PG | | Comedy, Drama, Family | 23 December 2011 (USA)
“We Bought A Zoo” (2011) was an instant children’s movie classic based on a true story. Englishman Benjamin Mee is a thrill-seeking adventure columnist for The Guardian newspaper, living in the south of France. His wife dies from a brain tumor, leaving him to bring up their little daughter Rosie and rebellious pre-teen son, Dylan.
When Dylan’s dark and disturbing drawings of decapitations get him expelled from school, dad Benjamin gives himself over to a whirlwind of change, quitting his job and going house hunting. After a long search, his real estate agent shows him a fantastic house in Devon, England. It’s got one major complication though—it comes with a zoo attached.
That’s actually from the book. The movie version is set in California; Benjamin Mee is played by Matt Damon, and the real estate agent is played by the hilarious J.B. Smoove.
Ben’s daughter, Rosie, cuter-than-cute (Maggie Elizabeth Jones), twists daddy around her little finger thusly: “You don’t have to take a picture. We’re going to live here.”
The Zoo
The zoo still has a skeleton crew, the backbone of which is the ever-responsible Kelly (Scarlett Johansson). She’s initially skeptical of Benjamin’s ability to stay the course once the massive commitment he’s undertaken dawns on him.
Closed for two years, the zoo’s got lions, a tiger, and 48 other species, many endangered. It needs a major overhaul and someone serious about investing the time, effort, and finances to take charge of it, or the animals and remaining staff won’t survive.
It’s a challenge Benjamin is willing to take on, even though he has only four months to get the all the various dilapidated structures up to spec in time for a July opening.
Benjamin’s older, accountant brother (the hysterical Thomas Haden Church) tries to steer his brother clear of the impending financial disaster: “Travel the stages of grief, but stop just before zebras get involved.”
There’s much preparation for the upcoming zoo inspection. Inspector Walter Ferris (John Michael Higgins) is somewhat predictably but also delightfully arch as the villain, who is, naturally, a main source of tension driving the movie. Higgins as Ferris has a ton of fun nitpicking, hair-splitting, and reveling in his power to veto licenses for such small-fry, mom-and-pop zoos.
Cast
It’s a talented A-list cast creating well-defined characters, which meshes nicely with the animal-actor cast, each of which also becomes a well-defined personality.
Damon, 41 at the time, is hugely sympathetic, working through his grief (“if only I could talk to her about getting over her”). His character is, of course, constantly chased by many hopeful women; his refrigerator’s packed to the gills with lasagnas of longing.
The zoo-crew includes Kelly’s 13-year-old cousin Lily (Elle Fanning), a mechanical whiz who drinks too much (Angus Macfadyen; Robert the Bruce from “Braveheart”), and a staff guy who’s always got a capuchin monkey on his shoulder (Patrick Fugit from “Almost Famous”).
It’s a bit magical to get up close to regal Bengal Tiger “Spar” and hear his wide range of animal speech. Priceless for children is the scene in which Johansson demonstrates how tigers “chuff” instead of roar (like lions), and how they chuff in response, when someone speaks their language.
The dramatic scenes between father and son demonstrate that actors really are a tribe—when working, they’re all equals, regardless of age. In the movie’s most dramatic scene, Damon blasts young Colin, and Colin chews the scenery right back at him with equal power.
The romantic chemistry between Benjamin and Kelly keeps you rooting for them, and the puppy love between Dylan and Lily is very touching.
All in All
One of the movie’s best teachings is the concept that if one commits to “20 seconds of insane, embarrassing courage” to attain things one desires, good things will always come of it. We see examples of this demonstrated on various occasions, especially as a pep talk from father to son to get Dylan to go a-courting the lovely Lily.
Will Rosemoor Animal Park be returned to its former glory? Will it pass muster? Will the sick tiger live? Will the escaped grizzly cause the zoo to get shut down? Will people show up? Will Benjamin and Kelly hit it off? Ditto for the younger couple?
One thing is for certain: “We Bought A Zoo” will not require covering your children’s eyes and ears every two minutes. It’s guaranteed to deliver some solid life lessons and leave everyone a little bit teary-eyed and smiling.
Yes, there’s no denying 2011’s “We Bought A Zoo” is a movie by Cameron Crowe and shares most if not all of the Crowe formula, such as the main character reassessing his life, a fun love interest, an adorable child, and super-infectious pop tunes on the soundtrack. Think “Say Anything,” “Jerry Maguire,” and “Almost Famous.”
‘We Bought A Zoo’
Director: Cameron Crowe
Starring: Matt Damon, Scarlett Johansson, Colin Ford, Maggie Elizabeth Jones, Thomas Haden Church, Patrick Fugit, Elle Fanning, Angus Macfadyen, Peter Riegert, J.B. Smoove
Rating: PG
Running Time: 2 hours, 4 minutes
Release Date: Dec. 23, 2011
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
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