I wanted to like “We Bought a Zoo.” It has animals in it and how can you not like a movie with animals? But I really, really wanted to like this movie. The main problem is the uneven tone with its manipulation of emotions and its strength is Matt Damon. Directed by Cameron Crowe, this movie is about overcoming grief and second chances. It’s a melodrama with bits and pieces of comedy, love story, coming of age narrative and father-son relationship drama. Matt Damon rises above the contrived material and humanizes Benjamin Mee, the widowed father of two who decides his family needs a fresh start and uses all of his savings to buy and fix a house with a ramshackle zoo.
Maggie Elizabeth Jones, the 7-year-old redhead who plays Benjamin’s daughter, Rosie, manages to be cute without being overly sugary. And Thomas Haden Church who plays Duncan, Benjamin’s accountant brother, has some of the best lines. Although there is some chemistry between Scarlett Johansson as the zookeeper Kelly, she seems miscast. The film is based on a true story of a Brit who bought a dilapidated zoo and the supporting cast of eccentric characters seem better suited to a British comedy than a mainstream American movie even though they are a likable lot. The least funny part involves a self-important inspector (John Michael Higgins), in charge of deciding whether the zoo will open to the public. His role is, at best, a caricature in the middle of real people with real issues. As a director, Crowe pushes every scene to the emotional max with close-ups in dappled sunlight and glowy background music. So when you feel the emotional pull, you’re also aware of everything Crowe did to get you there. Nonetheless, “We Bought a Zoo” is a sweet if predictable movie, just about right for the good will floating around the holidays. 12/24/11
2 comments:
A great family film, I really enjoyed this "true story". One of the better films of the year!!
It's hard to say what this film is. It's part feel-good, part heartbreaking. There were lots of kids in the movie theater to see it, but it's not really a film for children. Although the movie is hard to categorize and I agree that some of the emotional moments were overdone, all in all, I really liked it. On top of the sweet story, the themes offer some very interesting conversation starters, such as, if you hit a point in life where you either get (or create for yourself) a 'do-over' or a chance to restart, what would you do and how committed would you be to it? I enjoyed the movie a lot.
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