I was so excited when I saw the preview for We Bought a Zoo. It looked like a fun family friendly movie that I could watch with the kids. We are an animal family and love taking trips to our local zoo. This film seemed like it would be right up our alley. So we went ahead and reserved a copy at a Blockbuster Express kiosk for our Friday movie night!
Before watching this movie all I knew of it was that it was based on the true story of a man who moves his family to a broken down zoo. I thought it would be funny and light and filled with fluff. We Bought a Zoo made me laugh, but it also made me cry. It was not a simple feel good fluff piece.
Matt Damon plays a father who has just lost his wife due to illness. Benjamin Mee, Matt Damon, is having a hard time being a single parent. His children Dylan and Rosie Mee {played by Colin Ford and Maggie Elizabeth Jones} are also having a hard time coping with the loss of their mom. Dylan acts out in school and gets kicked out while Rosie seems to be unable to find her own happiness.
It truly is heart wrenching watching this family cope with the loss of such a vital part of their lives. But the movie isn’t all sadness and loss. Benjamin Mee decides his family needs a change, something new, so they buy a zoo!
The supporting cast in this film is where the humor comes in. My favorite is Angus Macfadyen, who plays the man in charge of the enclosures and security of the animals. His character is agressive but likable. Scarlett Johansson plays Kelly Foster, the person who has been taking care of the broken down zoo. She is funny and realistic and does a great job in this role. Thomas Haden Church plays Benjamin’s brother and is humorous as usual. The list goes on, faces and names that I was able to recognize made appearances throughout the film. The human interactions and the growth and development of characters is what is laugh out loud funny in this film.
We Bought a Zoo is rated pg. It is both a happy and sad film that tells the story of a family coping with loss in an untypical fashion. There is some language in the film that I thought was unnecessary and inappropriate for children to hear. Some of the pictures {Dylan Mee’s artwork} are dark and also not appropriate for little eyes; although it does play a necessary part in the development of his character.
We Bought a Zoo is rated pg. It is both a happy and sad film that tells the story of a family coping with loss in an untypical fashion. There is some language in the film that I thought was unnecessary and inappropriate for children to hear. Some of the pictures {Dylan Mee’s artwork} are dark and also not appropriate for little eyes; although it does play a necessary part in the development of his character.
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On a “Couch Rating” scale of 1-5, where 1 is the worst and 5 is the best; I give this movie 4 out of 5 Couches. The story is well written, the acting is great, and the character development is well thought out. I marked it down due to language.
After the movie my son and I sat down and talked about the different animals in the zoo and which ones were our favorites. We then took out our craft paper, Elmer’s glue, and uncooked noodles for some family fun crafting! We each made out favorite zoo animals. My son was partial to the tiger, while I was all about the peacock! What do you think?
This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for CollectiveBias. #CBias Regardless, all of the thoughts and opinions are 100% my own.
