Water for Elephants, directed by Francis Lawrence, stars Robert (my husband) Pattinson, Reese Witherspoon and Christoph Waltz. First off I want to make it VERY clear I love Rob, he is a great guy and soon him and I will be wed. BUT he really does need to take some acting classes and soon. If he wants to continue a career in acting it's just one of those things you need to always work on. That being said, the movie for the NYTBS book was a disappointment but not a total loss.
Storyline:
When Jacob Jankowski (Pattinson), recently orphaned and suddenly adrift, jumps onto a passing train, he enters a world of freaks, drifters, and misfits. He joins a second-rate circus struggling to survive during the Great Depression, making one-night stands in town after endless town. A veterinary student who almost earned his degree, Jacob is put in charge of caring for the circus menagerie. It is there that he meets Marlena (Witherspoon), the beautiful young star of the equestrian act, who is married to August (Waltz), the charismatic but twisted animal trainer. He also meets Rosie, an elephant who seems untrainable until he discovers a way to reach her. Water for Elephants is illuminated by a wonderful sense of time and place. It tells a story of a love between two people that overcomes incredible odds in a world in which even love is a luxury that few can afford.
Positive side. The movie is visually stunning to watch, very crisp and colorful. I liked the circus tents and train rides; watching all the people setting up and breaking down was very cool. I wanted to transport back in time so I could have been there, just sipping lemonade and watching all the commotion. Reese did a very decent job with her parts in the film, not always believable but overall not awful. She looked great in the various costumes and was stunning to watch with the animals. Christoph is a brilliant actor. Period. :)
Negative side. I HATE wild animals being used for entertainment, I think it's one of the most disgusting things in the world. Animal abuse? NOT WINNING! But that's MY opinion and not what you all care about, plus this is just a movie review so I will leave that rant behind and continue on. :) Rob in no way sold me in his role, he lacked chemistry with Reese big time. I have to be honest and fair, even when the guys I love turn out awful performances. I never felt like his character was a viable contender for the woman he was chasing; Rob just felt kinda dopey and floppy through out. It seemed like whenever he didn't know how to act a scene he just did this weird smile and head shake thing. It was odd.....
The movie as a whole just felt a bit disjointed, lacking a continuous flow. Knew I was watching a movie most of the time, and I hate that. I want to be sucked into the story. Script was Chop Chop Chop. And cut! Don't people with skills check movies out before the public sees them? So much of this movie was just a mess. People are getting hurt and injured but you can't understand what the actors are saying! Huh? Moonshine....and then what happened?! Can you repeat that please? It was very frustrating, jumbled words and clowns are never a good mix in a movie. Speak up! I missed key parts and I am still bitter about it.
Some hokey CGI thrown in at the end had my eye balls rolling around in my head big time. I was done with this film 20 minutes into it. But I stayed because I saw it with my Mom, and to be fair she did give this movie 4 Sheep and LOVED the ending. But she also loved The Notebook. So, to each their own.
Too bad the movie lacked so much. Stick with the book on this one. Still have mad love for Rob but I need to see some serious acting skills from him STAT!
Getting 2 and 1/2 Crazy Clown Sheep
KD
