Movie Review: "We Bought a Zoo"

We Bought a Zoo
Directed by: Cameron Crowe
Starring: Matt Damon, Scarlett Johansson, Thomas Hayden Church
Rated: PG for language and some thematic elements

Cameron Crowe's specialty is deep relational drama's that traditionally take you into his masculine-yet-sentimental characters. His latest film, We Bought a Zoo, is a more so family film than his previous efforts have been, but it still fits within his style. Matt Damon plays Benjamin Mee, a widower, who quits his job and moves his two kids to a new home in an attempt to get away from the life and painful memories of their past. However, the home is connected with a closed and rundown Zoo, and having his family and the few staff still there re-open the Zoo is the external plot of the film. While Matt Damon gels perfectly in the "soccer dad" role, the film can never really figure out exactly what it is trying to be, or perhaps tries to be too many things. This makes for an extremely cluttered climax of the film, where everything seemingly has to find resolution, and you can never tell exactly what storyline is propelling the film. There are also some campy and ridiculous moments that feel more out of place considering the deeply human tone of the film, particularly the cartoonish Zoo inspector, who seems more like a villain from some Disney channel tv show rather than a Cameron Crowe film. Also thought that the "un-socialized homeschooler", played by Elle Fanning, was a little over-the-top, but perhaps that is my homeschool bias coming out. Perhaps the most unsavory element of the movie was the fact that this PG-rated film had 4 uses of the "s-word" and a handful of other profanities, which, I felt, made it inappropriate for some of the young children in attendance. It's certainly not a Pixar-rated PG film, and I would argue not even a family-friendly film. Despite it all, We Bought a Zoo is a heartwarming movie, thanks to the performance of Matt Damon, the adorable character of Rosie (Maggie Elizabeth Jones), music from Sigur Ros frontman Jonsi, and the human element that, surprisingly, puts animals and people in their proper place. As Benjamin's brother wonderfully puts it "I like the animals, but I love the humans."