Matt Damon is Benjamin, a widower who is grieving over the loss of his wife. He struggles to nurture a happy family with his two kids: perky and precocious 7-year-old daughter, Rosie and moody, 14-year-old son Dylan who registers one emotion, annoyance. Benjamin looks for a fresh start in a new home by purchasing one in the country with 18 acres. Additionally it happens to house a zoo that comes complete with its own staff. The agreement stipulates the owners must care for all of the animals on the property. If only Matt and his family can return the neglected zoo to its former glory, then perhaps they can all be happy again. I know that doesn’t follow, but just go with it.
Much of the story involves our sweet kindly, dear old Dad, trying to get the zoo open and ready for business on time. It’s a setup so manipulative, you’d swear it was a screenwriter’s device. But We Bought a Zoo is actually adapted from the autobiographical memoirs of writer Benjamin Mee. The based on fact undoubtedly adds some credibility to the events. Unfortunately the production is so annoyingly twee. The swelling melodies that hammer the emotional cues of every scene doesn‘t help. Apparently the director thinks the audience needs assistance in understanding that when positive things happen, it’s a good thing. This is the mistake of a rookie, not an established talent like Cameron Crowe who was once a rock journalist for Rolling Stone during his teen years. His knack for meaningful song selections is well-established which makes the overbearing musical numbers even more depressing. There’s also mean old Walter Ferris, the zoo inspector, who’s responsible for administering a strict zoo inspection before they can open to the public. The costume designer forgot to give him a handlebar moustache to twirl each time he does something nasty. And let’s not forget that cute moppet of a daughter who cheerfully chirps “We Bought a Zoo!” like she knew it would be the title for this film.
Cameron Crowe is a respected director of renown. I’ve seen his engaging best work: Say Anything, Jerry Maguire and Almost Famous and then I behold something like We Bought a Zoo. I’m shocked this is the creation of the same filmmaker, the narrative steeped in cliché and mediocrity. It’s exceptionally cloying and sentimental. I suppose if you insist on adding a few heaping teaspoons of sugar to your maple syrup pancakes, the script might not seem so overly sweet. We Bought a Zoo isn’t a horrible picture. It’s heart s in the right place as it seeks to entertain through a schmaltzy family friendly PG film. But it falters in even doing that, The movie could’ve easily been rated G, but at one point his 7 year-old daughter tells the inspector “You know, everybody here thinks you’re a d—.” Out of the mouths of babes.
And I actually thought of her when you brought up how annoying the kids were, so I guess she finds the film authentic.
Fast Film Reviews 
Leave a comment