For months I’ve been talking about the big screen adaptation of the novel Water for Elephants and this weekend the film finally opened in theaters. To be honest, despite the amount of time I spent blogging about the production and promotion of the film, I wasn’t really convinced that I would love the final product. Last night, David and I decided to see the film because it was the best option available … and while I was kinda, sorta interested in seeing it, I wasn’t all that excited. I am happy to report that I not only enjoyed the film, I actually really loved it!

For months, Pink readers have been advising me to read the novel but I never found the time to do so … having seen the film, I think I’m glad that I saw the film version first. I was expecting a schmaltzy film but not a truly emotional one … I was sucked in immediately. The character interaction is superb and the chemistry between Reese Witherspoon and Robert Pattinson is really fantastic. I believed the emotion that transpired between their two characters. The movie was endearing, entertaining, heartwarming and even exciting. I was gripped to the edge of my seat by the end of the film. Christoph Waltz plays an excellent villain … he really rounds out the cast very perfectly (but, without question, the scene stealer is Rosie the elephant). The opening sequence really threw me off … I thought I knew how the movie would end but I was pleasantly surprised. The film was shot so beautifully that I really forgot it was a period piece (which I normally hate). I’ve never really thought about circuses … never felt any allure toward them. Water for Elephants does a great job of romanticizing and exposing their cruelty all at the same time. If I were to compare the film to another that I was surprised that I loved, it would be The Notebook. If that film is something you enjoy watching, you will deffo love Water for Elephants. Did any of y’all watch the movie this weekend? What did you think?

Now … I think I’ll really have to read the book to find out what stuff got cut out of the final product ;)