There's a great movie to be made about the history of the circus. Water for Elephants is not it. There is also an intriguing drama to be fashioned out of the rituals and customs of those who've lived their lives under the Big Top. Again, Water for Elephants is not it. There have always been great romances created out of star-crossed characters, each in need of what the other has to offer both emotionally and sexually, and even more intense storylines surrounding power-mad abusive showmen who use their failures as human beings as a means to abuse animals and humans alike. Again, Water for Elephants is none of these.
What "it" actually is remains a mystery, an enigmatic and inert bit of filmmaking more faithful to the bestselling book it was based on than the tenets of audience entertainment. In our three leads there is no chemistry, no clear rooting interest, and no discernible motive for their various illogical actions. Instead, the Great Depression gets most of the blame, its universal hopelessness leading attractive women to work under the tutelage of a tyrannical ringmaster, a promising young veterinarian student to hop a freight before completing his college studies, and animals and people to be whipped and demeaned for the purposes of manipulating your heartstrings.
We are introduced to our leading man Jacob Jankowski (Robert Pattinson most of the time, Hal Holbrook in the bookending material) when he's very old and ready to reminisce. Soon, it is 1931 and the Benzini Brothers' Most Spectacular Show on Earth is roaming around Northeast America looking for customers. Run with an ironic iron fist by suave psycho August (Christoph Waltz) and featuring his wife and star attraction Marlena (Reese Witherspoon), it's barely making ends meet. When Jacob accidentally stumbles onto their train, he becomes the circus' resident vet. His first order of business -- put down a lame horse. His second -- train a reluctant elephant named Rosie for its moment in the three ring spotlight. Third -- woo and seduce Marlena, with whom he is instantly smitten. Naturally, like any half-baked Harlequin narrative, there will be problems and perils along the way.
Water for Elephants is a good looking excuse for boredom. It features actors who don't interconnect or inspire each other, storylines that make little sense outside the context of a novel, and supporting players who are haphazardly introduced and then tossed aside, destined to never, ever pay off. It's like a box of fancy postcards: pleasant to page through, but offering none of the "you are there" magic that the sender obviously felt. Since screenwriter Richard LaGravenese is more of less true to the source, fans will be more than happy. But anyone not wholly invested in Sara Gruen's saga will be rather unimpressed. The obvious plot plays out just as you expect, and the main love triangle is so old fashioned that it should be served with jonnycakes and a side of molasses.
From a directing standpoint, Francis Lawrence (Constantine, I Am Legend) leaves his genre game behind to go weeper. His closed off, claustrophobic style likes scope and substance. Of the cast, Pattinson needs to make those plans for spending his middle-aged years appearing at sci-fi and horror conventions right now. He shows little range or beyond Twilight interest. While Waltz works overtime to make August both endearing and evil, the character comes across like a middling maniac, and Witherspoon is just eye and arm candy, there to be the catalyst for all the hand-wringing and fist-fighting to come. When an aging pachyderm with a penchant for whiskey and the Polish language is the most compelling presence on screen, you know you're about to experience two hours of tedium.
With its bigger than life backdrop and equally outsized storyline, this should be better than it is. Sadly, Water for Elephants is not.
What "it" actually is remains a mystery, an enigmatic and inert bit of filmmaking more faithful to the bestselling book it was based on than the tenets of audience entertainment. In our three leads there is no chemistry, no clear rooting interest, and no discernible motive for their various illogical actions. Instead, the Great Depression gets most of the blame, its universal hopelessness leading attractive women to work under the tutelage of a tyrannical ringmaster, a promising young veterinarian student to hop a freight before completing his college studies, and animals and people to be whipped and demeaned for the purposes of manipulating your heartstrings.
We are introduced to our leading man Jacob Jankowski (Robert Pattinson most of the time, Hal Holbrook in the bookending material) when he's very old and ready to reminisce. Soon, it is 1931 and the Benzini Brothers' Most Spectacular Show on Earth is roaming around Northeast America looking for customers. Run with an ironic iron fist by suave psycho August (Christoph Waltz) and featuring his wife and star attraction Marlena (Reese Witherspoon), it's barely making ends meet. When Jacob accidentally stumbles onto their train, he becomes the circus' resident vet. His first order of business -- put down a lame horse. His second -- train a reluctant elephant named Rosie for its moment in the three ring spotlight. Third -- woo and seduce Marlena, with whom he is instantly smitten. Naturally, like any half-baked Harlequin narrative, there will be problems and perils along the way.
Water for Elephants is a good looking excuse for boredom. It features actors who don't interconnect or inspire each other, storylines that make little sense outside the context of a novel, and supporting players who are haphazardly introduced and then tossed aside, destined to never, ever pay off. It's like a box of fancy postcards: pleasant to page through, but offering none of the "you are there" magic that the sender obviously felt. Since screenwriter Richard LaGravenese is more of less true to the source, fans will be more than happy. But anyone not wholly invested in Sara Gruen's saga will be rather unimpressed. The obvious plot plays out just as you expect, and the main love triangle is so old fashioned that it should be served with jonnycakes and a side of molasses.
From a directing standpoint, Francis Lawrence (Constantine, I Am Legend) leaves his genre game behind to go weeper. His closed off, claustrophobic style likes scope and substance. Of the cast, Pattinson needs to make those plans for spending his middle-aged years appearing at sci-fi and horror conventions right now. He shows little range or beyond Twilight interest. While Waltz works overtime to make August both endearing and evil, the character comes across like a middling maniac, and Witherspoon is just eye and arm candy, there to be the catalyst for all the hand-wringing and fist-fighting to come. When an aging pachyderm with a penchant for whiskey and the Polish language is the most compelling presence on screen, you know you're about to experience two hours of tedium.
With its bigger than life backdrop and equally outsized storyline, this should be better than it is. Sadly, Water for Elephants is not.
