It's becoming quite the cliché to mention Robert Pattinson's elongated nose-hit-with-a-saucepot face whilst talking about his films, so I shan't comment on it at all. Anyway, in this film he smiles sometimes and he isn't all glittery and shit, so the angles of his face are less apparent. The sad moments are mere plot devices, and thus his moody face is only on the screen for a few minutes, such as the opening moments which explain how our 1930s Polish-American hero Jacob abandoned his veterinary studies to join a travelling circus.I wasn't expecting to like this movie very much, the posters were a bit rom-com and the title is too clunky for my (wannabe) poet's ears. But when I saw the trailer and realised it starred an actual elephant, and not just some awkward metaphor, I got a bit excited. The elephant doesn't disappoint at all, she is beautiful and clever, like Reese Witherspoon (the glowing acrobatic angel and circus "Star attraction" Marlena).
The Titanic/Phantom of the Opera style beginning - oh look, an elderly person, they must be a bit bonkers, WAIT, they have an interesting story to tell... hey up, they were young once? REALLY?? - sets us up for a potential tragedy, so as the realities of the dreamy circus life start to show through the sparkly haze (animals beatings? throwing staff off moving trains to save money? sounds great) we begin to grow wary of psychotic ring master Christopher Waltz (everyones fave Colonel from Inglourious Basterds).
There are some heart wrenching moments, I nearly shed a tear or two, but the ending is rather family friendly. Well, maybe not suitable for kids, but a lot less depressing than I anticipated anyway. Oh, and Bishop Brennan from Father Ted is in it, and loads of lovely animals. It's nice!
