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Title: Water for Elephants (2011)
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| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Reese Witherspoon | ... | Marlena | |
| Robert Pattinson | ... | Jacob | |
| Christoph Waltz | ... | August | |
| Paul Schneider | ... | Charlie | |
| Jim Norton | ... | Camel | |
| Hal Holbrook | ... | Old Jacob | |
| Mark Povinelli | ... | Kinko / Walter | |
| Richard Brake | ... | Grady | |
| Stephen Monroe Taylor | ... | Wade | |
| Ken Foree | ... | Earl | |
| Scott MacDonald | ... | Blackie | |
| James Frain | ... | Rosie's Caretaker | |
| Sam Anderson | ... | Mr. Hyde | |
| John Aylward | ... | Mr. Erwin | |
| Brad Greenquist | ... | Mr. Robinson | |
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
Water For Elephants got released here a full week ahead of the US and first let me indulge in the joy of being able to review such a highly anticipated film before my fellow American film-loving counterparts.
The film completely fulfilled my expectations. It is a well scripted, meticulously shot and finely acted period drama, the likes of which are increasingly less to come by at the movies these days. A big congratulations to all those involved with the production for having the confidence to delve into this venture. Actually I am very curious about its box-office. Last year was a surprisingly profitable year for adult dramas and if that is any indication, this fine film should continue the same trend.
Water For Elephants really impresses with the production design, atmosphere, costumes and stunts. Most of the time I felt like I was watching a classic film made during the studio era; it looked that authentic and faultless. The three main actors all seem satisfied for having such meaty parts and deliver more than satisfactory performances. Robert Pattinson shines and proves that he is capable as a serious actor. Reese Witherspoon has always been a true professional and here with her stunts demonstrates that again. She also fits surprisingly well to the 1930s platinum blonde beauty type. Christopher Waltz is a wonderful actor and here it becomes very clear that his success in Inglorious Basterds was not a one-off. The story is very emotional and while it touches the heart romantically, it also manages to lay down a heretofore unseen dark aspect of old era circus entertainment in particular and also crowd entertainment as a whole. I almost wished for a three hour epic after it ended; it left me wanting more. The whole thing was really interesting.
All in all a wonderful and deeply satisfying experience at the movies, well worth every dime. Go see it so that adult dramas of this caliber (in terms of star power, production budget and subsequent attention to detail) could continue to be made.