Elizabethtown Redux

I wrote a long post yesterday about seeing Elizabethtown. Then I read the EW review and agreed, and then read what the imdb.com overview had to say, and thought some more. And then Zesty came over last night, and we watched Monster-in-Law, and I started talking more about the film with her as well.

And I finally put my finger on what I really thought went wrong. Cameron Crowe's always looking for that boom box moment. You know you know it, that moment in Say Anything when Lloyd Dobbler stands in the rain, Peter Gabriel blaring, professing his undying love for Diane and it immediately turns into something iconic. See, he's been searching for that boom box moment ever since, and while it might be the perfect moment in a truly great film, it's one of those things that can't and shouldn't be forced. And boom box moments aren't needed in every single movie to make them great; it's not a formula that works. It was a bit of magic that happened when no one expected it to, and that's what made it great. For now, Cameron Crowe needs to take a step back and stop trying to choreograph his next great, iconic moment and let his story breathe, and maybe then the film wouldn't feel so flat.

Huh, and I've spent just about enough time thinking about this picture. I should be abridging. I've got two books due next month.