Author |
Message |
trixster
loyalfromlondon
Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 6:31 pm Posts: 19697 Location: ville-marie
|
We Bought a Zoo
We Bought a ZooQuote: We Bought a Zoo is a 2011 comedy-drama film based on a memoir by Benjamin Mee. The film is directed by Cameron Crowe, and it stars actor Matt Damon as the lead character Benjamin Mee. We Bought a Zoo tells the story of Benjamin Mee and his family who just moved into a dilapidated zoo. They took on the challenge of preparing the zoo for its reopening to the public.
We Bought a Zoo was released in the US box office on 23 December 2011. The film received a positive reception from film critics, and grossed a total of $23,399,816 as of 28 December 2011.
_________________Magic Mike wrote: zwackerm wrote: If John Wick 2 even makes 30 million I will eat 1,000 shoes. Same. Algren wrote: I don't think. I predict.
|
Sat Nov 26, 2011 9:25 pm |
|
|
Johnny Dollar
The Lubitsch Touch
Joined: Thu Jul 21, 2005 5:48 pm Posts: 11019
|
Re: We Bought a Zoo
Cameron Crowe may want to be Billy Wilder, but he's really James L. Brooks.
This is much better than it should have been, mostly because of the cast. Also, Crowe's not exactly back in top form but he's a smart dude, and while this sounds like high concept hell, its never schticky or sitcommy. Like James L. Brooks in the 80s, hes just interested in smart people wearing their hearts on their sleeves and never shutting up about it. Audiences are gonna eat this shit up if they find it.
I am not as forgiving of his cynical attempt to turn that little girl into the next Jonathan Lipnicki...mostly because it clearly is going to work. Every time she spoke or walked or blinked, every woman in the audience cooed or actually shouted "SHES SO CUTE." She made me very eager to hate the entire movie, although it won me over eventually.
Low expectations [like mine] will help, but its solid.
_________________ k
|
Sun Nov 27, 2011 1:26 am |
|
|
Libs
Sbil
Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 3:38 pm Posts: 48626 Location: Arlington, VA
|
Re: We Bought a Zoo
I'm going to love this, aren't I.
There are so many frigging movies I need to see over the holidays.
|
Sun Nov 27, 2011 1:42 am |
|
|
Johnny Dollar
The Lubitsch Touch
Joined: Thu Jul 21, 2005 5:48 pm Posts: 11019
|
Re: We Bought a Zoo
Libs wrote: I'm going to love this, aren't I.
There are so many frigging movies I need to see over the holidays. Oh, god, Libs. SO MUCH. You have no idea. The audience tonight--a lot of Libsie types--had all melted into puddles by the end. Also I've decided Elle Fanning is the next Amy Adams
_________________ k
|
Sun Nov 27, 2011 1:56 am |
|
|
David
Pure Phase
Joined: Tue Feb 15, 2005 7:33 am Posts: 34865 Location: Maryland
|
Re: We Bought a Zoo
_________________1. The Lost City of Z - 2. A Cure for Wellness - 3. Phantom Thread - 4. T2 Trainspotting - 5. Detroit - 6. Good Time - 7. The Beguiled - 8. The Florida Project - 9. Logan and 10. Molly's Game
|
Sun Nov 27, 2011 2:34 am |
|
|
David
Pure Phase
Joined: Tue Feb 15, 2005 7:33 am Posts: 34865 Location: Maryland
|
Re: We Bought a Zoo
Thought: Crowe should have cut the very final ending. The whole "Hoppípolla"/smiling-faces-at-zoo montage sequence was the right ending. Cheesy to a certain extent, but the whole movie is. Would have been a charming and fulfilling close. The whole coffee shop scene was a bit much...and a bit bizarre.
_________________1. The Lost City of Z - 2. A Cure for Wellness - 3. Phantom Thread - 4. T2 Trainspotting - 5. Detroit - 6. Good Time - 7. The Beguiled - 8. The Florida Project - 9. Logan and 10. Molly's Game
|
Sun Nov 27, 2011 2:37 am |
|
|
David
Pure Phase
Joined: Tue Feb 15, 2005 7:33 am Posts: 34865 Location: Maryland
|
Re: We Bought a Zoo
Oh, and it's amusing, to me at least, how all the jaded Oscar-prognosticating types, with their screeners and screenings and inner circle, had to pay to see this tonight. I almost wonder if it'll get an easier ride to a certain extent because they saw it with a real audience. So they heard all the "awww"s and laughs and tears.
_________________1. The Lost City of Z - 2. A Cure for Wellness - 3. Phantom Thread - 4. T2 Trainspotting - 5. Detroit - 6. Good Time - 7. The Beguiled - 8. The Florida Project - 9. Logan and 10. Molly's Game
|
Sun Nov 27, 2011 2:40 am |
|
|
jmovies
Let's Call It A Bromance
Joined: Tue Aug 07, 2007 7:22 pm Posts: 12333
|
Re: We Bought a Zoo
I saw a free screening of this this afternoon and even with low expectations, this was really good. It is totally going to be the holiday crowd pleaser also. If the film is big enough, I do see Damon getting an acting nomination. I was thinking he would play just a typical dad character in this, but there are a few scenes where he really shows some good acting chops. The little girl in this is adorable but also for the first half of the film I wanted to punch the son in the face every time he was on screen. Thomas Haden Church was surprisingly amusing as well in this. This is definitely a film the whole family can enjoy. It has the animals for the younger ones, but also a strong, emotional plot for the mature teen and adult audience. Also, myself and the rest of the audience were crying or at least trying to hold back tears by the end. ***1/2
|
Wed Dec 07, 2011 7:04 pm |
|
|
Libs
Sbil
Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 3:38 pm Posts: 48626 Location: Arlington, VA
|
Re: We Bought a Zoo
A touching, genial film perfect for the holidays. It doesn't have the goods to stand alongside Cameron Crowe's classics (Say Anything, Jerry Maguire, Almost Famous), but We Bought a Zoo is a decided improvement over the hodgepodge of Elizabethtown. Matt Damon is terrific in this role; he's sympathetic and comes across as a normal dad trying to hold his family and himself together. Over the years, I've become very impressed with his range, and this is another piece to that. Scarlett Johansson, showing more warmth than usual, exhibits chemistry with Damon and their relationship is handled well. The rest of the supporting cast is good. Thomas Haden Church gets to deliver some acerbic dialogue, Elle Fanning is delightful once again, and Maggie Elizabeth Jones is just about the cutest child actress I've seen in a while. Plus: animals aplenty. Who doesn't enjoy that? B+
|
Sat Dec 24, 2011 12:23 pm |
|
|
Michael A
Joined: Sat Dec 27, 2008 4:48 am Posts: 6245
|
Re: We Bought a Zoo
Libs wrote: A touching, genial film perfect for the holidays. It doesn't have the goods to stand alongside Cameron Crowe's classics (Say Anything, Jerry Maguire, Almost Famous), but We Bought a Zoo is a decided improvement over the hodgepodge of Elizabethtown. Matt Damon is terrific in this role; he's sympathetic and comes across as a normal dad trying to hold his family and himself together. Over the years, I've become very impressed with his range, and this is another piece to that. Scarlett Johansson, showing more warmth than usual, exhibits chemistry with Damon and their relationship is handled well. The rest of the supporting cast is good. Thomas Haden Church gets to deliver some acerbic dialogue, Elle Fanning is delightful once again, and Maggie Elizabeth Jones is just about the cutest child actress I've seen in a while. Plus: animals aplenty. Who doesn't enjoy that? B+ Jerry McGuire? Classic? Enh...
_________________Mr. R wrote: Malcolm wrote: You seem to think threatening violence against people is perfectly okay because you feel offended by their words, so that's kind of telling in itself. Exactly. If they don't know how to behave, and feel OK offending others, they get their ass kicked, so they'll think next time before opening their rotten mouths.
|
Thu Jan 05, 2012 5:50 am |
|
|
Dr. Lecter
You must have big rats
Joined: Sat Oct 16, 2004 4:28 pm Posts: 92093 Location: Bonn, Germany
|
Re: We Bought a Zoo
[trixster]Jerry Maguire[/trixster]
_________________The greatest thing on earth is to love and to be loved in return!
|
Thu Jan 05, 2012 8:58 am |
|
|
trixster
loyalfromlondon
Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 6:31 pm Posts: 19697 Location: ville-marie
|
Re: We Bought a Zoo
You know you've made it when there's a forum tag named after you.
_________________Magic Mike wrote: zwackerm wrote: If John Wick 2 even makes 30 million I will eat 1,000 shoes. Same. Algren wrote: I don't think. I predict.
|
Thu Jan 05, 2012 8:14 pm |
|
|
Algren
now we know
Joined: Tue Oct 19, 2004 9:31 pm Posts: 67059
|
We Bought a Zoo
Sadly it was a flop for me. I wanted to like it as I love Crowe's other movies; Jerry Maguire and Vanilla Sky. But it was just too soppy for my liking. It was trying too hard to be sentimental, and while everything was in the correct order, it didn't hit the right notes. I would have preferred a story about how the zoo failed overall but it's about trying and learning along the way, but instead it was about succeeding in the face of adversity and we've seen that dozens of times before.
Damon was good in it, I liked his character, and when he wasn't on screen it was boring. Didn't like any of the other characters apart from his brother (could have been the comedic element but wasn't) and daughter (cute). Scarlet Johansson was better in this than when she's sexed up in The Avengers etc. - she doesn't ooze sex appeal and is much more realistic in a 'girl nextdoor' role (or Lost in Translation). Most of the dialogue was bad. I was sick of Damon telling me that it was "an adventure", ok Damon, we get it. And the films' title was mentioned three times. I did like the ending line though and how it linked back to earlier in the film, but the rest of the film was predictable. I would have preferred a few more details about the buying and expenses of the zoo; how much was left to him by his father? how much did the zoo cost? why not sell a few animals to help keep the zoo alive etc.. I would have preferred a more business approach to the screenplay.
Not as good as Free Willy or its sequel.
D+
_________________STOP UIGHUR GENOCIDE IN XINJIANG FIGHT FOR TAIWAN INDEPENDENCE FREE TIBET LIBERATE HONG KONG BOYCOTT MADE IN CHINA
|
Sat Jan 12, 2013 6:23 am |
|
|
stuffp
Keeping it Light
Joined: Wed Apr 08, 2015 8:06 am Posts: 11217 Location: Bright Falls
|
Re: We Bought a Zoo
This is a decent family film with a fun cast. I'm not too much a fan of the writing, it's all a bit too cliched and it doesn't need to be a 2 hour film. But overall it's entertaining enough for a crowd pleasing watch, just with little repeat value.
B-
|
Sun Dec 17, 2017 3:21 am |
|
|
Algren
now we know
Joined: Tue Oct 19, 2004 9:31 pm Posts: 67059
|
Re: We Bought a Zoo
What did your wife think of it?
|
Sun Dec 17, 2017 3:53 am |
|
|
stuffp
Keeping it Light
Joined: Wed Apr 08, 2015 8:06 am Posts: 11217 Location: Bright Falls
|
Re: We Bought a Zoo
Something in the line of "it's a good movie".
|
Sun Dec 17, 2017 4:16 am |
|
|
Thegun
On autopilot for the summer
Joined: Thu Oct 21, 2004 10:14 pm Posts: 21647 Location: Walking around somewhere
|
Re: We Bought a Zoo
Pleasant, but uneventful. A lifetime or Hallmark story only with a real cast. It's the type of movie you watch on a plane.
_________________Chippy wrote: As always, fuck Thegun. Chippy wrote: I want to live vicariously through you, Thegun!
|
Mon Dec 18, 2017 10:21 pm |
|
|