Water for Elephants

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Water for Elephants

PG-13

2011

2h 1m

Drama

Romance

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Popcornmeter

60%

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193 Reviews

70%

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50,000+ Ratings

Jacob Jankowski (Robert Pattinson), a veterinary student, is close to graduating when a terrible tragedy forces him to leave school. With nowhere else to go, he hops on a passing train and finds it belongs to a traveling circus. Jacob takes a job as an animal caretaker and meets Marlena (Reese Witherspoon), a beautiful circus performer. Their shared compassion for a special elephant named Rosie leads to love, but August (Christoph Waltz), Marlena's cruel husband, stands in their way.

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Critics Consensus

It's a tale tastefully told and beautifully filmed, but Water for Elephants suffers from a pronounced lack of chemistry between its leads.

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Leah Rozen

TheWrap

10/07/2011

Supporting characters are too hastily sketched in, serving only to further the unsmooth course of true love.

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Jim Schembri

The Age (Australia)

06/16/2011

2.5/5

There's no doubting the luscious detail and feel for the period, but the love triangle that inevitable kicks in is a little too rote, even for those in a forgiving mood.

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David Stratton

At the Movies (Australia)

05/12/2011

4/5

I think it's maybe the best circus movie since The Greatest Show on Earth.

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

07/31/2023

3/4

With a bit more style and realism, the film could have been something truly great; however, in this case, good is just good enough.

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Rene Jordan

El Nuevo Herald (Miami)

10/11/2022

Withered and boorish. [Full review in Spanish]

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Don Shanahan

Every Movie Has a Lesson

03/08/2022

2/5

In this film, LaGravenese squeezes the melodrama so well that you may feel like you just had your mouth washed out with soap.

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Beks C

@beks22 Mar 8

I love this film. A classic period drama/ romance. Robert Pattinson and Reese Witherspoon excel in the lead roles and are backed by an excellent supporting cast. Romantic drama at its best.

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Ansley H

@Haydenchristensonlover Dec 8

SOOO. I have recently read this book, and absolutely adored it. I could not put it down. It was unlike any story line I have ever read, and every aspect of the plot was immensely engaging. So, as one does, I decided to watch the movie, of course going into it knowing it will never live up the book, but always worth watching. From the second I began the movie, I could tell the actors were not going to play the well written characters like they should be. The movie was dull. Of course I can't expect every page to be played out, but nothing about this movie is worth watching. Honestly, if I hadn't read the book, I would be so confused the entirety of it. Robert Pattinson was not meant for this role, and it should've been played with a dramatic demeanor, not a boring and quiet one. This movie is undeniably terrible, disappointed to say the least.

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Steve W.

@sjwasserman Dec 7

Excellent movie. Characters are real.

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Deepika V

@deepikav12 Nov 26

Loved this movie. Waltz reminded me of a villainous Humphrey Bogart here. And the acting by Robert Pattinson was very good (this movie was three years after Twilight, so him being in a serious role was interesting to see). I loved Reese Witherspoon's charisma and the 1930s inspired outfits that brought life to the role. The chemistry could have used more work and there been more scenes with them.

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thiago s

@Thiagostone Nov 6

Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom

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Yvonne T

@RT93484504 May 9

Unbearable stopped after 1h and would like that hour back. Flat uninspired bad acting boring and no chemistry. Turned off when elephant came into the picture hard to watch.

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Francis Lawrence

Director

Reese Witherspoon

Marlena

Robert Pattinson

Jacob

Christoph Waltz

August

Paul Schneider

Charlie

Jim Norton

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Critics Consensus: Water for Elephants Is A Little Soapy

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Synopsis

Jacob Jankowski (Robert Pattinson), a veterinary student, is close to graduating when a terrible tragedy forces him to leave school. With nowhere else to go, he hops on a passing train and finds it belongs to a traveling circus. Jacob takes a job as an animal caretaker and meets Marlena (Reese Witherspoon), a beautiful circus performer. Their shared compassion for a special elephant named Rosie leads to love, but August (Christoph Waltz), Marlena's cruel husband, stands in their way.

Director: Francis Lawrence
Producer: Gil Netter, Erwin Stoff, Andrew R. Tennenbaum
Screenwriter: Richard LaGravenese, Sara Gruen
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Production Co: Flashpoint, Gil Netter, 3 Arts Entertainment
Rating: PG-13 (Sexual Content|Moments of Intense Violence)
Genre: Drama, Romance
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 22, 2011, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 1, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $58.7M
Runtime: 2h 1m
Sound Mix: SDDS, Dolby Digital, Datasat
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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