Water For Elephants

Product Description
A veterinary student from the wrong side of the tracks meets and falls in love with a star performer in a circus of a bygone era. They discover beauty amidst the world of the Big Top, and come together through their compassion for a special elephant.

Starring: Reese Witherspoon, Robert Pattinson
Directed by: Francis Lawrence
Runtime: 2 hours 1 minute
Release year: 2011
Studio: Fox
Also available in HD with Amazon Instant Video on Your TV

Customer Reviews
Water For Elephants is a romantic, dramatic and funny film By Robert G Yokoyama (Mililani, Hawaii)
Water For Elephants is easily one of the best movies I have seen this year so far. It is an entertaining film that features an actor and actress who have perfect on screen chemistry. Robert Pattinson is a veternarian student named Jacob who hops aboard a train after his parents are killed in a car accident. He discovers the train is a travelling circus. Reese Witherspoon plays a circus performer named Marlena. She is married to Albert who runs the circus show. He is played by Christoph Waltz. I like how the relationship between Pattinson and Witherspoon starts off as friendship and blossoms into a romance. Christoph Waltz has a talent for playing a villain. His only ambition is to pack people under the circus tent. His character creates a romantic tension in the movie. Hal Holbrook rounds out the cast. He is the narrator of the story playing the role of older version of Jacob. Holbrook is sentimental and funny in the early scenes of the movie.

I am amazed at the kinds of tricks and moves that director Francis Lawrence gets the elephant to do. There are a few scenes of animal cruelty in the film. I hope this does not turn people away from seeing this movie. No animals were hurt in this film. These scenes are merely staying true to the spirit of the novel. There are also many scenes in which animals are treated with gentleness and care. Water For Elephants is a film set in 1931 during the Depression. Composer James Newton Howard captures the spirit of that time with his score. His score is exciting and romantic at times. The soundtrack also features a song by Bessie Smith entitled "I Need A Little Sugar In My Bowl". This is a sassy blues tune that I have never heard of before. I absolutely love this song and the entire soundtrack. Water For Elephants is romantic, funny and dramatic at different parts. This combination makes this movie one of the best I have seen all year.

We thought it was great! By katie
I went with 3 relatives to see this film today and all four of us loved it! Last summer I read the book and thoroughly enjoyed it. When they said they were making a film of the book I really looked forward to it. Just before we went to see it today, someone told us the film was getting bad reviews and there wasn't real chemistry between the actors. Well after the film finished we all looked at eachother and discussed how terrific it was and couldn't figure out why it received such poor reviews. From what I remember about the book, the movie followed it pretty well, it was entertaining, and we thought the actors chemistry was realistic. Robert Pattinson, Reese Witherspoon and Christoph Waltz did fine jobs acting. We all agreed how wonderful it was, and the four of us rarely all agree. Go see the film!

Water for Elephants By J. Austin (El Paso,Texas USA)
I read the book and was captivated by all the detail and side stories happening around the main characters. In the movie, I think Robert Pattinson did a great job in his role as Jacob. He displayed the sorrow of a young man losing his parents and his home in an accident as well as the slowly building happiness he felt in finding a place for himself with the circus. Reese Witherspoon did a good job in showing compassion to the animals and fear of her violent husband. There is a lot of detail in the book that was sacrificed in the movie but over-all it was well done. I recommend seeing the movie but just know you will miss a lot of detail. Rosie was my favorite character and adds so much to the story.

I love this movie By Crystal Nelson (Washington)
I love this movie, when I saw it at the movies. The actors were wonderful. Christoph Waltz did a superb job. Robert Patterson did an awesome job as well. I was afraid he would play an emo, depress character as he had done in his other films, making you feel you are watching Edward again, just in another film. I enjoyed watching this movie.

Excellent By anne
I saw this movie in theaters and it was awesome! Great actors ....worth owning I can't wait for it to come out on DVD!! So buy it you won't be sorry.

Perfect Movie By K. Cullen (Tucson,AZ)
I never have read the book, and must say I did go see it because I am a fan of actress Reese and actor Rob. I found this movie very good, it was slow in some parts but other than that it was wonderful. It made me laugh, cry, get angry and feel all warm and fuzzy inside throughout the whole movie, whatelse can you want from a movie other than envoke emotions in you. Watching it made you feel like you were there witnessing it live. I didnt think Rob and Reese would make a good romantic couple (the 10 year age gap), but boy did they do a wonderful job. My friend and I saw it, and we both agree we would definantly watch it again!

Great movie! By Kelly (KC, KS)
I loved this movie! The acting was great. It had spectacular cinematography and the directing was good.
That said I thought the screenplay could have been better. It should have fleshed out Marlena's character. Even in the book you only feel as if you're really getting to know her late in the book and those scenes were completely left out. This left her character a little shallower than in the book, although even in it you didn't really feel as if you knew her. I hoped they would correct that in the movie, but unfortunately it was the opposite.

Despite that gripe, I really loved this movie. Reese made the most out of of her character and Waltz was truly charismatic, yet frightening. And the interactions between Reese and Pattinson are steamy. (Although those could have been fleshed out too). But Jacob's interactions with Rosie steal the show though. I wanted more of those too. I thought the scenes of her abuse were even more heart-wrenching in the movie. Jacob looked destroyed by her pain. I truly loved this movie.