Everybody loves feel-good movies. And we like them even more when they are based on true stories. Life is chaotic, and often we are overwhelmed by thesmall tragedies of everyday life. So, occasionally, we just want to disconnect from reality and follow characters destined to live happily ever after. That explains the box office success ofCameron Crowe’sWe Bought a Zoo, a painfully predictable film that never tries to offer more in two hours than what we can already glimpse from a two-minute trailer.
StarringMatt DamonasBenjamin Mee,We Bought a Zootells the surreal story of a man who decides to buy an abandoned zoo, moving with his children to the property. Benjamin poured all the family’s savings into building a home for wild animals and turning it into a profitable and ethical business which is still an example for animal care worldwide. It’s safe to say Benjamin’s inspiring story is definitely worth the Hollywood treatment. Unfortunately,We Bought a Zoochanges his story to force the narrative to fit into the most formulaic structure Crowe could find.
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For instance, in the real world, Benjamin moved to Dartmoor Zoo before the passing of his wife,Katherine, who fell victim to a brain tumor while the whole family worked to open the zoo to the public. In Crowe’s movie, however, Katherine dies six months before Benjamin buys the property. Why? We can only guess, but it might be because dealing with terminal sickness would be too depressing. In addition, they did hireScarlett Johanssonjust to waste her talentsby making her an almost unidimensional love interesting for Damon. That wouldn’t be possible if Katherine were still alive, right?
Johansson is not the only star cursed with a shallow part inWe Bought a Zoo, as the whole movie tries to reduce characters to a single trait that’s supposed to carry them from start to end. A competent cast does everything to keep things afloat, and Damon pours his soul into the character. Still, there’s no strong emotional core to draw our attention, which doesn’t help with Crowe’s script’s complete lack of surprise.
We all know Benjamin will be successful becauseWe Bought a Zoois that kind of movie. Still, the movie shows there don’t seem to be many challenges in the way of rebuilding an entire zoo, which is a preposterous idea. Even the soundtrack takes away the gravity of any situation, making a venomous snake outbreak or a wild bear on the loose sound like pleasant moments filled with joy. Crowe could have made a small effort to pretend there was any challenge in Mee’s ambitious endeavors, because we can be sure the real story was most certainly filled with hurdles. Instead, we get the same sweet and tender note repeated to exhaustion, which makesWe Bought a Zoooverstay its welcoming.
It would be unfair to say a few plot elements aged badly because it’s hard to imagine they were acceptable in 2011. For instance, everyone feels it’s natural for Benjamin to find a new woman to take care of the house after his wife dies. And even though he bravely resists other women’s advances,We Bought a Zoostill spends its first arc underlining how incompetent he is regarding parenting. Because poor of the man who has to, let’s check the list, pack his children’s lunch and buy his son a new backpack all by himself. Fortunately, the movie focuses on the zoo reconstruction instead of tiresome gendercliches. Even so,We Bought a Zoostill finds time to explore an awkward relationship between a 12-years old and a 14-year-old because it’s apparently a rule that a boy and a girl can only coexist if they fall in love with each other.
To make things worse, dialogues inWe Bought a Zoousually sound stiff and incredibly cheesy, leading to many involuntarily funny moments. Crowe also tries to turn more than half the supporting cast into comedic relief, which is not only overkill but also leads to cringe-inducting moments that are more shameful than anything. On that point,John Michael Higginscertainly drew the short stick, as he has to play a grumpy zoo inspector who’s mean for no reason and whose idiosyncrasies are tough to watch.
Despite all its shortcomings, there are wonders to be found inWe Bought a Zoo, such as Johansson chuffing at a tiger and Damon running away from a porcupine.Maggie Elizabeth Jones' Rosie is also a beacon of joy, spreading happiness whenever she appears on the screen. Finally, it’s easy to likeWe Bought a Zoobecause it appeals to common fantasies, like being able to buy your own house or quitting your job and still having enough money to raise two children. Still, there’s no way to hide the lack of substance inWe Bought a Zoo, making it hard to justify returning to this decade-old film.m
We Bought a Zoois currently available on Disney+ and Hulu.
