number four: Elizabethtown

it goes without saying i love chick flicks. i'm a very girly girl, and i'm a sucker for a good love story. i read somewhere that elizabethtown was named one of the worst movies the year it was released. i would like to disagree. i've watched this movie too many times to count, i once played it four times on repeat while i wrote a 10 page research paper on the virginia colony. there are two scenes, or maybe they're called sections, of the movie that make me feel more alive than real life sometimes. but before i explain them to my avid readers, i'll give those of you who have yet to watch my favorite movie a quick synopsis.

Drew (played by orlando bloom) launches a shoe, and the shoe is a complete failure. oh and for those of you who love alec baldwin, he's in the movie. but anyway, the shoe is a failure so drew's next decision is to kill himself. his plan is interrupted when his dad dies while visiting his family in kentucky, and thus drew is sent there to collect his remains. i hate that word, remains. but regardless. so drew goes, and meets claire (kirsten dunst), his flight attendant. for the record, i'm not a kirsten dunst fan- i think she needs to wear a bra more often- but since she does in this movie the casting is perfect.

so drew gets to kentucky and takes care of the funeral arrangements, and in the process he and claire manage to fall in love in the most discreet way. that's the only way i can describe it. you just really have to watch it to understand. and then my two favorite parts happen.

drew's father's funeral. it includes an unintentionally hilarious speech by an old war buddy, a tap dancing susan sarandon, and then there's freebird. his cousin is this ridiculous drummer whose band never played anything but it was the highlight of his experiences. they finally perform, and it's the classic freebird- who doesn't hear that song and just start grooving- i dare you to try not to. and then they catch the place on fire and everyone's panicking and running for the doors and his sister just stands there under the sprinklers and embraces the moment. it's a beautiful scene, and just reminds me of the wonderful absurdities how they can bring joy to miserable situations. that scene just amazes me.

then there's the road trip. claire makes drew this epic road trip, guided by her handmade map- complete with an entire soundtrack for the drive and experiences for drew to have while driving home with his father's ashes. let me just say, this movie has an amazing soundtrack. i usually couldn't care less about soundtracks, but every single one of the songs through the entirety of the movie is completely perfect. the road trip playlist is amazing, and i wish there were printed copies of the map claire makes him and the musical accompaniment. this is the road trip i want to take. hand created by a person who has this amazing love and vision. his final stop is to meet her, which is cliche. and to be honest, i usually stop watching once he gets to the world's second largest farmer's market. to me, i loved watching these two characters engage with each other and it's obvious they're going to get together. that doesn't really matter to me and isn't what i love about this movie.

what i love about this movie is the journey. using the word 'plot' doesn't work for me when thinking about this movie, journey sums it up so much better. going on a journey involves a process, and that's what this movie is, a process of love and happiness. i like to think of love as a process we all go through. there are beginnings and then we continue. that is life, and life is about love. the process of love is something i am incredibly passionate about- i go through it daily from all the beginnings i've made. i continue to fall in love with the people in my life daily, and i think that's what i've learned through watching this movie well over 100 times. this movie made me incredibly happy today because it reminded me of beginnings and continuing on and the process that makes us feel so alive even at low points. today i'm looking more forward to beginnings, and i encourage you to enjoy the process a little more.













this post brought to you in part by katie riley, whose DVD has been in my possession illegally since 2006.