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Water for Elephants (2011)

 -  Drama | Romance  -  22 April 2011 (USA)
6.9
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Ratings: 6.9/10 from 65,005 users   Metascore: 52/100
Reviews: 248 user | 271 critic | 35 from Metacritic.com

A veterinary student abandons his studies after his parents are killed and joins a traveling circus as their vet.

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(screenplay), (novel)
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Title: Water for Elephants (2011)

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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Camel
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Wade (as Stephen Monroe Taylor)
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Rosie's Caretaker
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Mr. Erwin
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Mr. Robinson
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Storyline

After his parents' death, Jacob Jankowski is left penniless and homeless. Events lead him to joining the circus as their vet, working under their unstable boss August whose violent tendencies give everyone reason to be cautious around him, including his beautiful and quiet wife Marlena, whom August is very possessive of and who Jacob finds himself soon falling in love with. Written by mel47

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

Life is the most spectacular show on earth.

Genres:

Drama | Romance

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for moments of intense violence and sexual content | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Official Sites:

|

Country:

Language:

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Release Date:

22 April 2011 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Agua para elefantes  »

Box Office

Budget:

$38,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£1,270,483 (UK) (6 May 2011)

Gross:

$58,700,247 (USA) (5 August 2011)
 »

Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

| |

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1
See  »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Hal Holbrook had been recently widowed of his wife in real life when he filmed his scenes. See more »

Goofs

Several shots prominently display a follow-spot, with the Strong manufacturers name in clear view, which wasn't available until the mid-50s. See more »

Quotes

Jacob: You're a beautiful woman, you deserve a beautiful life. Nothing less.
See more »

Crazy Credits

In 'The producers wish to thank' section of the credits, the Circus World Museum is listed as being in Barbaroo, WI. The actual town is Baraboo, WI. See more »

Connections

Referenced in Bad Movie Beatdown: Review of 2011 (2012) See more »

Soundtracks

"Sheep Walk"
Written by Marc Durst
Courtesy of APM
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

See more (Spoiler Alert!) »

User Reviews

 
A truly spectacular movie!
13 April 2011 | by (Sweden) – See all my reviews

OK, I'll try to tell you a bit of what I thought about "Water for Elephants", without spoiling anything. I have not read the novel (even though I plan to do it now) so I'm only offering my views on the movie.

First of all: It's amazingly beautiful. The costumes and sets are gorgeous, the cinematography is exquisite, the animals are cute (especially Rosie the elephant) and the three leads are very easy on the eyes as well.

Robert Pattinson was actually quite good. This was a surprise to me, since I didn't really think he was anything special in any of the Twilight movies or "Remember Me". He looked very appropriate for the time the movie was set in, and even though I love Emile Hirsch (who auditioned for Jacob too) I'm confident that Robert was the best choice there was for this role, it was perfect for him. Hal Holbrook was also very fitting for the role of older Jacob. The two actors really made me believe that they were the same person in different stages of his life.

Reese Witherspoon was okay. She looked beautiful, was charming and cute but it felt like something was missing - however, I can't think of any other actress I would have liked better in the role, so I came to the conclusion that it was probably the character Marlena that was a little bland, not Reese.

But the true star of this movie was Christoph Waltz. I may be a bit biased since I loved him in "Inglorious Basterds", but he was even more perfect in this movie. His portrayal of August was amazing, he made him likable and interesting and I was always compelled by his scenes. The character reminded me a lot of Miles in "King Kong" (played by Jack Black), a character that also wanted fame and success more than anything and used questionable and even cruel methods to get it. He was terrifying in some scenes too, but always believable. Also, in the beginning of the movie i really felt the chemistry between August and Marlena, which made the character even more interesting; however, I did feel like Jacob and Marlena had chemistry too, and in my opinion this way it was more realistic (both men loved her and she also cared about both of them).

I loved the movie, and I really recommend it to everyone. I would sincerely give it 10/10 stars. Of course there was some parts of the movie I didn't like (particularly towards the end of it), but overall it was a magical, spectacular and epic period movie, and I can't wait to see it again!


168 of 234 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you?

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Is the Elephant Abuse Too Hard to Watch? nicolebridget22
Anyone else feel this film was... Lacking? Minae
Pattinson and Witherspoon virtually don't have chemistry AT ALL rocker_from_the_moon
Anyone else feel this film was a remake of Walt Disney´s Dumbo? franciscocastro
Why did the Cornell people disrupt his exam? jmhow
The math of Jacob’s Age diogenes-13
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