Water For Elephants (20th Century Fox)
Slow But Enjoyable Romantic Drama
Sara Gruens best-selling novel is the basis for the hit movie Water For Elephants. The book provides the steady framework for this slow but enchanting movie about a love affair between a young man and an older woman. Robert Pattinson, Reese Witherspoon and Christoph Waltz bring their characters to life and make the words of the book live on screen.
The story takes place in the 1930s when the depression was in full force. Jacob Jankowski (Pattinson) has a bright future in spite of the countrys problems. He is finishing up at Cornell University where he is a veterinary student. Then his parents are killed in a care crash and he drops out of school. He heads towards town to get a job and hops a freight to get there quicker.
The freight turns out to be a circus train and Jacob takes a job as a vet for the animals. The owner of the circus is a tyrannical man named August (Waltz) and he is married to Marlena (Witherspoon) the star of the big top. She and Jacob immediately have an attraction to each other.
Waltz and Witherspoon are excellent in their roles and Witherspoon has never been more beautiful or more dramatic in a film. Waltz shows that his talent was not limited to his Oscar winning performance in Inglorious Bastards. He gives August a lot of facets to his personality and makes him believable in each and every mood in which he presents himself.
Pattinson is not as experienced an actor as these two but he manages to hold his ground in the film. His performance should satisfy his Twilight fans and also bring him some new ones. He and Witherspoon combine their talents and their chemistry to make Jacob and Marlena a heart-breaking couple who defy the odds to be together.
Also outstanding in the film is Hal Holbrook as the older Jacob. His appearances bookend the film and give it a source of completion. Holbrook is one of Americas most talented actors and it is great to see him continuing his career with roles such as this one.
The movie is rated PG-13 for profanity and violence.
Water For Elephants starts off a little slow but this allows for the establishment of the characters and their part in the unfolding drama of the circus. By the time the attraction between Jacob and Marlena has begun the movie is moving at a brisk pace and continues towards the exciting climax of the film.
The look of the movie, the drama of the plot, and the solid performances of the players make this a movie you will want to see. Not many people run away and join the circus these days but many will want to run out and see this film about what the circus used to be.
I scored Water For Elephants a three ring 7 out of 10.
