Better Than I Expected

Rating: Null/10 (17 January 2004)

Overall, I enjoyed this film.
I've read some of the comments about the lack of chemistry, miscasting, and other odds and ends. All I can say to that is . . . for "Hollywood," they did much better than I would have thought.
The movie has some very powerful moments. The character of Ruby (Rene Zellwiger) is enjoyable (she has the best line in the movie--about men creating the weather then complaining about the rain), and Portman's performance was outstanding.
I've also seen complaints about the sex and violence in the movie. The fact is, things like this DID happen in the South during the Civil War. I'm glad the producers chose not to soften the harshness and brutality that civilians, mostly women and children, had to suffer. The movie was rated R, so viewers should have been fairly warned. I do agree that some of the sex/nudity could have been seen as gratuitous, but in the context of the story I think it was acceptable.
Does the movie live up to the promise of the novel, and does it stand out as a literary landmark of the twenty-first century? No, of course not--it was never intended to. But it beats the heck out of "Dude, Where My Car?" as an enjoyable and moving experience.