Matt Damon and Scarlett Johansson star in this drama, directed by Cameron Crowe (Jerry Maguire, Almost Famous), based on the true story of a single dad who moves his family into a zoo.
Benjamin Mee (Damon), an animal behaviour specialist, and his family need a fresh start. Using his life savings, he buys a dilapidated zoo in the countryside complete with 200 exotic animals (including Siberian tigers, African lions, wolves and brown bears), and moves his family in. Along with his children and an electric team of staff, Mee balances caring for his wife, diagnosed with brain cancer, with returning the zoo to its former glory.
The memoir of writer Benjamin Mee on which this film was based, sounds dramatic. Cameron Crowe’s version of events, however, loses some of its storytelling power. Leaning heavily on schmaltz, it’s a film with a nice enough message. Problem is, it amounts to the same level of excitement the zoo’s lions must feel pacing their enclosures every day.
Matt Damon is convincing as the grief-stricken dad trying to reconcile with his troubled son, and Scarlett Johansson almost manages to throw off the shackles of her glamour to play the head zookeeper, without much of a backstory of her own. The child stars: Elle Fanning, Colin Ford and the so-cute-you’ll-hurl Maggie Elizabeth Jones also light up the screen. And the soundtrack, provided by Jonsi of Sigur Ros, arouses genuine emotion.
But for a film with such a wild premise, this family-friendly drama is surprisingly tame. The stakes aren’t high enough for us to truly care about the zoo’s fate; the family simply move in and have to get on with the slow, dull task of bringing it back to life (along with their relationships). Nor is the primary antagonist – a curmudgeonly, anal zoo inspector – particularly threatening. Even their misadventures – escaped animals, love troubles, rain – are dealt with all too easily. Crowe does his best to play to the film’s themes of mortality and moving on but the result is a film that feels, well, more like a movie than a true story.
By Rebecca Barry Hill, Flicks.co.nz
A good family watcher, feel good movie.
one of my fav movies no violence or language just a nice funny family movie for all ages
We Bought a Zoo has an emotional intensity I honestly wasn't expecting; the relationships between father and son, and a husband grieving for his loss of his wife were completely on point. Matt Damon brings a tremendous earnestness to his portrayal of Benjamin. I like Matt Damon, why shouldn't I, he seems like a likeable bloke right? But golly he has made some bad character choices over the years; sadly he tends to gravitate towards comedic or action roles which is a shame because his work in Good Will Hunting is amongst the best dramatic acting of his generation. It's probably not fair to compare We Bought a Zoo and Good Will Hunting however is hard to find a role that has allowed Matt to open up this much since Will Hunting. To me its pleasing the majority of his dramatic cues are taken from the youngsters in this story which is a credit to the youthful actors whom he was playing against. Aline Brosh McKenna & Cameron Crowe have penned a refreshing screenplay, free from the trappings family drama's often throw at the viewer. There are some minor blips in the narratives pacing but they are inconsequential in the end. It's like the baby having it's portrait taken: all the fluffy animals are good at keeping you faced in the right direction long enough that you don't notice what's really going on. For these reasons I was surprised when Roger Ebert claimed the film as "too much formula and not enough human interest". To me We Bought a Zoo is entirely human interest, surely love and relationships & grief are cornerstones of humanity? I would compare Cameron Crowe's ability to source and cue music to that of a Master Sommelier matching a Pinot Noir with a juicy lamb steak. Those that have seen or read about his 2000 film Almost Famous will know that it is somewhat autobiographical; he spent much of his youth reading and writing about music for magazines such as Creme and Rolling Stone. Naturally, this gives him an advantage most directors wouldn't have when it comes to scoring a film. There are moments in We Bought a Zoo where the sound track seems almost organic, that the song was written specifically for an emotional cue only to realise the song was written decades ago.
Great movie the best ive seen in a long time. When i think of 'We bought a zoo' i think heart warming. Full of life and story so cute.
Yes, a little soppy in parts, but then so was the real story. Especially good for teens and in-betweens.
Formula, however, is the enemy of sincerity, and in We Bought A Zoo, the two engage in a film-long struggle.
Too much formula and not enough human interest.
Arguably the director's least typical film, it doesn't dodge the potholes of earnest sentimentality and at times overplays the whimsy. But the uplifting tale has heart, humanity and a warmly empathetic central performance from Matt Damon.
If, however, you like heartwarming—not cloying—stories about decent people, and hope to leave the theater feeling better than you did when you walked in, We Bought a Zoo will be a welcome cup of holiday cheer.
Sentimental without being mushy.
