Reese Witherspoon has a choice: Stay with the worst Nazi from Inglourious Basterds so that she can continue to play with the circus animals—or run away with Robert Pattinson.

Let's examine her dilemma.
BEHIND THE SCENES: Reese dishes on love and Rob
Set mostly in the 1930s, Water for Elephants--based on the best-seller by Sara Gruen—features R.Pattz as veterinary student Jacob, who quits school after a family tragedy, decides to ride the rails and unwittingly jumps a circus train. There he finds ringleader August, played by Oscar winner Christoph Waltz, and his wife, Marlena, played by a pin-curled Witherspoon.

From the looks of this first trailer, August is a charming but violent guy who ultimately decides that the smoldering lost soul who obviously has bedroom eyes for his wife needs to go.

Hal Holbrook plays the elderly present-day Jacob (look K.Stew, it's your future!), so those who didn't read the book can assume he at least makes it out of the love triangle—and "the most famous circus disaster of all time"—alive.

Water for Elephants is awash in period detail, close-ups of Rob's pretty eyes and Reese's angelic skin, Big Top razzle-dazzle and, unavoidably, plenty of elephant dung.

But only by seeing the movie, in theaters April 15, will we know whether the PattinSpoon combination soars or if the actors really stepped in it.

E Online