Too much borrowed to be redeemed by good acting

Rating: Null/10 (28 December 2003)

Too much of this film is "borrowed" from "Gone With The Wind" and "O Brother Where Art Thou." The book and the movie lean heavily on plot from "The Odyssey," although not as closely as "O Brother." What was really disconcerting was to see Nicole Kidman digging up on that hill (shades of Scarlet O'Hara!); and what was she digging up, anyway? Through 4 years of the Civil War and untold hardships, her makeup never faded; eyeliner, mascara, blusher, all scrupulously in place. Renee Zellweger and Jude Law give strong, noteworthy performances, as do a number of actors in minor parts. Nevertheless, this has been done, and done better.