Water for Elephants (B or 3/4 stars)
'Water for Elephants' (based on a best-selling novel, written by Richard LaGravenese & directed by Francis Lawrence) is narrated by an elderly Jacob Jankowski (Hal Holbrook), who recalls his youth some 70 yrs. prior {cue flashbacks to 1931}. Just as he's about to graduate from Cornell University with a veterinary license, Jacob's loving parents are tragically killed in an auto accident, leaving him with no home or $$. Jumping aboard a train (with virtually no other options), he discovers that this particular locomotive is home to the Benzini Brothers' Most Spectacular Show on Earth! Rather than kicking Jacob off the train, the circus owner, August (Christoph Waltz, of Inglourious Basterds), hires him to be the official Benzini Brothers veterinarian.
Jacob cares for the various animals (lions, tigers, hyenas, zebras, bears, horses, monkeys, dogs) & trains their newest attraction, a beautiful elephant named Rosie (Tai). Things seem to be going swell for Jacob. He's forming an identity. And he begins to fall in love with the mercurial circus star (and August's wife), Marlena (Reese Witherspoon). They find calm in each other's presence, & bond through their compassion for Rosie, the elephant. But their stolen moments together arouses suspicion from the cheeky, but murderous August; and chaos ensues. The circus world was both a living hell AND a lifesaver for Jacob. And though tragedy strikes, the story he tells us (via those flashbacks) is a life-affirming 'against-all-odds' type, as well.
Ever watch a movie with a FANTASTIC story, but spotty chemistry between the leads? Well, I offer you 'Water for Elephants'. I don't want that to sound damning. There's nothing wrong with the performances. I liked Robert's openness & sweetness as Jacob. And Reese gives Marlena a real sad, yet comely attitude that appealed to me -- I felt for her. Jacob & Marlena even share a few sweet moments that come across genuinely. But overall, Pattinson & Witherspoon's chemistry felt a bit forced (none of the Kate & Leo ease, here). Reese, in particular, looked uncomfortable to me (in the romantic scenes); as if the Marlena she wanted to portray in her mind did not make it onscreen; lost in translation. Their tepid romance is what prevents the film from greatness.
What 'Water for Elephants' does an excellent job at is re-creating the Depression-era traveling circus business. These nomadic performers & workers inhabit small, cramped quarters that they live in year round. There's dirt, grit, grime, cruelty, hay, horse crap, lack of food or water, fatigue, injury, poor conditions ... they're even at risk for being fired at any time (August tosses them off the train - dead or alive). I also liked seeing the process of the Big Top being assembled (spine-tingling stuff to watch). And the film also looks wonderful (Rodrigo Prieto's aesthetically pleasing camera work, Jack Fisk's stunning sets, etc.). The romantic melodrama is at the center of this story, but I really loved this indelible insider's look at 1930's circus life. And I was (pleasantly) surprised by the film's melancholy edge: about a band of lost souls scratching for a happiness that they always believed would be right around the corner at the next train stop.
One last positive: Christoph Waltz. Whenever he's talking, you could feel every audience member piercing the screen with their eyes. He's charismatic, persuasive & ultimately terrifying (be wary of his treatment to animals, here). He gives the film a pulse. You know, on the whole, I dug 'Water for Elephants'. I loved Rosie the elephant. There's a definitively old-fashioned feel to the movie; a throwback Hollywood romantic drama. If ONLY the heat between the 2 leads were at a sizzle, rather than a simmer. Old-school Hollywood dramas had bigger than life actors providing gravitas & feverish passion (together) to make the movie work. Without that necessary ingredient, you walk away liking the film, when you should be enamored by it.
Jacob cares for the various animals (lions, tigers, hyenas, zebras, bears, horses, monkeys, dogs) & trains their newest attraction, a beautiful elephant named Rosie (Tai). Things seem to be going swell for Jacob. He's forming an identity. And he begins to fall in love with the mercurial circus star (and August's wife), Marlena (Reese Witherspoon). They find calm in each other's presence, & bond through their compassion for Rosie, the elephant. But their stolen moments together arouses suspicion from the cheeky, but murderous August; and chaos ensues. The circus world was both a living hell AND a lifesaver for Jacob. And though tragedy strikes, the story he tells us (via those flashbacks) is a life-affirming 'against-all-odds' type, as well.
Ever watch a movie with a FANTASTIC story, but spotty chemistry between the leads? Well, I offer you 'Water for Elephants'. I don't want that to sound damning. There's nothing wrong with the performances. I liked Robert's openness & sweetness as Jacob. And Reese gives Marlena a real sad, yet comely attitude that appealed to me -- I felt for her. Jacob & Marlena even share a few sweet moments that come across genuinely. But overall, Pattinson & Witherspoon's chemistry felt a bit forced (none of the Kate & Leo ease, here). Reese, in particular, looked uncomfortable to me (in the romantic scenes); as if the Marlena she wanted to portray in her mind did not make it onscreen; lost in translation. Their tepid romance is what prevents the film from greatness.
What 'Water for Elephants' does an excellent job at is re-creating the Depression-era traveling circus business. These nomadic performers & workers inhabit small, cramped quarters that they live in year round. There's dirt, grit, grime, cruelty, hay, horse crap, lack of food or water, fatigue, injury, poor conditions ... they're even at risk for being fired at any time (August tosses them off the train - dead or alive). I also liked seeing the process of the Big Top being assembled (spine-tingling stuff to watch). And the film also looks wonderful (Rodrigo Prieto's aesthetically pleasing camera work, Jack Fisk's stunning sets, etc.). The romantic melodrama is at the center of this story, but I really loved this indelible insider's look at 1930's circus life. And I was (pleasantly) surprised by the film's melancholy edge: about a band of lost souls scratching for a happiness that they always believed would be right around the corner at the next train stop.
One last positive: Christoph Waltz. Whenever he's talking, you could feel every audience member piercing the screen with their eyes. He's charismatic, persuasive & ultimately terrifying (be wary of his treatment to animals, here). He gives the film a pulse. You know, on the whole, I dug 'Water for Elephants'. I loved Rosie the elephant. There's a definitively old-fashioned feel to the movie; a throwback Hollywood romantic drama. If ONLY the heat between the 2 leads were at a sizzle, rather than a simmer. Old-school Hollywood dramas had bigger than life actors providing gravitas & feverish passion (together) to make the movie work. Without that necessary ingredient, you walk away liking the film, when you should be enamored by it.