Opportunity Missed

Rating: 3/10 (6 July 2004)

If you saw and liked Doris Day as Calamity Jane, -- in a past decade, then you will love Renee Zellweger as Ruby. When you first meet her, you will smile. A little further into the movie she will make you laugh, and before its over she will make you want to cry. A truly great performance, and a marvelous character.
I thought Nichole Kidman also had an excellent performance as Ada. Unfortunately for her, many of her scenes were shot with Zellweger's Ruby causing her to be upstaged.
Overall, I found the movie disappointing. If one thought they were going to see a civil war movie, they didn't. If they thought they were going to see a love story, they didn't.
Instead you got to witness the journey of an unworthy and somewhat despicable character who evaded and escaped from characters even more despicable then he, for the purpose of reuniting with, not a lover, but a mere acquaintance.
The performance of Jude Law was without any passion. He didn't show fear when he should have been scared to death. He didn't display anger when he should have been mad as hell, and regardless how perilous his plight, he never showed despair.
Whether the responsibility is that of the director, the content of the book or even the quality of the screen play, I do not know, but the opportunity to make a very good or even great movie was missed.
Perhaps they should have considered new patches on old jeans. Sommersby, with Richard Gere comes to mind.