Cold Romance, Warm Story

Rating: 7/10 (2 April 2013)

Cold Mountain is a love story set during the Civil War. Now this movie doesn't move you to tears, it doesn't make you yearn for great romances but it doesn't quite leave you empty either; and that is because it was carried all the way home by one shell-shocking performance.
The story is rather trite but not so boring that you refuse to view it to the end. The character's earn your sympathy and friendship but you don't really know what you want to happen, because you are unsure of what to root for. The love story may be a great one, but the casting and the acting takes away from it. Jude Law and Nicole Kidman have absolutely no chemistry and every scene where they are supposed to make love to each other just comes across as forced and awkward. The jewel of this movie is Renee Zellweger; She steals every scene she is in and almost without effort becomes all that you are interested in, in the movie. Her accent is flawless, and her emotional breakdowns and highs are what keep you tethered to your seat.
Nicole Kidman, who is usually the star of her films, falls flat here. She plays sorority belle gone farm girl with a beau in the war, but she conveys almost no genuine emotion. Yes she looks as beautiful as ever but you cannot help but feel that should the role have gone to someone more suited to it that the part could have been great. Jude Law was okay, he looked the part but again, with Kidman as his love interest you don't really find him too believable.
All in all Zellweger really saves the film. She knocked it right out of the park and truly deserved that Oscar awarded to her. All of the small parts played out by big names (such as Natalie Portman who makes an appearance) are really cool to pick out while watching it, and watching Jude Law interact with them on his journey home is thought provoking with how true and harsh it all must have been. 6.8/10