WATER FOR ELEPHANTS

The Greatest Show on Earth

Directed by Francis Lawrence
Starring Robert Pattinson, Reese Witherspoon, Christoph Waltz, Hal Holbrook

What we have here is a film from another time, the sort of movie you can watch and think, ‘they don’t make ‘em like that anymore’. It really shouldn’t even be called a movie; it’s a picture, an old fashioned term for an old fashioned story that, through some unknowable alchemy, just works, giving as a vision of world that never really existed, but probably should have.
That world is the travelling circus culture of the 1930s, as seen through the eyes of Jacob Jankowski (Pattinson), a young veterinary student who takes to the rails after a tragedy robs him of his family and his livelihood. Insinuating himself into the roustabouts of the Benzini Brothers Circus, he finds a mentor and surrogate father figure in the volatile yet charming ringmaster, August (Waltz). But he also finds a potential love interest in August’s wife, the beautiful equestrian performer Marlena (Witherspoon), setting events in motion that will lead to an inevitable clash.
It’s a melodrama, of course, but a completely effective one. Director Lawrence, who gave us the interesting but flawed I Am Legend, paints a portrait of the 1930s that is both brutal and seductive; even while we’re repulsed by the poverty and grime, we’re drawn in by the old fashioned spectacle and carnie charm. There’s a real epic feel here, a sense of scope that many films shoot for, but few attain - the recent Thor is a perfect example of how easy it is to miss the boat. Nostalgia is a tricky tool to wield, and slathering it on too heavily can drag a film down into schmaltz, but Lawrence gets the balance just right.
The cast complement the tone perfectly, playing big and broad. This is one of those rare films that requires actual star power, that ineffable je ne sais quoi that lifts a player up out of the realm of acting and into the rarefied air occupied by your actual movie stars, a rare breed in this day and age. No longer shackled by the Twilight franchise, Pattinson shows real charisma here, while Witherspoon hasn’t been this likable since Walk The Line. No one should be surprised that Waltz steals the show, imbuing what could have been a pantomime villain with real complexity and pathos, while veteran Hal Holbrook provides a sturdy anchor as the older Jacob, who narrates the tale in a framing device reminiscent of Titanic.
There are few surprises in the narrative, and a subplot involving men being thrown from the circus train in an effort to save money by not paying them seems redundant and out of place, but anyone complaining about a predictable storyline is missing the point. Water For Elephants isn’t about plot, it’s about emotion, and romance, and big, sweeping vistas. It’s a piece entirely lacking in cynicism, and for that alone it’s kind of remarkable. It’s a rare example of a type of film that has all but disappeared from our screens, and one well worth seeing.

_TRAVIS JOHNSON