We Bought A Zoo: Blu Ray Review
Rating: PGReleased by 20th Century Fox Home Ent
Based on a true story and
a best selling book, this latest from Crowe is an unashamedly clichéd, feel
good flick about a family following their dream.
Matt Damon is recently widowed father of two
Benjamin Mee; he has two different relationships with his kids - the one with
his teen son Dylan is fractious and argumentative and the one with his young
daughter Rosie is all sweetness and light.
When Dylan gets expelled from school and with
advice from his brother to "let a little sunlight in", Mee sees this
as a catalyst for change and promptly ups the whole family to a house in the
country to start again.
The only problem is this
house comes with a rundown zoo, its animals and its motley and jaded crew of
helpers, led by head zookeeper Kelly (Johansson).
So, with the odds stacked against him and financial
struggles aplenty, Mee decides to what he can to reopen the zoo and make a go
of it - thus healing himself and his family.
Cliches abound in We Bought A Zoo - there's
precious bon mots dispensed left right and centre and a warm feeling of gooey
predictable sentimentality on display from the get go. And yet, despite all of
that, you can't help but feel a little something for Mee and his family as the
tale unfurls.
However, the rest of the cast are largely underused
- Johansson resorts to a lot of grinning and sideways head-cocking as the
inevitable romantic subplot unfolds; they very talented Elle Fanning is left
with little to do - and the rest of the zoo keeper cast are pretty much
confined to the background, with precious scant input.
Crowe pretty much milks a lot of the sentimentality
too - with close ups of cute kid (who's also wise beyond her years) Maggie
Elizabeth Jones and shots of Dylan declaring his love as the rain pours down.
You can see exactly what's coming in this flick -
but for the holiday period and with its messages of self belief, family, and
healing, I can't help but feel this will leave many with a rosy glow after
exposure to the triumvirate mix of mawkish sentimentality, cute kids and
animals.
Extras: Over 2 hours of stuff including gag reel, extended scenes, commentary and doco
Rating:
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