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WATER FOR ELEPHANTSMovie Reviews
Drama romance, set in the Depression era and based on the novel of the same name by Sara Gruen, about a young man who drops out of veterinary school to tend to the animals in a traveling circus where he falls for the star performer. Cast:Robert Pattinson, Reese Witherspoon, Christoph Waltz, Hal HolbrookDirector:Francis LawrenceRelease Date:April 22, 2011DVD Release:November 1, 2011From:20th Century FoxRating:PG-13Length:1 hr 37 min
Water For Elephants played to mixed reviews. • Michael Phillips wrote in the Chicago Tribune, "...elevates pure corn to a completely satisfying realm of romantic melodrama." • And Mary Elizabeth Williams wrote for Salon, "...painfully mediocre.... the problem isn't just miscasting or the cheesiness of the material. It's Pattinson's increasingly predictable, dour persona." More Reviews Below...
Water For Elephants Positive Reviews (45 Reviews, reviews below)
Alynda Wheat, People: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...with sluggish action and a patent lack of chemistry, the two-legged actors just can't compete with the pachyderm's charms.... the film is still beautiful to watch."(See all of Alynda Wheat's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 410 words, 04/22/11
David Germain, Associated Press: MODERATE(cg) "...plods along at a pachyderm's pace.... The romance is utterly predictable and uninvolving, with barely a spark igniting between Witherspoon and Pattinson."(See all of David Germain's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 737 words, 04/21/11
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...made to resemble a good old-fashioned, crowd-pleasing movie, this cinematic film droops and lumbers like Rosie the elephant herself."(See all of Lisa Schwarzbaum's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 599 words, 04/22/11
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Even nonreaders of the book can figure out what happens next. It's all in the telling. Sara Gruen provided grit and pungent detail. The movie settles for gloss."(See all of Peter Travers's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 276 words, 04/29/11
Claudia Puig, USA Today: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "The script by Richard LaGravenese, who is well-versed in adapting popular fiction such as 'Bridges of Madison County,' lacks the sparkle of his best work."(See all of Claudia Puig's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 459 words, 04/22/11
Roger Ebert, RogerEbert.com: VERY GOOD(cg) "...it's sort of old-fashioned (and a pleasure) to see a movie made of real people and plausible sets... good sound family entertainment, a safe PG-13 but not a dumb one..."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 557 words, 04/22/11
James Berardinelli, Reel Views: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...does an excellent job of re-creating the Depression-era circus business but is less successful in generating the needed heat between the two leads."(See all of James Berardinelli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 762 words, 04/23/11
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (12 Reviews)
Stephen Holden, New York Times: POOR "...short-circuits the novel's quirky charms and period atmosphere... smothers the drama under James Newton Howard's insufferable wall-to-wall musical soup."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 966 words, 04/22/11
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...replicates just enough of the novel's fantasy to keep audiences involved, even if the results hardly add up to the most spectacular show at the cineplex."(See all of Elizabeth Weitzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 365 words, 04/22/11
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...elevates pure corn to a completely satisfying realm of romantic melodrama.... the material requires utter commitment and belief in the power of the corn."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 618 words, 04/22/11
John Anderson, New York Newsday: WEAK(cg) "There's simply no reason to care about the three-way conflict at the heart of the movie... there might have been, with a different cast."(See all of John Anderson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 582 words, 04/22/11
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "...it's sort of old-fashioned (and a pleasure) to see a movie made of real people and plausible sets... good sound family entertainment, a safe PG-13 but not a dumb one..."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 557 words, 04/22/11
Peter Howell, Toronto Star: MODERATE(cg) "Robert Pattinson gazes adoringly into the eye of his beloved Rosie, caressing her as he does so... Except Rosie is an elephant, and the movie isn't a Disney cartoon."(See all of Peter Howell's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 633 words, 04/22/11
Rick Groen, Toronto Globe & Mail: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Does the sheer Hollywood hoopla add up to a perversely enjoyable brand of something that can be loosely called entertainment? I think it does."(See all of Rick Groen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 805 words, 04/22/11
Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer: VERY GOOD(cg) "Steamy and sexy with a smack of sadism... provides the basic movie-movie pleasure of beautiful people struggling their way out of ugly situations."(See all of Carrie Rickey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 413 words, 04/22/11
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: OUTSTANDING(cg) "A handsome, expensive-looking adaptation... balances the colorful glitz of a three-ring spectacle with the atmospheric realism that a rich drama demands."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 536 words, 04/22/11
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: WEAK(cg) "Add romantic chemistry to the list of things that fall flat, alongside dialogue and acting. Happily, Christoph Waltz is on hand as a borderline psychotic..."(See all of Bill Goodykoontz's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 507 words, 04/22/11
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: MODERATE(cg) "The camera, costumes, and art direction do everything right.... The movie strips away both the grand weirdness of the circus and the dire desolation of the Depression."(See all of Wesley Morris's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 609 words, 04/22/11
Stephen Whitty, New Jersey Star-Ledger: MODERATE(cg) "The actors -- particularly Pattinson -- hold back. They seem shy, almost embarrassed by the material, and that holds us back, too."(See all of Stephen Whitty's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 542 words, 04/22/11
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: VERY GOOD(cg) "The affectionate but turbulent dynamic among Waltz, Pattinson and Witherspoon is endlessly watchable, thanks mainly to Waltz..."(See all of Mick LaSalle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 686 words, 04/22/11
Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: MODERATE(cg) "...a story about forbidden passions and freakish marvels, it's basically a chaste entertainment to pass the time..."(See all of Joe Williams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 284 words, 04/22/11
Steve Persall, St. Petersburg Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a good movie, just not as great as I'd hoped after hearing how cinematic Gruen's prose felt on her pages. The period and themes had me expecting something grittier..."(See all of Steve Persall's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 468 words, 04/21/11
Tom Long, Detroit News: VERY GOOD(cg) "It doesn't soar, it doesn't transcend, it doesn't elate, explode or astound. But as a solid adaptation of a popular novel with some added tweaks, it works quite well."(See all of Tom Long's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 316 words, 04/22/11
Connie Ogle, Miami Herald: VERY GOOD(cg) "Pattinson gets a chance to shed his sparkly vampire persona and play a romantic lead with a pulse.... an engaging cinematic escape."(See all of Connie Ogle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 637 words, 04/22/11
Katey Rich, Cinema Blend: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...a beach read of a movie, broad and unchallenging but spirited and sometimes moving too. It's the kind of froth just strong enough to sweep you up if you'll allow it."(See all of Katey Rich's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 535 words, 04/21/11
Tom Meek, Boston Phoenix: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Its piquant detailing of the carny world captures the imagination, but the story comes down to a tired love triangle..."(See all of Tom Meek's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 138 words, 04/28/11
Tasha Robinson, AV Club: MODERATE(cg) "...wrapped in a hearty dose of sentimentality and uplift, it rarely tugs at the heartstrings hard enough to become cloying.... a film the whole family can stomach."(See all of Tasha Robinson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 416 words, 04/21/11
Stephanie Zacharek, Movieline: EXCELLENT(cg) "Francis Lawrence is alive to the wonder of spectacle, and he still believes in the old-fashioned idea of movie stars: Those with two legs, and especially those with four."(See all of Stephanie Zacharek's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,474 words, 04/21/11
Glenn Heath Jr., Slant: MODERATE(cg) "...feels like a sweet fable adrift in a sea of darker realities.... When the dam of secrets finally breaks, it hastily veers into conventional territory."(See all of Glenn Heath Jr.'s reviews...)(Read the full review...) 804 words, 04/21/11
MaryAnn Johanson, Flick Filosopher: VERY GOOD(cg) "...doesn't pretend to be anything other than an old-fashioned melodrama yarn-spun for as much emotion and tragedy and romance as possible."(See all of MaryAnn Johanson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 321 words, 05/05/11
HIGHBROW PRESS (5 Reviews)
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: POOR "How do I count the ways this movie goes wrong?... Robert Pattinson's Jacob and Reese Witherspoon's Marlena, generate less heat than a naphtha stove."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 327 words, 04/22/11
Stephen Holden, New York Times: POOR "...short-circuits the novel's quirky charms and period atmosphere... smothers the drama under James Newton Howard's insufferable wall-to-wall musical soup."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 966 words, 04/22/11
Dana Stevens, Slate: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...stodgy, old-fashioned, predictable, and sentimental.... Yet there's a strange pleasure in letting this faintly ridiculous film wash over you..."(See all of Dana Stevens's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 843 words, 04/22/11
Todd McCarthy, Hollywood Reporter: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "A decorous, respectable adaptation... would have come more excitingly alive with stronger doses of Depression-era grit and sexual spunk."(See all of Todd McCarthy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,104 words, 04/21/11
Emanuel Levy, Cinema 24/7: MODERATE(cg) "What has happened to the gifted and charming Reese Witherspoon?... there is no chemistry between Witherspoon and Robert Pattinson..."(See all of Emanuel Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 283 words, 04/21/11
Stephen Holden, New York Times: POOR "...short-circuits the novel's quirky charms and period atmosphere... smothers the drama under James Newton Howard's insufferable wall-to-wall musical soup."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 966 words, 04/22/11
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: POOR "How do I count the ways this movie goes wrong?... Robert Pattinson's Jacob and Reese Witherspoon's Marlena, generate less heat than a naphtha stove."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 327 words, 04/22/11
19.4 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Water For Elephants's reviews are separated by an average 19.4 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
Water For Elephants (45 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Water For Elephants's reviews cover 88.1% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 26,123 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 580 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Water For Elephants Coverage, Volume & Length (45 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 8.0 Hours After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Water For Elephants's reviews on average broke 8.0 hours after opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is Water For Elephants's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Water For Elephants (45 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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