We Bought a Zoo

This film, starring Matt Damon, was unequivocally everything I had hoped it would be. Upon viewing the trailer while waiting to watch The Muppets, there were tears in my eyes and my heart skipped a beat as I remembered I wasn't watching the film itself, just the preview.

The film came out yesterday and to my luck, my mother invited me to go and see it with her this evening. I was thrilled to see that the music throughout the film was performed by a favorite Icelandic musician, Jónsi, with a perfect selection of "Holocene" from Bon Iver's new album. It was little details such as these that kept me appreciating the film from start to finish.

The plot may have been at times predictable but they were predictions you wanted to happen; conflict you wanted to be resolved and rain you wish would stop. Coming into the theater already a Matt Damon fan I was interested to see how he was going to fill the widowed father role. A few things a noticed; Matt does look older, he is still as handsome as ever, and he should stick with a shorter haircut. Aside from my personal opinion, I think anyone leaving the theater could agree he played the roll wonderfully.

The warmhearted character of adorable Maggie Elizabeth Jones, melted my heart every time she was on the screen. Her character, "Rosie" was the seven year old whose dreams came true; her Dad moved them to a zoo. My favorite scene is when the Realtor tells Matt Damon's character, "Benjamin" that the house they wanted to buy was also a zoo. As Benjamin stood there dumbfounded, Rosie Jumped up and down as any seven year old would shouting "Yay!". Seriously, the cutest thing ever.

If the cast didn't win you over the animals did. Tigers, lions, bears, snakes, monkeys, owls, otters, peacocks, etc. The list goes on and on. Each personality portrayed in a relatable way as if you were on the team helping run the zoo itself.

If you and your family are wanting to go see a movie this holiday season, go and see We Bought A Zoo. It is the perfect film to tug at your heart strings, leave you with tears in your eyes, and hope in your heart.

You can't get more obvious what your film is about with a title like 'We Bought a Zoo', but fortunately director Cameron Crowe's adaptation of British journalist Benjamin Mee's autobiography possesses much more subtlety and nuance than what its title would suggest. The story of a grieving widower who makes the unusual decision to buy a rural property whose 18 acres includes the Rosemoor Animal Park, it is also Crowe's first feature since his 2005 flop 'Elizabethtown' and the feel-good family movie represents a welcome return to form for the talented filmmaker behind such classics like 'Say Anything' and 'Jerry Maguire'.

Working off a script by 'The Devil Wears Prada' and 'Morning Glory's' Aline Brosh McKenna, Crowe grounds the high-concept tale in a heart- warming story about a lonely widower trying to overcome his grief for his bereaved wife while attempting to reconnect with his teenage son Dylan (Colin Ford) and young daughter Rosie (Maggie Elizabeth Jones). Crowe is better than to take the easy route of mawkish sentimentality; instead, there is genuine humanity and optimism in his storytelling, complemented by some outstanding performances that he coaxes from an ensemble cast- in particular his lead actor Matt Damon.

Though the 'Bourne' trilogy has cemented his reputation as a thinking man's action star, Damon has been and still is a strong dramatic actor. The astute actor confidently matches the emotional beats that Crowe chooses for his character every step of the way, from sanguineness at a change of scenery early on to dismay later on when one thing after another goes awry. His is a heartfelt performance that packs a powerful emotional wallop in his understated delivery of a father struggling to do it right by his children- and nowhere is this more evident than in a powerful scene where Benjamin and Dylan address their fractured relationship head-on which is guaranteed to bring tears to your eyes.

The conviction that Damon brings to his role is a huge reason why the film achieves its intended poignancy. A scene where his character finally overcomes his fear of looking at past photographs of his wife and their happy days together as a family is simple yet moving- and appropriately filmed in close-ups; while the film's last scene where he reminisces his first encounter with his deceased wife to his children also works brilliantly thanks to Damon at his earnest best. He also shares great chemistry with each of his co-stars- whether Scarlett Johannson's perceptive zookeeper Kelly, or Thomas Haden Church's wry older brother Duncan.

Both Johannson and Church are also individually outstanding in their supporting roles, alongside other equally incomparable veterans like Angus MacFadyen as the groundskeeper with a longstanding grudge for park inspector Walter Ferris (John Michael Higgins) and Patrick Fugit (who played Crowe's alter ego in 'Almost Famous') as one of the zoo staffers with a capuchin monkey perpetually perched on his shoulders. Crowe has also assembled an impressive teenage cast- Ford brings a raw edge to his character's anger, counterbalanced perfectly by the ebullient Elle Fanning as Kelly's cousin- as well as an impossibly adorable Maggie Elizabeth Jones sure to melt your heart.

Aided by an outstanding cast, Crowe drives the narrative along with a sure confident hand. Alongside the running themes of grief and parenthood are well-inserted vignettes of Benjamin and his crew's obstacles at getting the zoo up to inspection standards in time for a grand reopening on the seventh seventh (or the seventh of July)- among them the escape of the zoo's 650-pound grizzly bear Buster, the fate of the zoo's 17-year-old ailing tiger Spar and of course Benjamin's impending bankruptcy (that we admit is over all too soon by a dues ex machina). Still, there is genuine feeling in every scene, and Crowe's choice of music (a mix of oldies with more contemporary tunes) as well as Jónsi's (of Icelandic cult band Sigur Rós) eclectic score works perfectly in complementing the mood of the film.

And even though it's tinged with sadness, the tone of the film is never depressing- Crowe making it sure that the film steers clear of both over-dramatic as well as melodramatic moments. There's hope and affirmation abound in this inspirational tale, and just because its message of acceptance and reconciliation may sound familiar doesn't mean it is less authentic or touching for that matter. It wears its heart on its sleeve, but thanks to Crowe's deft hand as well as Damon's heartfelt performance, even the cynical will find themselves moved.

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A heartwarming family drama was not something I expected from either Matt Damon or director Cameron Crowe but when I ended up watching this with my movie theatre-working friend today, that's what I got and to tell the truth, I actually liked what I saw. Whatever conflict arises in such a not-so-intense film mostly arises between that of Damon and his teenage son who hasn't completely gotten over the death of his mother. There's also some amusing scenes featuring that of the inspector played by John Michael Higgins. Oh, and Scarlett Johansson as the potential love interest was also pretty good. Really, all I'll say now is if you like this kind of thing, I highly recommend We Bought a Zoo.

We bought a zoo is a great movie to go see with the family. Damon flaunts his emotional acting abilities with great form but the stage stealer is young Maggie Elizebeth Jones playing Damon's seven year old daughter. Jones is an eccentric little girl who is bound to bring laughter and Aww's out of you. Elle Fanning does a great job as always; Tomas Haden Church plays his perfect role, and Scarlett Johansson levels things out very nicely.

If you want a lot of emotion with consistent laughter, We Bought a Zoo is a great Sunday afternoon choice. Bound to bring tears, smiles and laughter, with a great true story to back it up.

"You know, sometimes all you need is twenty seconds of insane courage. Just literally twenty seconds of just embarrassing bravery. And I promise you, something great will come of it." Benjamin Mee's (Damon) life is starting to crumble. His wife has died, his son is expelled from school and he quit his job. In hopes to start a new life they decide to move and find the perfect house. Then they realize that it's a zoo. I have to admit that I was a little skeptical going in because I thought that it would be a good movie but really cheesy. I really like Cameron Crowe though so I expected it to be good from that. I have to admit that this was one of the best family movies that I have seen in a long time. The movie had enormous heart, depth and tackled real world issues while still appealing to all ages. The writing and the acting were great and the movie absolutely won me over a half hour in. I highly recommend this one. Overall, this is a must see for families and is one to buy so you can watch over and over. I give it an A.