Water for Elephants

Water for Elephants is a beautiful and touching story about a Ivy League college dropout, who studied veterinarian science.  After the death of his parents he decides to join the circus, where his love for animals and his love for his boss's wife become a problem.  It focuses a great deal on the mistreatment of animals and people in a traveling circus during the Prohibition time.
When I first started reading the book Water for Elephants, my expectations were pretty high.  I was hoping the movie would be fantastic as well.  After just the first chapter of the book, I felt really really sad.  Sara Gruen wasted no time tugging at the heart strings. Many will agree with me that the movie was pretty sad from the beginning too.  Throughout the entire book, I found myself asking "How are they going to prohect this situation on screen?"  The creators did not upset.  There were significant changes that had bothered me, however.  One of the major changes was the absence of one of the main characters, Big Al.  Or Uncle Al, I can't recall which one.  Instead they combined August into both characters to make him even more hated.  In the book, Al was hated more than August even though they were both equally dicks.  They also toyed around with the beginning, which I didn't like too much.  In the book he was in class when he heard the news of his parents' death.  After identifying their bodies (I liked how they kept the throwing up scene in to give you more of a sympathetic feel for Jacob), and finding out they had mortgaged everything for his education, he returns to school so it wasn't for nothing.  In the book, Gruen goes into detail about him having a nervous breakdown during his final exam and having to leave college, choosing instead to drop out.  I was also upset, but understood due to time constraints, that they didn't show more of older Jacob's life in the nursing home.  It was entertaining listening to him describe all the nurses and patients, and his interactions with them was charming as well.  I also like how they kept the ending the same.  I believe, however, that the book is sadder because more animal abuse is described in the book, but a lot of times (like in the movie) it was more implied too.  I guess its a good thing that the film didn't show as much abuse, because its easier to read about it than it is to watch it.  My final note is that its explained in the book that August is a paranoid schizophrenic, and that is why he is the way he is.  In the film, they never really elaborate on that, but you can assume something's wrong with him.
Now onto the actors.  Water for Elephants was directed by Francis Lawrence who is actually a music  video director (He directed videos for Britney Spears!!), but he has done some other dramas such as I Am Legend and Constantine.  Now I'm bias because he's directed videos for Britney Spears so obviously I can't say anything bad about him, he also did a great job directing Robert Pattinson (of the Twilight movies).  Pattinson did not suck in this film.  I didn't think he was a vampire trying to make it in the world as a vet on a traveling circus show.  I thought he was believable as someone with a soul.  Reese Witherspoon (Walk the Line, Legally Blonde) as Marlena played the part pretty well too.  Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds, The Green Hornet) played a good jerk.  The acting wasn't remarkable or anything, and I don't want to say it was well casted because I feel Pattinson was probably cast because of all the Twilight hype.  No scratch that, he was definitely cast because of that because in the book Gruen makes a big deal about Jacob's red hair, and Pattinson does not have red hair.  He did a good job though, I'll give him that.  I think it was a nice role for him to play someone different, someone who's not a controlling asshole (sorry Team Edward,but its true).  I really enjoyed the film and book and the wonderful message it portrayed, I recommend everyone sees it.  I will most likely buy the film once its released on DVD.  It was really good.  Read the book too!