Review: We Bought A Zoo

Plot: Based on the real-life memoir by writer Benjamin Mee (Matt Damon) We Bought A Zoo follows Benjamin's story as he tries to put his life back together after his wife dies. A single father to Dylan (Colin Ford) and Rosie (Maggie Elizabeth Jones), Benjamin decides he and his family need a drastic change. Using his father's inheritance, Benjamin takes a leap of faith and purchases a new house. Only one problem. It comes with a fully functioning zoo that Mee must save. Along with head zookeeper Kelly Foster (Scarlett Johansson) and an eclectic bunch of caretakers, Mee must somehow find a way to save the zoo, his livelihood, and his family.

Review: It's been a few years since audiences have experienced a Cameron Crowe film, and while his return to cinema isn't perfect, it certainly possesses a charm all its own.

The events surrounding We Bought a Zoo at first glance seem a little cliche but sometimes in life cliches become reality. We've all seen the story of a single father struggling in the wake of his wife's death while dealing with grieving children, but somehow director Crowe manages to breathe life into an otherwise tired story. Crowe, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Aline Brosh McKenna, keeps the film light and happy with the focus on Benjamin. While the film drags in places and at 123 minutes is overly long, We Bought a Zoo captures that Cameron Crowe quality of his previous films like Almost Famous. (Actor Patrick Fugit, the main character from Almost Famous, even has a small part as monkey caretaker Robin Jones.)

We Bought a Zoo contains inconsistent acting performances however. Scarlett Johansson while decent as Kelly at times seems like she's trying too hard. The chemistry between her and Damon is strong, however it seems at times that the filmmakers tried to force the love story between the two. While I think Elle Fanning is an extremely talented young actress (I loved her in Super 8) her performance as Lily is abysmal. Perpetually perky and hung up on Dylan, her constant happiness becomes increasingly annoying and the final resolution between her and Dylan is expected.

Angus MacFadyen was hilarious as Peter MacCready the Scottish carpenter who drinks whiskey constantly and hates Walter Ferris (John Michael Higgins) the strict zoo inspector that serves as the main protagonist for the film. The scene where his co-workers try to keep him locked up while Ferris is at the zoo is particularly funny. Thomas Hayden Church unfortunately adds nothing to the film as Benjamin's brother Duncan. It seemed like Church just showed up for a paycheck in this one. And incidentally I'm getting tired of Higgins playing the heel in films. He needs to branch out.

What makes We Bought a Zoo a good film however is the strong performance of Matt Damon in the lead role. It's an everyman role that's light years removed from his performance as Jason Bourne. Damon exhibits a vulnerability and evokes an empathy I've rarely seen him do. I thought the inevitable blow up he has with his son 3/4 into the film was particularly powerful. His relationship to a dying tiger also rings true. Benjamin is someone we can all route for. Benjamin personifies the "20 seconds of embarrassing courage" many wish they could take but few do. Matt Damon holds this movie together throughout.

We Bought a Zoo contains its share of sappy moments. The ending I felt was incredibly cheesey and I felt several times that the sentimentality bordered on schmaltz. This however doesn't take away from the fact that We Bought a Zoo is an enjoyable if run of the mill family film.

My rating: 7/10