Movie Review: Water for Elephants

20th Century Fox

Water for Elephants may one day show up in a film class as a lesson in how not to adapt a popular novel for the screen. Sara Gruen’s 2006 book is packed with unique characters and compelling stories of life in a Depression era circus – many of them based on actual accounts – but screenwriter Richard LaGravanese chooses to ignore most of that and focus instead on the love triangle at the center of the story. Then he runs out of things to do. So we see a lot of Robert Pattinson, playing young Jacob, staring into Reese Witherspoon’s eyes – she’s Marlena, the star attraction under the big top; and then we see Marlena staring into her husband August’s eyes (Christopher Walz, reprising his deranged Nazi role). And then we see August staring from a distance at Jacob and Marlena – well, you get the idea.

It’s a shame. Because the time lavished on the pretty faces of the stars would have been better spent developing the supporting characters, who are pivotal to nearly every important moment in the story. And it’s a good story, opening with young Jacob on the verge of getting his veterinary license and feeling the first stirrings of love, and then losing everything in a moment when he learns that his parents are dead and his inheritance is worthless. Despairing, he hops a train out of town and, quite by accident, joins the circus. He gets permanent work as a vet with the show, but soon discovers that owner August is a sadistic man who is cruel to his animals and his human employees, throwing men off the train if it helps lighten his payroll or soothe his easily injured pride. The troupe bonds together to maintain their spirits and protect each other from August’s wrath, and they take Jacob in, first out of sympathy but then out of respect and hope that he can become their de facto defender and leader.

But you won’t see any of this in the film, or any cohesive version of it, anyway. LaGravenese, along with director Francis Lawrence, seem to find the colorful characters and grittiness of circus life and the desperation of Depression times to be merely background noise to the story, instead of the very thing that gives it depth and authenticity. So the film is a bore. Still playing in lots of theaters but it got trampled by Rio and Tyler Perry’s latest picture over the weekend; don’t expect a long run. C