Just a Bit too Cold

Rating: 5/10 (13 January 2004)

Why is it that every friggin' year, a movie comes along that is made purely to win awards, mainly that gold statue everyone refers to ask "Oscar"? A couple years ago, here came "Chocolat" bumbling along in all it's sensual tastes that were bittersweet to most. Last year, the literary tale "The Hours" was transformed into a psuedo-epic of triple proportions, and it seemed the only thing the movie was accomplishing was obtaining acting prizes. So, here we are, another year, another Oscar season, and another Oscar-made production. Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you "Cold Mountain."
Hmm, where shall I start? Let's start with the movie itself. The grand scale in which director Anthony Minghella paints his portrait of the "South" is relatively huge. The landscapes are opulent, lush beyond your wildest dreams. In fact, it rivals LOTR in the category of "Beautiful Scenery." The story isn't all that bad. The writing isn't spectacular, but it probably will be nominated for reasons already mentioned. The dreaminess of the film is all around beautiful, spectacular in all its shapes and colors, and the spectacle of such a view is unmatched in many parts of the world. (However, this movie was made in Romania, which continues the trend of artsy moviemakers moving their production sets around the world, and that doesn't fare well to the US) The fault of the film does not lie with Minghella. In fact, I believe that he and Ms. Zellweger deserve nominations, if not wins. So, what exactly makes this movie subpar, or par in some people's eyes? Well, it's mainly the acting of Jude Law and Nicole Kidman.
How many times is good ol' Jude gonna say with his faux-southern gruff tone the word "Ada" with a heavy accent on the "D"? Seriously, I thought he was, to put it bluntly, a meathead. I'm not saying Jude is a horrible actor by no means. In fact, at the beginning of the movie, it seemed to me that he was going to have a breakout performance, one of those "quiet and subtle" performances that Benicio Del Toro has perfected. However, by the end of the movie, I saw how much Jude failed in his quest to be a leading man. His character didn't change. Period. He was the same rumbling, bumbling, stumbling baffoon who left Cold Mountain at the beginning of the movie. Such a shame. Nicole Kidman, on the other hand, does less with the little she is given. She's a remarkable actress, maybe the best of our time (although highly debatable), but she just doesn't do anything special here to merit a nomination, although many "experts" have her picked to be nominated. She looks quite radiant in her belle costume, but not much of that radiation gets to the audience. She is quickly turned upside down by the appearance of Renee Zellweger, who STEALS THE MOVIE! I haven't seen such a remarkable performance by a supporting actress in quite some time. I even forgot it was her. It may be Oscar grandstanding in a movie full of attempts at Oscar grandstanding, but this one is genuine in my mind. She struts around, openly showing her accent and womanly power as if she had possessed it all her life. Such an extravagent performance in an otherwise dull adaption.
Final Grade: C+