The film is based on a true story, and not in the way that “Fargo” or “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre” were based on true stories; no no, the story upon which “We Bought a Zoo” is based is 100% genuine, and is rather wonderful. The story is as such: in August of 2006, adventure-hungry British journalist Benjamin Mee purchased the then-defunct Dartmoor Zoological Park, situated in Devon, England, and moved into a house within the site with his cancer-suffering wife and two young children. Set on returning the zoo to its glory days, Mee determinedly and painstakingly refurbished the place (which still had the animals intact) and, after his wife sadly died of a brain tumor, finally gave it a grand re-opening in 2007. A year later, he would publish a book recounting his experiences, entitled “We Bought a Zoo,” and thus we have the big-budget Hollywood version currently showing in a theatre near you.
Starring as Benjamin is Matt Damon (“The Adjustment Bureau”), whom you may or may not notice is not British. Well, you see, the Benjamin of the movie is American, Crowe having relocated Ben’s zoo over 5,000 miles west to sunny California and retitled it to “Rosemoor Wildlife Park.” He has also changed the details about the death of Benjamin’s wife; while in real life she died as the zoo was being refurbished, in the movie she dies six months before the zoo is even purchased. Essentially, the death of Benjamin’s wife serves as the drive of the story, with Benjamin introduced to us as a single parent of two who is in grieving but unwilling to show it. He wants a change in his life, to move away from the city he once shared with his late wife, and thus he bought a house in the country that turned out to be attached to, can you believe it, a zoo.
Benjamin has two children: 7-year-old Rosie (Maggie Elizabeth Jones) and 14-year-old Dylan (Colin Ford). Rosie, a sweet little cutie-pie, loves living in the zoo, her immediate adoration of its animals the main element that persuades her father to purchase the place. Mopey trouble-maker Dylan, on the other hand, hates living in the zoo and wishes desperately to go back to the city where his friends are. Saddened by the loss of his beloved mother, he spends most of his days drawing disturbing images in his notebook and ignoring his father’s attempts at fixing the disconnection they currently share.
The film has added many supporting characters into the mix. We have the lovely Scarlett Johansson (“Iron Man 2”) playing the tough and knowledgeable head zookeeper, Kelly Foster, who of course serves as something of a love interest to Benjamin. Rising star Elle Fanning (“Super 8”) plays Lily, Kelly’s 12-year-old cousin who helps around the zoo and almost immediately takes an interest in the sour-faced Dylan. J. B. Smoove (Leon from “Curb Your Enthusiasm") plays the enthusiastic estate agent who sells the Mee family the zoo on his first day on the job. Craggy-faced Thomas Haden Church (“Sideways”) plays Duncan, Benjamin’s older brother who is sceptical of the whole “buying a zoo” operation, but goes along with it nonetheless. And in a semi-villainous role is John Michael Higgins (“Bad Teacher") as Walter Ferris, the slightly cartoonish zoo inspector with the power to shut the zoo down if he sees fit before it even opens.
“We Bought a Zoo” is pure Hollywood formula, but endearing performances and a whimsical, uplifting tone means it works like a charm. Damon, in particular, is stupendous, delivering a leading performance that is as heartfelt and instantly appealing as any other role he has played before. As a single father and as a grieving husband he is wholly convincing, not begging for sympathy but earning it; scenes in which his character’s underlying grief is exposed are genuinely heartbreaking and don’t feel forced, instead woven seamlessly into the narrative and the character’s journey.
The film is skillfully assembled by Crowe and his co-writer, Aline Brosh McKenna (“The Devil Wears Prada”), the two expertly blending both sugar-coated drama and lighthearted comedy into what is a fairly straight-forward story. As a drama, the film is highly effective, actually earning several points as an all-out tear-jerker, but in a happy, heartwarming way. As a comedy, it’s lacking in the laughs department, but makes up for this with a frequently amusing mood that’s sure to raise a smile or two from viewers young and old. In one scene, for example, Benjamin and Dylan are sitting in the car, stopped at traffic lights in a nearby town when they watch as a grizzly bear, one that has escaped from the zoo unnoticed, casually strolls across the street and begins sniffing the car window. This actually happened to the real-life Benjamin, only it wasn’t a bear, it was a 150lb jaguar.
An unashamed crowd-pleaser, the sweet and syrupy “We Bought a Zoo” is a rare thing: a family film that succeeds in appealing to the whole family; whether you’re a youngster, a teen, a parent or a grandparent, Cameron Crowe’s first venture into family-friendly filmmaking should charm, enliven and enthrall you, as well as slap a silly smile on your unsuspecting face. It may also give you the sudden urge to go visit your local zoo; I know of one zoo in England that will probably be pretty packed, though.
7/10
Amazing................. i <3 it!!
ReplyDelete