Woo’d by the zoo

The famed Jerry Maguire director, Cameron Crowe, is back after a pitfall in 2005 with his release of Elizabethtown – what has he done differently?

He got rid of Orlando Bloom, and thank heavens for that! The use of real actors like Matt Damon and Scarlett Johansson caged in a zoo together is much more appealing.

The film is loosely based on true events. Yes, there really is a Benjamin Mee and he really did move into a house that was also a zoo. However, the rest is the creation of screenwriter Aline Brosh McKenna, known for 27 Dresses, and, of course, Crowe.

The film follows a grieving Mee, played by Matt Damon, and his two children. With the family recovering from the loss of Katherine, wife and mother, Benjamin quits his job and decides to reconnect with his teenage son and young daughter by taking over a run-down zoo.
 
He chooses to revamp the menagerie with the help of a skeptical staff, which includes zookeeper Kelly, played by Johansson. Mee suddenly realises that he is working through his heartache by dealing with the dilemma that comes with a dying tiger.

It may be predictable, unlike Crowe’s earlier films, but it’s these predictions you appreciate and end up waiting for. You are waiting for the son and father moment, hoping for the boy-girl cliché and longing for the rain to stop.  Furthermore, the film does have a witty side and deep underlying messages throughout, but your teeth will need to go through a lot of sugar to get to them.
 
Although mawkishly sentimental, it has just about enough sugar to make it work as a PG-rated film.

Additionally, being a fan of Damon, I may be biased, but I believe his presence helped the film.
 
He gave a heartfelt performance, and although older, and no longer the action-packed Jason Bourne I remember him to be, he brought me to tears with his likeable performance.

With Mee’s father-son confrontation being one of the main storylines in the film, Crowe takes advantage on emphasising the special moments performed by Damon.

Playing on the romance – one of the features in Crowe’s films – Mee bares his heart, which ultimately makes him come off as completely genuine.

Not only did he achieve ‘the moment’ on more than one occasion but he also provided the audience with a core of love for the character, making him much more likeable than he should have been in reality. His reactions accompanied by the background music, although unsubtle, helped make the movie exceptional.

Despite the fact that it is a ‘happily ever after’ cliché, the performances redeemed Crowe’s return to the big screen. Although a few more humorous remarks from Thomas Haden Church, who played Benjamin’s brother, could have swayed my decision more, I believe if you’re looking for a family film with a surprisingly good soundtrack, this zoo is the ticket.

*Showing in Dana Cineplex