The year is 1932. It’s the Depression, the year before the Prohibition ends. Jacob (Robert Pattison) leaves Cornell before he finishes his veterinarian degree. He has nowhere to go, no place to be, with nothing or no one to recommend him. He jumps on a train, and the train belongs to a traveling circus. He doesn’t belong there, but somehow convinces August, the circus owner (Christoph Waltz), to stay. He could care for the animals, make sure they’re in tip-top shape. Jacob enjoys caring for and training the animals, especially Rosie, the adorable mature elephant, and the show’s star, right after the beautiful Marlena (Reese Witherspoon), August’s wife. Jacob falls for Marlena, a dangerous endeavor. August is a terrible man, capable of heinous acts. He shows his sadistic side whenever he’s near poor Rosie. He won’t be any less monstrous with Jacob if he discovers the attraction between him and his wife.
I read the novel this film is based on when it first came out in 2006. I only read it once, so my memory is fussy, but right away I noticed that they made lots of changes in the movie. As difficult as it was to watch many of the scenes in this flick, it was much harder to read those things. The descriptions were raw, especially the ones centered on the animals and the underbelly of circus life. They gloss over most of those things in the movie, which is just as well. Some scenes are just hard to watch. When August shows Jacob how to “train” Rosie, I couldn’t help crying. It was too much. There were other scenes — a particularly brutal one — that I skipped. There was no way I’d watch all of that. Elephants are beautiful and highly intelligent creatures. It breaks my heart whenever I hear that someone mistreats them or kills them for sport. The only place I’d recommend to check out elephants in their natural habitat is gorgeous Sri Lanka. The elephants are clean and well fed in all the reserves. You'll love petting them and interacting with them. Such a treat! I would never support a circus with animals as part of the act. This is why I also don’t support bull-fighting or any other barbaric ritual — I don’t care how “culturally relevant” or “traditional” it is. So if you’re sensitive to animal abuse, then I’d skip the triggering scenes.
The movie itself is great. I love how atmospheric it is. The setting stays true to the book. Pattison shows that he’s capable of much more than just the sparkling Edward Cullen. Good for him! Reese Witherspoon looks beautiful in this movie, almost fey-like. She has amazing skin, and I disagree with the reviewer who says she looks airbrushed for the role. She looks amazing, with or without concealer. I’ve seen younger women who don’t look as fresh-faced as she does! Downsides? The film is quite dark. Then again, so was the novel. I enjoy stories with dark and thought provoking themes, so this isn’t an issue for me. I gear this toward those who may shy away from this type of storyline. All in all, I recommend WATER FOR ELEPHANTS, now on Cinemax. Four out of five Oat Milk Meets Almond Lattes!
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Editorial Reviews
Product Description
ACADEMY AWARD® Winners Reese Witherspoon* and Christoph Waltz** join Robert Pattinson (The Twilight Saga) for this epic tale of forbidden love based on Sara Gruen’s acclaimed best seller. Against all odds, a veterinary student (Pattinson) and a beautiful circus performer from a bygone era (Witherspoon), meet and fall in love through their shared compassion for a special elephant. But their secret romance incurs the wrath of her dangerously volatile husband (Waltz).
Amazon.com
Sara Gruen's bestselling novel comes to glossy life in this period romance. A sparkle-free Robert Pattinson plays Jacob Jankowski, who studies veterinary medicine during the Great Depression. After a family tragedy, he loses everything, including the chance to graduate from prestigious Cornell, so he hops a train, where he finds himself part of the struggling Benzini Brothers Circus. Ringleader August (Christoph Waltz, echoing his Oscar-winning Inglourious Basterds performance) has doubts about the softhearted lad, but a fellow Pole smoothes the way, and Jacob becomes the company vet, which leads him to platinum-blond equestrian Marlena (Reese Witherspoon), August's wife. The two make eyes at each other, but an affair would surely end badly, so they concentrate on their work. When Marlena's prize steed falls ill, August purchases an elephant, hoping Rosie will turn their fortunes around, and enlists Jacob to train her. Unfortunately, she's slow to respond to commands until Jankowski unlocks her secret--and after August has beaten the poor thing into submission. After that, things start to look up until Jacob steals a kiss from his dream girl. As in The Notebook, the film it most closely resembles, an elderly version of the central character (Hal Holbrook, touching) narrates in the present day (screenwriter Richard LaGravenese also adapted The Bridges of Madison County). He tells an interesting tale, so it's too bad the leads strike so few sparks. For those who find big-top classics like Nightmare Alley too dark, however, Francis Lawrence's feel-better variant may be just the ticket. --Kathleen C. Fennessy
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