Robert Pattison and Reese Witherspoon in "Water for Elephants." The film opens April 22. Photographer: David James/Twentieth Century Fox via Bloomberg
Melissa Desormeaux-Poulin and Maxim Gaudette in "Incendies." The film opens on April 22. Source: Sony Pictures Classics via Bloomberg
Christoph Waltz completes a trifecta of classic movie villains in “ Water for Elephants ,” an adaptation of the best-selling novel about a Depression-era veterinary student who runs away and joins the circus.
After playing a ruthless, cultured Nazi in “Inglourious Basterds” and an insecure mob boss in “The Green Hornet,” the Austrian actor delivers another memorable performance as August, the volatile owner of the second-rate Benzini Bros. Circus.
August, a composite of two characters in the book, is a sadist who can torture an elephant, abuse his beautiful wife and throw carny workers off a train to save money. As Waltz portrays him, however, he’s also a man riddled with guilt and capable of kindness.
He’s the highlight of Francis Lawrence’s handsome, lethargic tearjerker, which moves as slowly as Rosie, the circus’s star elephant who performs amazing tricks when instructed in Polish.
The movie effectively evokes gritty 1931 circus life, where roustabouts, animal trainers, acrobats and clowns travel from town to town on an overcrowded train and work for peanuts (not the kind that elephants eat.)
The weakness is the central love story: Runaway student Jacob ( Robert Pattinson ) falls for August’s wife and star attraction Marlena (Reese Witherspoon, sparkling in sequined costumes). It falters mostly because Pattinson is a charisma- challenged actor who’s having a hard time escaping from his “Twilight” vampire persona.
Richard LaGravanese’s script constructs the tale as a flashback, told to a young circus worker by an elderly Jacob (Hal Holbrook).
When his parents are killed in a car accident, a distraught Jacob leaves Cornell University just before graduation and hops a train that turns out to be the home of the Benzini circus. He starts out shoveling manure, but is quickly promoted to circus vet when August learns about his academic training.
Jacob is repelled by August’s cruel treatment of Rosie -- relax, animal lovers, it’s all done with special effects -- and tensions escalate when the owner learns about the young man’s infatuation with his wife. This leads to a violent showdown in which Rosie uses her giant trunk to teach August that elephants have long memories.
“Water for Elephants” is a three-ring circus with two marquee acts: a 9,000-pound elephant who understands Polish and a skinny Austrian who knows how to terrify us.
“Water for Elephants,” from 20th Century Fox, opens today across the U.S. Rating: **1/2
When Canadian twins Jeanne and Simon meet with a notary for a reading of their mother’s will, they’re shocked to receive a pair of envelopes: One is for their father, who they thought was dead, and the other is for a brother they never knew about.
The siblings travel to the Middle East to explore their mom’s mysterious past. What they discover is a twisted tale of unwanted pregnancy, religious warfare, prisoner torture and an unspeakable revelation about their family tree.
Based on a play by Wajdi Mouawad, “ Incendies ” is a gripping drama about one woman’s struggle to survive against impossible odds. Writer/director Denis Villeneuve switches between past and present to slowly reveal what happened to her and why, one day, she ends up sitting in a catatonic state by a swimming pool.
Lubna Azabal (“Paradise Now”) holds the film together with her poetic performance as a mother whose determination to explain herself extends beyond the grave.
“Incendies,” from Sony Pictures Classics , opens today in New York and Los Angeles . Rating: ***1/2
What the Stars Mean: **** Excellent *** Good ** Average * Poor (No stars) Worthless
(Rick Warner is the movie critic for Muse, the arts and leisure section of Bloomberg News. Opinions expressed are his own.)
To contact the writer on the story: Rick Warner in New York at rwarner1@bloomberg.net .
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Manuela Hoelterhoff at mhoelterhoff@bloomberg.net .
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