
I went and saw ‘Water For Elephants’ Friday night – at 10:30 (late for me) – as I had been EAGERLY awaiting the release of the movie based off of one of my favorite books!
I was anxious.
First, I absolutely LOVED the book, and was nervous the movie couldn’t do it justice. Second, I love Robert Pattinson – but could he really pull off such an extraordinary role? Third, Reese Witherspoon as Marlena? Really? How could such a sweet little Southern girl play the dark/sexy/troubled Marlena? Fourth, PG-13!? How can ‘Water For Elephants’ be rated PG-13? I read the book, and it was naughty! How can they translate that book into a movie appropriate for 13 year olds?
I’m sad to report I had good reason to worry. No, Robert Pattinson could not pull it off. He allllmost could. But he falls short. Half the time I felt like I was watching ‘Twilight’. The brooding, smoldering stares carried over into this movie. I hope that in his next film there are no smoldering looks. While he was hotter in WFE than he was in any Twilight movie, I’m not convinced anyone’s ever going to see him as anyone else than Edward Cullen.
“As Jacob Jankowski, a part that requires him mainly to be shy and watchful, RPattz radiates a slow magnetism that locks the viewer’s eyes on him,” Time writes, noting that “for a few moments in ‘Water for Elephants,’” Pattinson does seem capable of a career outside of his familiar blood-sucking character.
That is, “until the vapors pass, we return to 2011 and realize that, however strong Pattinson’s anachronistic attractiveness, they don’t make movies like ‘Ball of Fire’ or ‘A Place in the Sun’ any more.”
Believe it or not, I thought Reese did worse than Robert! Her acting was terrible, and NO she could NOT pull off Marlena’s character. She was just all wrong for the part – all wrong. My friend suggested Rachel McAdams could have done it better – and I agree with her. Rachel McAdams would have been brilliant!
One of my biggest complaints of the movie was that there was NO chemistry between Robert Pattinson and Reese Witherspoon. Zilch. I found myself just not really caring about them – I didn’t FEEL anything for them. They didn’t even look like they liked each other all that much, and I’m not exactly sure who’s fault that was.
Pattinson “doesn’t quite connect with Witherspoon, though that may not be wholly his fault,” says Movieline. “She can be a wonderful actress, but when it comes to sharing the screen with her, I suspect she’s a tough nut to crack… Witherspoon’s Marlena doesn’t melt easily, and when she does give in to romance, you can almost see her grudging reluctance in the set of her sharp little jaw.”
On the other hand - Christophe Waltz was pure genius as August. He nailed the part, and I loved every scene he was in. Also – I loved how beautiful the movie was to watch. It really did look magical in some scenes.
Bottom Line? It was entertaining, and beautiful to watch at times. But it was a disappointment…
Did you see it? What did you think?
Posted Monday, April 25th, 2011 at 5:17pm
Filed under
Reese Witherspoon,
Robert Pattinson |
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