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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 63,679 users   Metascore: 52/100
Reviews: 246 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 | Add 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:

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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:

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Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Sara Gruen wrote the novel 'Water for Elephants' as part of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). See more »

Goofs

While in the speakeasy August leaves the table that he, Marlena and Jacob are sitting at. Marlena is smoking a fairly short cigarette. In the next scene, the cigarette is noticeably longer. See more »

Quotes

Jacob: I don't know if I picked that circus. But something told me that circus picked me.
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

Featured in 2011 MTV Movie Awards (2011) See more »

Soundtracks

"Ciribiribin"
Written by George Wilson and A. Pestalozza
Courtesy of APM
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

See more (Spoiler Alert!) »

User Reviews

 
One Spectacular Show
22 April 2011 | by (Dallas, Texas) – See all my reviews

Readers, fear not. This is one adaption that lives up to the book.

Water for Elephants is pure beauty. Despite the fact that it takes place during the Depression, it makes you almost wish you lived during the '30s.

One reason is the costumes. They are wonderfully done, as well as the makeup. Another is the eye candy. No, I'm not talking about Robert Pattinson(though he looks as gorgeous as ever). I'm talking about the breathtaking cinematography, courtesy of Rodrigo Prieto.

While the leads(Robert Pattinson, Reese Witherspoon, Christoph Waltz) all turn in GREAT performances, the real star here is Tai the elephant. She plays Rosie, the newest addition to The Benzini Bros. Most Spectacular Show on Earth, who is brought in in hopes of taking The Benzini Bros. circus to a new level(particularly to the level of Ringling Bros.).

As per usual, there are quite a few changes that may or may not irritate the readers. It all depends on the person. One that I felt was an improvement upon the book, however, was the combining of August and Uncle Al. I honestly didn't miss Al one bit.

Water for Elephants is a beautiful, enchanting, mesmerizing must-see.


42 of 60 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
Anyone else feel this film was a remake of Walt Disney´s Dumbo? franciscocastro
Why did the Cornell people disrupt his exam? jmhow
Pattinson and Witherspoon virtually don't have chemistry AT ALL rocker_from_the_moon
The math of Jacob’s Age diogenes-13
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