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Elizabethtown
As young as he might seem, with his boyish looks and penchant for directing sweet-natured twentysomething comedies ("Say Anything," "Singles"), director Cameron Crowe is, in fact, nearly 50 years old. The man grew up on vinyl (that's vinyl records) and he gladly cites masterpieces like Simon & Garfunkel's Bookends and Joni Mitchell's Blue as early mindblowers — each one telling a story through the course of the entire album.
Little surprise, then, that the soundtrack to "Elizabethtown" is a cohesive gem; the fifteen tracks, hand-picked by Crowe (whose life-long love affair with rock and roll was given life and voice in the excellent "Almost Famous") flow effortlessly from heartbreak to redemption. What's more, songs like My Morning Jacket's "Where to Begin," Ryan Adams' "Come Pick Me Up" and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' "It'll All Work Out" are more than crass promotional opportunities. They're not just in the film; they're woven deep into its fabric. They're integral.
When Drew Baylor (Orlando Bloom) — wrecked by job failure, heartbreak and the death of his father — finally finds release listening to Wheat's "Don't I Hold You" while racing across the interstates of Middle America, we don't just see it on his face: we hear it in his mixtape. Kinda like real life.
(Crowe liked his mixtape so much he cobbled together "Elizabethtown, Vol. 2," released in early February and featuring more tracks by Petty, Adams, et al.)
— Benjamin Wagner
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Photos: Miramax/Focus Features/Paramount/Sony Classics/IFC/Samuel Goldwyn
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