We Bought a Zoo: Incredibly Heart-warming Family Film
Still reeling from the loss of his wife, Benjamin Mee (Damon), along with his kids seven-year old Rosie (Jones) and fourteen-year old Dylan (Ford), relocates to a new house in the country that comes with a rundown zoo attached to it. Desperate to give his kids a new experience, Benjamin throws everything he has into bringing the zoo back to its former glory so it can pass the upcoming inspection and open in the summer.
Damon is incredible. He perfects the whole father role and the connection he has with his kids is very genuine; be it with the absolutely adorable Rosie, who he just wants to make happy; or with the struggling Dylan, who's feeling abandoned. The cast is well rounded with some great supporting actors such as Scarlett Johansson, who plays the head zookeeper; Elle Fanning who plays the zookeeper's cousin that has a crush on Dylan; Patrick Fugit, one of the zoo employees; and Thomas Haden-Church, as Benjamin's sarcastic brother.
On paper the film sounds absolutely precious and that feeling is only solidified when we are introduced to the animals; which include a depressed bear, a dying tiger and a lion named Solomon. The film is deceptively deep, at least emotionally, because as far as the plot goes it's quite generic. The whole zoo environment is just a way of forcing the characters together because at its core, this is really a film about relationships; whether it's between father and child, siblings or a romantic one. The story is simply about a man who has to rediscover himself after his wife dies; he has to be there for his kids when what he desperately needs is for someone to be there for him. It spans a full range of emotions from unabashed joy to outright sobbing; but in the end, it'll leave you with a huge smile splashed across your face – unless of course you're the cynical type, in which case this film would be excruciating to sit through.
The film does occasionally veer towards the sappy, especially whenever Rosie is on screen – she is cuteness personified - but the film is so earnest that it doesn't matter. Besides, the thoroughly fantastic soundtrack and score – more often than not – temper everything. SigurRós frontman Jónsi scores this film in addition to using a few tracks by various artists such as Cat Stevens, Tom Petty, Neil Young and Bob Dylan.
We Bought a Zoo has been carefully engineered to tug at your heartstrings and unclog your tear ducts. It's completely old fashioned and wears its heart proudly on its sleeve, but that doesn't mean it isn't also thoroughly delightful. In fact, it frequently reaches Disney levels of happiness and heart, while maintaining its backbone. Ultimately, it's a perfect family film.
360 Tip
The movie is based on a real story and was adapted from Benjamin Mee's memoir. Him and his two kids have cameos in the film towards the end.
Like This? Try The Descendants, Little Miss Sunshine, The Royal Tenenbaums
Damon is incredible. He perfects the whole father role and the connection he has with his kids is very genuine; be it with the absolutely adorable Rosie, who he just wants to make happy; or with the struggling Dylan, who's feeling abandoned. The cast is well rounded with some great supporting actors such as Scarlett Johansson, who plays the head zookeeper; Elle Fanning who plays the zookeeper's cousin that has a crush on Dylan; Patrick Fugit, one of the zoo employees; and Thomas Haden-Church, as Benjamin's sarcastic brother.
On paper the film sounds absolutely precious and that feeling is only solidified when we are introduced to the animals; which include a depressed bear, a dying tiger and a lion named Solomon. The film is deceptively deep, at least emotionally, because as far as the plot goes it's quite generic. The whole zoo environment is just a way of forcing the characters together because at its core, this is really a film about relationships; whether it's between father and child, siblings or a romantic one. The story is simply about a man who has to rediscover himself after his wife dies; he has to be there for his kids when what he desperately needs is for someone to be there for him. It spans a full range of emotions from unabashed joy to outright sobbing; but in the end, it'll leave you with a huge smile splashed across your face – unless of course you're the cynical type, in which case this film would be excruciating to sit through.
The film does occasionally veer towards the sappy, especially whenever Rosie is on screen – she is cuteness personified - but the film is so earnest that it doesn't matter. Besides, the thoroughly fantastic soundtrack and score – more often than not – temper everything. SigurRós frontman Jónsi scores this film in addition to using a few tracks by various artists such as Cat Stevens, Tom Petty, Neil Young and Bob Dylan.
We Bought a Zoo has been carefully engineered to tug at your heartstrings and unclog your tear ducts. It's completely old fashioned and wears its heart proudly on its sleeve, but that doesn't mean it isn't also thoroughly delightful. In fact, it frequently reaches Disney levels of happiness and heart, while maintaining its backbone. Ultimately, it's a perfect family film.
360 Tip
The movie is based on a real story and was adapted from Benjamin Mee's memoir. Him and his two kids have cameos in the film towards the end.
Like This? Try The Descendants, Little Miss Sunshine, The Royal Tenenbaums
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