Kirsten Dunst, who plays the passionately positive woman who changes Drew’s life, agrees. “This movie is about life. It’s not just a comedy or a just a drama or just a romance – it’s just life. It’s all about the intimate moments between people. It has so many different stories combined. It’s a Cameron Crowe movie.”
For Crowe, telling this story was an extremely personal and emotional endeavor. “The more personal, the better; the experience of your own life is the greatest built-in editor. You know what’s real, you know what moved you – and if it affected you deeply, it’s a universal thing.”
Paramount Pictures presents a Cruise|Wagner/Vinyl Films production, a Cameron Crowe film, “Elizabethtown.” The film stars Orlando Bloom, Kirsten Dunst, Susan Sarandon, Alec Baldwin, Judy Greer, Bruce McGill, Jessica Biel and Paul Schneider. Written and Directed by Cameron Crowe, the film is produced by Tom Cruise, Paula Wagner and Cameron Crowe. Donald J. Lee, Jr. is the executive producer and Andy Fischer is associate producer. John Toll is the director of photography. Nancy Steiner is the costume designer, Clay Griffith is the production designer and David Moritz is the editor. Nancy Wilson is the composer.
“Elizabethtown” will be distributed by Paramount Pictures. Paramount Pictures is part of the entertainment operations of Viacom Inc., one of the world’s largest entertainment media companies and a leader in the production, promotion and distribution of entertainment, news, sports and music.
