I guess everyone has an off day. Early in the semi-autobiographical Elizabethtown, writer-director Cameron Crowe draws a critical distinction between being a simple failure and an outright fiasco. It’s hard to say exactly where Elizabethtown falls, but I’d lean toward the latter. How it hurts to say that Crowe¾ responsible for Say Anything, Singles, Jerry Maguire and Almost Famous—has turned in a turkey of major proportions in telling the story of a disgraced failure of a tennis shoe designer (Orlando Bloom), whose latest creation loses a billion in a company scandal, and who then finds out his father has just died. His flighty mother (Susan Sarandon in a glorified cameo) dispatches him to pick up the father’s ashes in his hometown of Elizabethtown, Kentucky. There Drew is met with the first of this underwritten film’s many excesses—a way overwritten and unbelievable flight attendant, played with pluck by Kirsten Dunst in mouthfuls of movie-dialogue that must be heard to be believed. From there it’s on to standard issue local yokel relatives that Crowe takes way over the top, reminding us how effective Junebug was at conveying true Southern American living.

Absolutely nothing clicks here, and I was in disbelief at how amiss it all is—Crowe’s signature (yawn) wall to wall classic rock music, which any other filmmaker would be lambasted for, is way too prominent, distracting and too often filling in the gaps in his script. Bloom’s fuzzy, wandering, reactive lead goes awry. A lackluster central father-son theme suffers from the absence of detail or history between Bloom and his suggested estrangement from dad. How little Sarandon is given to do prior to a big third-act scene that comes out of nowhere. There are ridiculously contrived obstacles between Bloom and Dunst, whose "relationship" consists of a few phone calls, too cute banter and almost no real heart-to-heart. Also vapid, the grating, mugging overacting of a strategically placed wedding party throughout the film, and the inexplicable reverie an entire town feels for one man. A way over the top, last-act, American road-trip indicates Crowe has lost his way, his senses and the narrative. What’s this film about? Coming to terms with…a father’s death? A career misfire? Falling in love? How to make a road trip a metaphor for re-discovering life? I have no idea, but I found its 114 minute running time grueling.

After a poor reception in Toronto and about 18 minutes of cuts, what’s left is a disjointed, half-hearted stew of uneven themes that never for a minute becomes universal as does Crowe’s best work. Even the unfairly criticized Vanilla Sky was more engaging. Elizabethtown, largely based on Crowe’s own father’s death, never comes together despite the occasional charms and sweetness of always-dependable Dunst. Bloom seems initially uncomfortable but later more liberated, obviously wanting to flex his muscles after a string of fantasy performances. Jane Fonda was criticized when she passed on Sarandon’s role to accept Monster-in-Law. Time for her critics to eat Crowe, as it were. As for Crowe, get the reliance on music out of your system. Write full humans again…soon.

In an age where predictability and the bottom line have slowly but surely usurped originality — especially in the world of entertainment — Oscar® -winner Cameron Crowe ("Almost Famous") has been a maverick from the very start of his career.

A trait all of his films share, including his latest "Elizabethtown" is the attention paid to life’s familiar moments. Unlike most of today’s filmmakers, Crowe is inherently interested in life’s little details. As Susan Sarandon (who co-stars in the film) said during her acceptance speech at this year’s Chicago International Film Festival, where she was presented with the Golden Hugo Award for career achievement, "[Cameron’s] so specific that it becomes universal."

It’s little wonder that he idolizes filmmaker Billy Wilder whose oeuvre is filled with "slice of life" relationship-based films.

That said, "Elizabethtown" is a fascinating conundrum. A longer, work-in-progress version of the film was shown at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival where it received a decidedly mixed response. Some people felt that the film was too long and didn’t quite work.

With the final version (reportedly 17 minutes shorter) that opens stateside today, Crowe has crafted a cinematic slice of life that initially works as a series of individual set pieces. In hour two, the film starts to realize its full potential, thanks to a show-stopping monologue delivered by Sarandon and a wildly imaginative road trip where Orlando Bloom (with an assist from Kirsten Dunst) rides off into the wild, blue yonder on a journey of self-discovery and healing.

It’s clear that you’ve just seen something original (thematic similarities to Zach Braff’s brilliant "Garden State" notwithstanding) but as a whole it isn’t as cohesive as Crowe’s previous work. But there’s so much going for it, including mostly solid ensemble work from a top-notch cast and a killer soundtrack that it’s impossible to completely write it off.

Drew Baylor (Orlando Bloom) once led an enviable existence. For eight years he was the top designer at a leading athletic shoe company (think Nike) owned by Phil DeVoss (Alec Baldwin, in a glorified but effective cameo). Phil, a Zen-like fellow, terminates Drew in the most original fashion after the overwhelming failure of a sneaker Drew spent the bulk of his time designing costs the company a considerable amount of money and street cred. Once you see the sneaker, you’ll understand why it tanked!

Anyway, if that news weren’t bad enough, Drew receives a call from his sister Heather (Judy Greer) who informs him that their father has unexpectedly passed away while visiting his family and friends back in his hometown of Elizabethtown, Kentucky.

Believing that her husband’s close knit family doesn’t think much of her, Drew’s seemingly unflappable mother, Hollie (Susan Sarandon) elects him to represent the family and to make the trip from Oregon to Kentucky in order to retrieve his father’s remains. En route, Drew meets Claire (Kirsten Dunst), a wildly optimistic flight attendant who swoops in and changes his perspective on life and love much in the vein that Renée Zellweger did for Tom Cruise in "Jerry Maguire," a film also written and directed by Crowe.

Once Drew arrives, we’re introduced to the eccentric and sprawling Baylor clan, including his cousin Jessie (Paul Schneider, "All The Real Girls"), a boy-child with a child of his own that he treats more like a little brother much to his father’s (Loudon Wainwright III) chagrin. These "getting-to-know-you" scenes where Drew interacts with his large, extended family for the first time contain many familiar moments.

Crowe’s films are largely character-driven and "Elizabethtown" is no exception. Bloom, so interesting as Legolas in the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy and as Will Turner in "Pirates of the Caribbean" doesn’t possess the necessary nuance the material needs; his silent reactions though couldn’t be more telling and right on the money. Meanwhile, Dunst breathes life into Crowe’s words with aplomb. A lesser actress would have turned Claire into a cloying nightmare but Dunst taps into the heart of this young woman and consequently becomes the heart of the movie. Sarandon’s pivotal scene at the memorial is going to be seen as either a tour de force or a glorious mess. Part stand-up routine, part tap dance recital, she’s electrifying and as luminous as ever.

"Elizabethtown" is far from Crowe’s best big screen outing but most will find something to appreciate about it. Besides, problematic Crowe beats the hell out no Crowe.