Breathing new life into that thing called death

CREMATION versus traditional burial is rarely a notable plot point in American cinema, but it is in Cameron Crowe’s new film, “Elizabethtown.”

Orlando Bloom, who stars in the mid-October release, has finally laid down his many swords and shields in favor of taking up his family’s funeral burden over their fallen patriarch. That and other accompanying life-after-death decisions set the stage for an unusual road buddy picture and a surprisingly prolonged look at how we grieve and what it all might mean.

For something so fundamental to existence, it’s taken mainstream cinema a long time to examine mourning rituals -- no doubt because as any junior studio exec knows, focusing on death isn’t good for box-office longevity. (A nod must be given to HBO’s “Six Feet Under” for paving the commercial way for this picture.)

Of course, this still being American cinema, Bloom’s character needs more than just a dead dad. He also must grapple with the apparent death of a romantic relationship, his highflying career and the significance of his own life. In the face of all this, he tells himself and the many who inquire that he’s fine, just fine.

Despite the weighty themes, the film isn’t a straight dose of doom-and-gloom medicine. As it plays out against a rich and diverse soundtrack, there are plenty of absurdly humorous moments. This is, after all, a film by the comically creative mind behind “Fast Times at Ridgemont High’s” Jeff Spicoli, so how depressing can it be?