Water for Elephants

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Water for Elephants

PG-13,

2011,

2h 1m,

Drama/

Romance

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Watchlist

Watchlist

60%

193 Reviews

Tomatometer

70%

50,000+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

60%

Tomatometer

193 Reviews

70%

Popcornmeter

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.

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

Oct 7, 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)

Jun 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)

May 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

Jul 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)

Oct 11, 2022

Withered and boorish. [Full review in Spanish]

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Don Shanahan

Every Movie Has a Lesson

Mar 8, 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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Sep 23, 2018

Great Post . I like this Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen . I found a website that you can all top rated novel books free download. .

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Poe G

Aug 25, 2018

A beautiful movie for all the family. good job.

Poe G

Apr 21, 2018

Emotional SATISFYING and visually spectacular this LARGELY faithful adaptation of the best selling book provides a highly enjoyable view into the life of circus performers during the great depression.

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Ron W

Apr 8, 2018

7/10 pretty rom (not com)

Hermione P

Jan 22, 2018

Pros - Time era feels right. - Circus era feels right. - Christoph Waltz carries the whole movie. - Supporting characters were played really well. Cons - Reese Witherspoon could have been played by anybody. - Robert Pattinson still acts like he's on Twilight. - We don't need to hear him beating the elephant 50 times. - Pattinson is a drop-out vet for the sake of the plot. - Pattinson is a "manic pixie dream girl" trope. - Romance is forced. "They both like animals. Let's get married!" - Movie is about 30 minutes too long.

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Poe P

Dec 21, 2017

Great movie, Reese is captivating in it.

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Francis Lawrence

Director

Reese Witherspoon

Marlena

Robert Pattinson

Jacob

Christoph Waltz

August

Paul Schneider

Charlie

Jim Norton

Camel

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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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