We Bought a Zoo ***

          

We Bought a Zoo is a feel good family flick that’s definitely worth watching with the family… or on your lonesome if you want to indulge your inner child (like me).

I’m not going to say it’s brilliant, but it’s different, possibly because it’s actually based on a true story.

The title pretty much sums up the premise of the film.  Matt Damon’s widower, Benjamin Mee decides to uproot his children, Rosie (the extremely adorable Maggie Elizabeth Jones) and troubled teen Dylan (Colin Ford), moving them to a zoo – helpfully encouraged by little Rosie. 

Buying the zoo was the easy part, the hard work comes in bringing it up to scratch and dealing with his children.  He faces all forms of opposition from his laid back, almost hippy-like brother (the very funny Thomas Haden Church) to the various members of the zoo-keeping staff that come with his new ‘adventure.’

Head of this eccentric bunch is Scarlett Johansson, someone who normally irritates me to the point where I want to gouge my own eyes out, but she was oddly cute and quirky in this.  Equally as odd is her little sister – played by Elle Fanning, also quite sweet in an weird way.

 

But it’s little Rosie that’s the scene stealer.  You look forward to her showing up throughout – usually to lift both the characters and audience’s spirits as this odd bunch try to make a success of a potential disaster.

The film did take some time in establishing a rapport with me.  It almost seemed as if the characters i.e. the family members were just getting to know each other.  The only relationship that seemed believable from the beginning was Benjamin and Rosie’s… and incidentally, Matt Damon was at his least wooden around little Maggie.  Scarlett Johansson’s delivery was occasionally equally as wooden, though this may have been due to her character’s quirkiness.

It was Angus McFadyen’s lunatic that I felt was sorely lacking in scenes.  If he had been given more screen time… with Thomas Haden Church, we could have had comedic gold. 

Nevertheless, it is still a great family movie, and the kids won’t care about anything critical I’ve just said.  So, no problems there.