I want to first start off by saying that this movie is not for the cynical or jaded. It is intended for an audience with an open mind as well as an open heart. This is a genuine story of romance and self discovery told with warmth and sincerity that is always depicted effortlessly by director Cameron Crowe (Almost Famous, Jerry Maguire). Drew Baylor (Orlando Bloom, who conveys an honest and heart felt performance) is an up and coming shoe designer who has just watched his new shoe design crash and burn, costing the company an enormous amount of money and costing him his job. When he feels as though he is ready to give up on the world, his sister (Judy Greer, 13 Going on Thirty and The Village) calls telling him that his father has passed away in Kentucky while visiting family and that he has to fly out and bring the body back for burial. Susan Sarandon (who is ever so gracious and always enjoyable) plays Drew’s mother who is on the verge of a nervous breakdown and is holding on by a very small string. On Drew’s way to Kentucky he meets a free-spirited flight attendant, Claire (Kirsten Dunst, a hit and miss) who decides to try to mend his heart when hers could use some stitching of its own. We are traveled through Drew’s life, love and family experiencing everything through his eyes and feeling everything through his heart (which is so beautifully captured by Bloom). From the opening make-shift suicide machine to Sarandon’s passionate and tear-jerking monologue at her husband’s memorial to Drew’s moving road trip home, we are transported to this little town and connected to all the people in it. I would absolutely recommend this movie to the visually impaired; it is a character study with a great deal of dialogue and also some narrative by Drew’s character. Crowe captures the very tender art of film making and gently presses it into the core of your heart.
(Paramount)
Starring: Orlando Bloom, Kirsten Dunst, Susan Sarandon and Judy Greer
Rated: PG-13
Running Time: 123 mins
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