Let me start off by saying that I really didn't have any intentions of seeing this movie. It looked kind of cute and the fact that Cameron Crowe directed it was a bit appealing, but after iffy reviews I figured I'd sit this one out. But then my mother and little sister wanted to see it so I decided to tag along. And I'm pretty glad I did.
Now I really don't have to sum up the plot here. I mean, it's in the title. We Bought a Zoo. But my usual viewers know me so I'm gonna do it anyway. Matt Damon's character, Benjamin Mee's wife has recently passed away, making him a single parent to a teenage boy and a little girl. He feels that his family needs a fresh start so he begins to look at new houses and the last one he comes across has a zoo as a backyard. That seems like a deal breaker, but when he sees his daughter light up, Benjamin gives in to his "20 seconds of insane courage" attitude and buys the house much to his son's dismay (but he's a curmudgeon about everything nowadays, so whatever).
Matt Damon and Colin Ford, who plays the son Dylan, are the actors who really carry this film. We Bought a Zoo is truly as corny as it looks and sounds, but Damon is as likable as ever and the constant feud between his character and the son is so powerful it brings the audience to tears. Crowe looks for every bit of sympathy he can from the viewers with every scene starting off with almost the same depressing song. And thanks to the subtitles on the screen at Regal Cinemas for whatever reason, I know the name of all of them. I thought that would ruin the movie (although I already thought I wouldn't like it) because I simply cannot ignore words on a screen. I have to read them. But whatever, I got over it. And although Crowe squeezes your tear ducts and it's so obvious that he's doing it, you can't help but feel the impact of everything Benjamin is going through. That's entirely thanks to Damon's performance. And as I said, him and the son really battle it out and one scene in particular involving them screaming at each other over what's right for them now that the mother is gone really triggered a big emotional response. The daughter, Maggie Elizabeth Jones as Rosie, is cute too so you can't resist rooting for this small family.
Scarlett Johansson also graces us with her presence and she's adorable as usual. Some of her lines are as cheesy as the rest of the film, but for some reason it all works. Her character, Kelly Foster, is the head zookeeper and is there with Benjamin throughout the whole "adventure" as he likes to refer to it. In addition, Thomas Haden Church is funny as the accountant brother who complains about Benjamin throwing away all his money.
The animals are cool to see as well, which is why my sister was interested, although some things were a bit inappropriate for her. Zoo ended up with a PG rating, but there are a lot of curses. No F bombs, but s*** is in there a few times, but not in the most obscene manner, which is okay I guess.
As predictable and obvious as this movie is with the title and all, some things aren't so. Sure there are the two teenagers on the farm, Dylan and the girl who already lives there, Elle Faning as Lily, and we all know how that ends up. But the foreseeable relationship between Benjamin and Kelly isn't as it seems, which is nice. Benjamin keeps thinking back to his wife, again bringing the river of tears.
I really didn't want to give a great review to this and didn't think I would. I don't want to be known as the guy who likes everything, but We Bought a Zoo really got to me. I'm telling you straight up that it is a cheesy film and does everything it can to make you cry, but thanks to great performances all around, especially Damon as the lead, a troubled father you want to see connect with his children, and Ford as an equally troubled teenager who is lost in his own emotions and dark artwork, Zoo manages to soar. They make Crowe's mushy screenplay and direction something we can get behind. And we all need one of those "feel good" movies every now and then anyway. As I do with all movies I enjoy, I leave the theater thinking I can be more like the protagonist, so for right now, "20 seconds of insane courage" is something I'm gonna live by. Probably not for long though. Oh well.
So it seems that I've viewed just about every movie released this holiday season, with a few exceptions (Tintin), and it's been a very entertaining and enjoyable one (besides The Descendants).
Let's hope the new year keeps us just as satisfied at the theater.
We Bought a Zoo: 3/4 Stars
Entire 2011 Holiday Season: 3.5/4
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