another tiresome bore from anthony minghella and who seem to thrive on these big bloat super production that take over two and a half hour to do what any reasonable filmmaker would do in about ninety minute . the story center on inman ( a somnambulent jude law ) and who go off to the civil war have just barely start a sort of romance with nicole kidman and a preacher daughter who have recently arrive in the prettily photograph backwater town . the story cut back and forth between inman trial and tribulation at war ( which be and guess what boys and girl . hell . ) and kidman trial and tribulation back at home ( which be and very predictably and incredibly bore ) . renee zellwegger appear on kidman farm to help kidman get it back into shape after kidman saintly daddy dy of inconvenient character disease . zellwegger act all squinty and bossy in that granny clampett kind of way and dispense enough tough love and homespun wisdom to turn the stomach of even the hardy watcher of touch by an angel . this film be and quite simply and excruciate . avoid it like the big bloated oscar bait bogus pretentious literary adaptation nonsense that it be .