Too much of everything

A Disappointing Continuation

Fanciful, disturbing, and wildly original, it announces the arrival of a fresh, bold voice in American cinema.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

That is both a complement and an insult at the same time. So "wholesome" and yet so unrealistic. Almost based on a true story. The real zoo was in England and the real-life counterpart really did buy an old, broken-down, condemned zoo. Populated by beautiful people like Elle Fanning and Scarlet Johansson. Reminds me a lot of the MGM Movie & Series "Clarence-the-Cross-Eyed-Lion". The house is purchased and the zoo kind of comes with it. A young widower moves here from the city in a desperate effort to keep his family together after mom dies. Many different characters and situations from puppy-love to bankruptcy occur. Actually much better than it sounds! A nice, clean, but almost unbelievable series of events pulls it all together, including the special "death with dignity" of a very-old (but not cross-eyed) lion. Most entertaining and it is truly family entertainment. Probably found in the children's section or at the library. It will appeal to younger children. "G". Nothing really objectionable.

We Bought a Zoo (2011): Dir: Cameron Crowe / Cast: Matt Damon, Scarlett Johansson, Thomas Hayden Church, Colin Ford, Elle Fanning: A lacklustre drama about responsibility. Matt Damon plays Benjamin Mee, a widow whose son is rebellious and just expelled from school. Seeking to start over and shacks up his son and daughter in a new house but the catch, they learn, is that it is a zoo. Great concept with lots of thrilling wildlife including lions, tigers, bears, zebras, peacocks, etc. Unfortunately the film grows formula and too corny for its own good. It needed taken out with a tranquilizer dart right about the time the dimwitted romantic subplot surfaced with Scarlett Johansson making claims that no woman would ever make. Cameron Crowe struck gold before with Almost Famous and the underrated Elizabethtown, but here the wildlife can only distract lame writing and corny situations. Damon holds strong as he struggles to raise his children as well as take on this new task and have the zoo opened at a particular date. Johansson as the head zoo keeper is more or less there to shovel sh*t and shovel more of it at viewers when idiotic romantic elements creep in. Thomas Hayden Church plays Damon's brother in a cardboard role. Colin Ford has the thankless task of playing the whiny son who complains constantly and irritates everyone on screen and off. Elle Fanning makes a cameo appearance that is also second fiddle to the scene stealing wildlife. Great theme regarding responsibility and preserving wildlife but the only thing viewers bought is a headache. Score: 5 ½ / 10

The best family movie in years!When I first saw the trailer I thought, "Here we are, more proof that Hollywood is out of new ideas!". It honestly looked silly and rushed, to me. However, it happened to be on a day when I was working on a book, and I thought, "Why not ?". So, I gave it a chance.A widower who is left to raise his two children is determined to move on, peruse his dream, and make a life better for his family. In search of a new house, he finds the perfect one in the country that he is ready to purchase. So? you may ask. Well, this is no normal house as there is a zoo on the property! Even though it failed in the past, he is driven to make it work this time with the faithful staff and his family. Why? Because his little daughter Rosie has that same dream...an adventure. With many side stories, and drama along the way, this family and their new friends give it everything they have. This movie is full of lions and tigers and bears...oh my! Plenty of heart warming lessons and humorous events come along with them.Why I liked it-Well, I am no fan of Scarlett Johannson's but this performance was great! What made it different and so enjoyable was the fact that when a family pulls together, anything can happen. The principles of self determination, hard work, and yes a hint of less government prevail and save the day. This was uplifting, fun and inspiring.The chemistry of the cast was excellent. Little Rosie was perfect and added so much to the story and the intrigue of the plot. Please see my whole review at http://hubpages.com/entertainment/We-Bought-A-Zoo-The- New-Zoo-Review.

This was a pleasant movie based on a true story about a writer and his children who move to a country house and buy a house-along with a zoo that comes along with it! Matt Damon plays a writer who loves an adventure whose wife has just died and whose son has just been expelled from school. The new house they buy comes along with a zoo, and they get a tour of it from the "owners." I loved the animals in it, and my favorite scenes in it include the inspection and when the bear escapes. I loved the bear, the tiger, and all the other animals in it as well as the trivia shared in it about the animals.This is a pleasant enough family movie, and you will really enjoy this.*** out of ****