There was a time, from about 1996 to 2001, when writer/director Cameron Crowe was considered something of a cinematic saving grace. From his initial forays into film - Fast Times at Ridgemont High, the excellent Say Anything..., to the one two punch of Jerry Maguire and Almost Famous, he proved to be a smart, insightful chronicler of the post-modern human spirit. Never too niche, fans expected great, great things. Instead, they got the tepid Vanilla Sky and the laughable Elizabethtown. Now, Crowe is catering to a whole different demographic. We Bought a Zoo, based on an unusual true story, wanders shamelessly into fawning family entertainment territory. While not always cloying, it's clear Crowe is no longer an approaching auteur.
With the death of his beloved wife, adventure writer Benjamin Mee (Matt Damon) feels lost and directionless. Left alone to raise his precocious young daughter Rosie (Maggie Elizabeth Jones) and trouble pre-teen son Dylan (Colin Ford), he can't seem to get a handle on fatherhood. Deciding a chance of scenery is needed, he quits his job and travels to the country outside LA. There, he stumbles upon a rundown zoological exhibit. It comes complete with a staff, including comely keeper Kelly (Scarlett Johansson) - a gruff, drunken enclosure expert (Angus MacFadyen), and a monkey-totting geek (Patrick Fugit). Naturally, Ben sees it all as a challenge. His snarky accountant brother (Thomas Hayden Church) sees it as a money pit. Deciding to make a go of it, our lead looks to save the park, while a fresh faced young worker (Elle Fanning) tries to bring Dylan out of his shell.
With a saccharine score provided by Sigur Ros' Jónsi and an overreliance on the cuteness and inherent "aw" factor of its abundant animals, We Bought a Zoo would never be readily considered a Crowe film. Sure, we get the musical montage moments that give away his former Rolling Stone journalist swagger (beats from Neil Young, Tom Petty, and Randy Newman), but then the open faced honesty of Damon send us on a detour. The end result is like a tug of war. On the one side, we have smarmy sap over-running our cynicism with aging tigers and prickly porcupines. On the other is a decent family drama drained of most of its emotional might.
We are supposed to see Dylan as the main obstacle to a life of carefree zoology. He's a mad, angry child who channels his lingering grief through gloomy Goth drawings that would make Marilyn Manson cringe. He hates his dad for bringing him out into nature, forcing him to confront the life force that defied his now dead mother. How they reconcile should be We Bought a Zoo's main theme. Instead, we get a mixed up batch of stale comedy (provided mostly by Church and dorky inspector government John Michael Higgins), four footed pandering, and a feel good ending that flies in the face of the original source material. While it's meant to raise a smile, it results in a mere smirk.
You can't fault Crowe for wanting to take a chance, to work outside his calculated comfort level for once. But when the promise of the past completely avoids one's latest entry, the risk doesn't pay. We Bought a Zoo will trigger fond memories and even more familiar feelings for anyone who believes that such fairytale tropes really exist outside the realm of fiction. For someone whose made a career out of dealing with issues (romance, relationships, rock-n-roll) in an authentic way, such superficiality seems out of place. We Bought a Zoo has its charms. It also has a lot to live up to - and misses the mark.
With a saccharine score provided by Sigur Ros' Jónsi and an overreliance on the cuteness and inherent "aw" factor of its abundant animals, We Bought a Zoo would never be readily considered a Crowe film. Sure, we get the musical montage moments that give away his former Rolling Stone journalist swagger (beats from Neil Young, Tom Petty, and Randy Newman), but then the open faced honesty of Damon send us on a detour. The end result is like a tug of war. On the one side, we have smarmy sap over-running our cynicism with aging tigers and prickly porcupines. On the other is a decent family drama drained of most of its emotional might.
We are supposed to see Dylan as the main obstacle to a life of carefree zoology. He's a mad, angry child who channels his lingering grief through gloomy Goth drawings that would make Marilyn Manson cringe. He hates his dad for bringing him out into nature, forcing him to confront the life force that defied his now dead mother. How they reconcile should be We Bought a Zoo's main theme. Instead, we get a mixed up batch of stale comedy (provided mostly by Church and dorky inspector government John Michael Higgins), four footed pandering, and a feel good ending that flies in the face of the original source material. While it's meant to raise a smile, it results in a mere smirk.
You can't fault Crowe for wanting to take a chance, to work outside his calculated comfort level for once. But when the promise of the past completely avoids one's latest entry, the risk doesn't pay. We Bought a Zoo will trigger fond memories and even more familiar feelings for anyone who believes that such fairytale tropes really exist outside the realm of fiction. For someone whose made a career out of dealing with issues (romance, relationships, rock-n-roll) in an authentic way, such superficiality seems out of place. We Bought a Zoo has its charms. It also has a lot to live up to - and misses the mark.
