(If that‘s not The Impulse Buy To End All Impulse Buys, I don‘t know what is…)
CAST: Matt Damon, Scarlett Johanssen, Thomas Haden Church, Collin Ford, Maggie Elizabeth Jones, Elle Fanning, Patrick Fugit, Angus McFadyen,
DIRECTOR: Cameron Crowe
WARNING: Some SPOILERS and some damn good reasons to count to ten - maybe a million - before buying real estate with 47 species of animals on it - straight ahead…
IT’S LIKE THIS: Journalist Benjamin Mee (Matt Damon) is adrift following the death of his beautiful wife Katherine (Stephanie Szostak), and so are his kids, Dylan and Rosie (Collin Ford and Maggie Elizabeth Jones). Wanting to give them all a fresh start, he buys a… zoo. Yes, folks. A zoo. A place with caged animals. Only the animals don’t like the term “cage” - so sayeth Kelly Foster (Scarlett Johanssen), head zookeeper. According to her, the term “enclosure” is more acceptable. Whatever. The point is this: Benjamin must now not only be a single dad with two kids, but he must also assume the role of Big Daddy to 47 fucking species of animals roaming their back yard - including what appears to be the entire live-action cast of MADAGASCAR. Compared to Benjie‘s purchase, the decision of Frances Mayes (Diane Lane) to impulsively buy that Italian villa in UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN seems downright well-planned and carefully thought out. At least she’s surrounded by hot Italian people - and not… zebras. Good move, Ben.
THE DUDE (OR DUDETTE) MOST LIKELY TO SAVE THE DAY: Benjamin all the way, baby. Then there’s Kelly, the straight-talking zookeeper who makes the resident tiger look like a lazy stoner cat who can’t get his face out of the mound of catnip I buy him on a weekly basis. Not that I own any cats like that. Ahem.
EYE CANDY MOST LIKELY TO FIRE UP A WOODY: This is a family movie and I just don’t feel it’s appropriate to discuss who among the cast is attractive enough to make the audience horny. But if you were to put a gun to my head and scream: “TALK, GODDAMNIT!!!”, then I’m afraid I would have no choice but to respond: “OKAY! OKAY! MATT DAMON! DON’T SHOOT ME!”
MOST INTENTIONALLY TOUCHING SCENE: Dylan passing by the zoo’s main building - and seeing Lily’s sweet message to him on the neon sign. Not gonna spoil it - but one word to describe it: “Awwwwwwwwwwwww…”
MOST INTENTIONALLY SIDE-SPLITTING SCENE: When Benjamin, Rosie, and Dylan first meet Kelly and the rest of the zoo crew. At that point it becomes quite clear that Benjamin knows as much about running a zoo as veteran prostitute does about celibacy. The look of doom that falls across Kelly’s face as she obviously thinks to herself “This guy is our new boss?” is absolutely priceless.
HOTTEST SCENE: Again, this is a family movie, and I would feel very uncomfortable answering that question. But, again, if you were to put a gun to my head and scream at me: “GODDAMNIT, WE’RE GETTING TIRED OF THIS SWEET AND DEMURE BULLSHIT! YOU’RE A WHORE! YOU’RE NOT KIDDING ANYONE! NOW TELL US WHAT THE FUCKING HOTTEST SCENE IS!” then I’m afraid I would have no choice but to say “ANY SCENE WITH MATT DAMON WEARING BLUE JEANS! AND ANY SCENE WITH MATT DAMON WEARING REGULAR PANTS! AND ANY SCENE WITH MATT DAMON - PERIOD. NOW, PLEASE DON’T KILL ME!”
INQUIRING MINDS WANT TO KNOW: So… did Benjamin fuck up royally by blowing his life savings on the zoo? Oh, excuse me… Did Benjamin fuck up royally by blowing his life savings on the, ahem, “Wildlife Park”? Is Kelly right when she says if he doesn’t get his shit together, the animals, the crew, and Benjamin’s family will all be on the street? Or does Benjamin have some zoo-keeping skills that even he doesn’t know about? Will Kelly and Benjamin fall in love? Will Dylan and Lily fall in love? Will one of the tigers fuck a zebra and spawn a goofy-looking black-and-white creature called a…. Tigra? Maybe in the sequel…
WHY YOU SHOULD WATCH “WE BOUGHT A ZOO”: If you like director Cameron Crowe, and his distinctive kind of feel-good flick, among which are ALMOST FAMOUS, SAY ANYHING, JERRY MAGUIRE, and ELIZABETHTOWN. And if you are a fan of Matt Damon. And if you are fan of zoos. And if you are fan of movies that pretty much tell you whole story in the trailer - but can’t resist their pull anyway.
WHY YOU MAY NOT ENJOY “WE BOUGHT A ZOO”: If none of the above applies to you. Then take your ass to MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 4, which is an excellent film, but doesn’t feature any jungle cats. Unless you count Paula Patton, who is like a deadly panther in a silk evening gown. Work that killer instinct, girl…
BUT, SERIOUSLY: At the beginning of this review, I jokingly compared WE BOUGHT A ZOO to UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN. However, all kidding aside, the comparison is actually quite apt, since both films are based on bestselling memoirs that were altered somewhat in the process of bringing them to the silver screen.
The book version of UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN revolved around real-life San Francisco writer Frances Mayes, who bought a villa in Tuscany after a careful search - and remodeled it with her husband. Essentially, Mayes wrote a sensual and atmospheric chronicle of their project, as well as how they fell even more in love with Italy - arguably the most beautiful country in the world - in the process. But in transferring the book to the screen, it was necessary for the filmmakers to give a more dramatic structure and conflict to the narrative. The result? Frances Mayes became a broken-hearted divorcee who goes on a gay tour of Tuscany - and buys the villa quite impulsively. In essence, what was a languid meditation on all lovely things Italian, became a more movie-audience-friendly romantic comedy.
Similarly, WE BOUGHT A ZOO is based on a bestselling memoir. It was written by British journalist Benjamin Mee, who bought a wildlife park in England with his family (including his brother and mother). Sadly, after they moved into the park, Mee’s wife had a cancer relapse and eventually passed away. Inspired by her memory, Mee and his family became determined to make the zoo a success - and they did. Hence the bestselling memoir. In bringing this remarkable story to the screen, as with UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN and its literary foundation, co-writer/director Cameron Crowe makes some changes, the major one being Benjamin Mee’s nationality. Although he is still a journalist, Mee is now an American in the movie. He still has two children, as in the book, but his wife passes away before the zoo is purchased. In fact, it’s her untimely death and his despondency over it is what eventually leads him to purchase the wildlife park.
But the similarities between WE BOUGHT A ZOO and UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN don’t stop there. While the films have settings that are a world apart, their fundamental story is one and the same: an emotionally damaged individual impulsively purchases some property, and in renovating and rebuilding it, he/she finds healing and rebirth. The story beats are almost exactly the same, and that is a good thing in my opinion. I love UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN despite its sometimes improbable story details, and appreciated its “heal yourself before sharing yourself with others” message. While the fact that it’s set in Italy (my favorite country in the world) is a plus, it’s UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN’s universal theme of redemption that clinches it as a favorite for me. Frances Mayes (the movie version) changed her life in step with the remodel of the villa.
The same thing occurs in WE BOUGHT A ZOO. Benjamin Mee is pretty much leveled by the passing of his wife Katherine, but has to be strong for the sake of his kids. When his droll brother Duncan advised him to “start over” that’s exactly what Benjamin does. And just as Frances’ life improved the more she revived her villa, so too does Benjamin’s family regain their footing with the gradual rebirth of the zoo. And Matt Damon does a terrific job of charting Benjamin’s journey from lost, grieving husband to assured, healed family man. Damon is an interesting choice for this role, because he has specialized in playing characters that do not wear rose-colored glasses. Benjamin, on the other hand, is someone who always seems to have a pair close by. You could almost say that Damon is cast against type here, but as with a lot of against-type casting, he makes it work beautifully.
Scarlett Johanssen is good as Kelly Foster, and makes the character into an appealing ally for Benjamin. Johanssen vividly shows Kelly’s gradual arc from seriously doubting him - to becoming his staunchest defender and supporter. She and Damon have a nice easy chemistry that is just right - not too hot (this is a family film, after all, not BASIC INSTINCT), but not too tepid or cool either, otherwise Benjamin and Kelly’s interactions would be uninteresting to watch. Good, solid work from Johanssen.
Collin Ford is also well-cast as Mee’s son Dylan, and Elle Fanning is a perfect match for him as the sweet Lily. The scene where she displays that message to him on the Zoo’s neon sign is my favorite in the whole film. This is matched by the scene where Benjamin counsels Dylan on how to proceed with Lily’s courtship: “All you need is twenty seconds of insane courage - and I promise you great things will come of it.” Something about the way Damon delivers this line just gets to you. And Ford matches him in all of their scenes, with the right fervor.
Thomas Haden Church is a dryly funny delight as Benjamin’s older brother Duncan, and he is the “reality check” that the more dreamy-minded and starry-eyed Benjamin needs. As good as these actors are, though, the show is nearly stolen from them by Maggie Elizabeth Jones as Benjamin’s precious and precocious daughter Rosie. Jones is such a warm and endearing presence that we smiled every time she walked in frame. Her interactions not only with the other characters, but also with the animals, are a joy to watch.
Speaking of the animals, they are just as much characters as the humans are - each with quirks and foibles of their own. My favorite animal scenes involve the bear and the tiger. There’s a lovely scene where Benjamin quietly studies the tiger in his enclosure, and without words, Damon puts forth very clearly the notion of man and beast bonding. Indeed, another message imparted by WE BOUGHT A ZOO (besides redemption and rebirth) could be that taking care of animals actually makes us more human. As the owner of two lovable and quirky cats, I can certainly say that there is some truth to that - I can’t imagine life without them.
In the end, WE BOUGHT A ZOO is lovely, unique film about a family man and his family, and how they find their way back to the light - through the most unexpected of paths. If you only see one Christmas movie this year - see this one…
