1. It played more as a series of scenes rather than a cohesive film. It was like Crowe recognized all of the "moments" and played them just like that-- like moments, not as a narrative.

2. Bloom simply doesn't have the charisma or the ability to draw the audience in with his emotion (or even the insinuation of deeper emotion) in order to make the film work. It's a role Tom Cruise could have KILLED in the Jerry Maguire era. It needed some starpower charm. Dunst did her best, but I wasn't sold on her as the ideal free spirit love interest either... she was better than Bloom though.