We Bought A Zoo (PG)

        We Bought A Zoo is a feel-good family drama that just so happens to be based on a true story. This film boasts a star-studded cast that features Matt Damon, Scarlett Johansson, and Thomas Haden Church. We Bought A Zoo is based off a book by the same name written by Benjamin Mee about the events beginning at his wife's death to cancer and culminating in his successful purchase of a run-down neighborhood zoo.
         Benjamin Mee (Matt Damon) and his two children, Rosie (Maggie Elizabeth Jones) and Dylan (Colin Ford), are struggling with the death of their wife/mother due to cancer. Mee has so much on his hands that Rosie has begun to make lunches for the family while Dylan has become a problem child who draws gory pictures and gets expelled from his junior high school. Tired of the sympathy of local families, Mee pulls Rosie out of school, packs up his things and moves to a rural farmhouse that also is a closed zoo. After much thought, Mee agrees to clean up the zoo and re-open it to the public with the help of the local zoo staff such as head zookeeper, Kelly Foster (Scarlett Johansson). Although Rosie is immediately thrilled with the thought of living on a zoo, Dylan sinks deeper into his anger and continues to draw disturbing pictures. Until, that is, he meets the cheery Lily Miska (Elle Fanning). Although Dylan is dismissive of the new girl at first, the two soon become quite close.

Foster gives Mee a tour of the zoo

          We Bought A Zoo has a skillfully written screenplay that makes sure that you are attached to the characters whether you like it or not. Towards the climax of the film, Mee has to make a difficult decision as to put down Spar, an old tiger who lives on the zoo. Spar is in extreme pain and is dying. Mee however, does not want to put down the tiger because he is still mourning his dead wife. As Mee is thinking over what to do about the tiger, he looks through pictures of his late wife which of course brings back open memorys and opens wounds that have yet to completely heal. As a flashback of Mee, his wife, and his children ensues, I found myself on the verge of tears. This shows how well the director (Cameron Crowe), writers (Aline Brosh McKenna and Cameron Crowe), and actors did with making sure that the audience connects with the characters.
          One of my favorite actors in We Bought A Zoo is Thomas Hayden Church who plays Duncan Mee. Duncan is Mee's brother and financial adviser who, from the start, advises against buying the zoo. Duncan is the comic relief in this film and Church brought his own brand of sardonic humor to the character. Even when there was an emotional point in the film, Church made sure to deliver his line at the right time and with the right intonation for a hilarious break from the film's raw emotion. Another of the film's great actors is young Maggie Elizabeth Jones who plays Rosie Mee. At only seven years old, Jones is an excellent actress who delivers the right emotions at the right times to add to the weight of any particular scene.
          We Bought A Zoo was an inspiring family film that is certainly worth watching. Although a see-saw of emotion that is funny one scene and depressing another, this film is one that is fun to watch. I rate this film a 3.5 out of 5. Thank you all for reading and keep an eye out for my next review.


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