We Bought a Zoo

Damon can elevate just about anything in which he appears.

Heartfelt but safe. The missing element is the edgy irrelevance that elevated Crowe's best directorial efforts - "Say Anything," "Jerry Maguire," and "Almost Famous" - above their generic counterparts.

Arguably the director's least typical film, it doesn't dodge the potholes of earnest sentimentality and at times overplays the whimsy. But the uplifting tale has heart, humanity and a warmly empathetic central performance from Matt Damon.

It's slight, sure, and there's a better, less-glossy film buried in the material, but warm performances redeem Crowe's agreeable return.

The cynics will scoff and dismiss it all as manipulative, the heartstring-tugging machine on hyperdrive. But this movie isn't for them; did you not see the PG? It's a sweet, sincere, utterly affable kids' movie about how parents are all kinds of screwed up and unable to tell their kids what they want or show them how they feel.

It's an odd, unsatisfying combination that moves from mopey drama one moment to a reaction shot of a monkey smacking his forehead in exasperation the next. By the end of the film, viewers might understand the monkey's feelings all too well.

Far more concerned with pratfalling animal shenanigans and unearned uplift than crafting a single complex or amusing moment, it's a film caged in by formulaic plotting and plentiful pap.

I loved this movie! I thought this was just another sleepy movie. The animals were adorable, Rosie (Maggie Elizabeth Jones) was so cute. This movie was very inspiring not only how to love animals but not to give up even though you're already on the edge of a cliff. It was based on a true story and I would love to visit that zoo.

If this movie had been based on a genuine story, it might have been fantastic. But regrettably, it isn't. I could guess what was going to happen next because the movie is so predictable from the beginning to the very end. In general, this is a good family movie. Don't anticipate anything exceptional; just enjoy it.

It isn't anything amazing, but it is still enjoyable. The story was predictable but had some good moments. It had good acting, which was nice. It was good enough, watch it.

Three of us went to this movie yesterday. My wife and adult son liked it, but I did not. I felt the plot and outcome were very predictable in this story. In my opinion the writer overreached to come up with all the "feel good" outcomes possible and crammed them into one movie. So if you want to see a movie where all the people relationships turn out hunky-dorry and all the problems find speedy, nice solutions, go to this one and soak it in. If you prefer something a little more realistic that keeps you guessing, go to any other show that's out there right now and it will be better.

I feel compelled to write a review although I'm usually not the type to bother. I expected a movie with real heart, and a score by Jonsi to boot. I was dissapointed. The acting was phoned in, and the dialog eye-roll inducing. Matt Damon phones it in, and his little daughter is given lines designed to earn a cheap awww like "we bought a zoo!" which she says multiple times. The way emotion is expressed via loudly shouting things including "why do you hate me man?!" which Damon yells at his son in an emotional confrontation. The director missed a real opportunity to play with the idea of what happens when a whimsical purchase meets reality, and overcoming obstacles, but instead all problems are solved via deus ex machina and quick montages of people carrying around wooden planks and hammering nails. Rent when it comes out on dvd, if you must.