Friday Night at the Movies

Hey! I just popped in my fave weekend veg-out DVD, Elizabethtown (Paramount, 2005), starring Orlando Bloom (Hottie Alert!) and Kirsten Dunst. It's about a young man named Drew(Bloom) who's just been fired from his high-powered job. In despair, Drew attempts suicide, but is interrupted by a cell phone call from his sister (Judy Greer), who tells him that their father has passed away. Drew travels to his dad's hometown-- Elizabethtown, Ky.-- for the funeral. In the process, he meets a cast of colorful, southern-fried characters, including quirky flight attendant Claire (Dunst). Yes, this becomes a love story. (For some reason, I love movies about offbeat Southern Belles who meet and end up with the man of their dreams, who happens to love them for who they are.) Directed by Cameron Crowe, the film boasts a killer soundtrack and score by Crowe's wife, Nancy Wilson of Heart. There are great supporting performances by Alec Baldwin as Bloom's wonderfully smarmy boss, Jessica Biel as the insensitive ex-girlfriend, Susan Sarandon as the bereaved widow, Paul Schneider as Cousin Jesse, the overgrown-kid-wannabe-rock-star-single-dad, and Food Network star Paula Deen. Overall, a guilty pleasure.