Water for Elephants

I was disappointed in this movie. I mean, it wasn't completely horrible (it's based on a pretty good book, and Robert Pattinson is in it!! How bad could it be? Oh, wait . . . ) but I just didn't think it was that great. I don't know how much of my disappointment I should attribute to high expectations, and how much was due to my unusual frame of mind while I was watching it.

My main complaint is that the whole thing seemed overdone. The acting was so serious and heavy-handed, and the lines (while not necessarily corny) were just So Dang Dramatic. OK, maybe my friend BR had a point--it's set in a circus. Of course it's overdone. But I could have gone for just a dash of subtlety and a smidge of figure-it-out-yourself, because it kind of sucks when a movie ALWAYS spells EVERYTHING out for you.

All movie adaptations are going to leave out some parts of the book, but two scenes stood out to me as very watered-down. This actually didn't bother me a bit, as they were scenes I really could have done without reading (walking in on a midget jacking off, and a highly detailed description of what went on in the "cooch tent"). Of course, I'm sure those scenes had to be attenuated because the movie was rated PG-13. But what the heck is that all about? ALL MOVIES WITH ROBERT PATTINSON IN THEM SHOULD BE X-RATED!!

Speaking of Robert Pattinson, though, I have finally noticed that he always plays the same character in every movie, and that is . . . Robert Pattinson. Edward Norton he is not. But at least he is smokin' hot. That makes up for a lot.

If you  have to pick between the book and the movie, read the book. Just get the movie cover version so you can picture RP as Jacob all the way through.