We Bought A Zoo review

A passable, if utterly lightweight movie. Damon is good as the everyman with a family, but some of the other casting choices are just bizarre.

The hype...
Cameron Crowe goes down the wholesome family-friendly route for his latest film. Based on the memoirs of Benjamin Mee, 'We Bought A Zoo' casts Matt Damon in the title role. It's worrying that the film missed out on any awards buzz, as it's the type of film that would normally clean-up. Is it a bit of a stinker? And are we really supposed to believe that Scarlett Johansson is a down-to-earth, hand-in-the-muck zookeeper?

The story...
Benjamin Mee (Matt Damon) is a Los Angeles newspaper columnist struggling with two children. He's still in love with his wife, even though she died years ago, and the kids are looking to him to be both parents. Dylan (Colin Ford) is a young teenager who is about to get expelled from his school and Rosie (Mary Elizabeth Jones) might be happy on the outside, but Benjamin wants more for both his children.

In a rash moment, and much against the advice of his brother (Thomas Hayden Church), Benjamin quits his job, invests in a rundown house in the sticks and sets about his escape. One small problem, the new house is part of an 18-acre zoo, and it's up to the inexperienced owners to maintain and pay for the wild animals.

Although the staff are helpful, especially head zookeeper Kelly Foster (Scarlett Johansson), the money starts running out fast. The only way forward is to open the zoo to the public, but with stringent inspections to be passed and yet more hard work and investment needed, have the Mee family bitten off more than they can chew?

The breakdown...
To answer our earlier question, no, Scarlett Johansson is not believable as a head zookeeper. We might have accepted her as an assistant, or even the zoo accountant, but as the dirt-under-the-nails taskmaster? It's just not happening. She's still just too glamorous, even in baggy overalls and with her hair tied back.

Clearly her inclusion is to provide an attractive potential love interest for Damon, but the film was doing fine without that. In fact the whole thing is fine, and that's part of the problem.

You know exactly what is going to happen, when it will happen and what the outcome will be. Even with venomous snakes and wild big cats on the prowl, there is no danger here. In fact the most volatile elements are the moody teenagers, one of whom is portrayed with reassuring ease by the talented Elle Fanning.

Damon portrays the struggling father well, and he packs the emotional punch when needed. In the moments where he reminisces about his wife, or when combating his lively son, the actor shows the class he normally does in more heavyweight fare. But it does feel like his efforts are a bit wasted here, where a pedestrian script gets an undeserving benefit from his work.

The artificial moments of conflict all play out as expected, but there isn't a performance that can be faulted. Even Johansson has to be applauded somewhat, she is actually engaging when doing the would-be romantic parts of the film.

The verdict...
Twee in the extreme, this movie could get dumped into any daytime slot on TV and find an audience. That's as much a compliment as it is a criticism, sometime you just crave a 'nice' film, and this is just that.

Rating: 3/5

'We Bought A Zoo' is released in the UK on 16 March. Certificate: PG.