We Bought a Zoo

First Hit: Despite its obvious intentions to elicit emotions, it effectively works on all cylinders.

It is hard to think that Matt Damon can be in a bad film.

I wondered about the title of this movie and the previews that I saw had me thinking - maybe. But as he said on The Daily Show “It’s a Cameron Crowe film.” Yup, it is true and it is good.

The overall acting by everyone is top notch. Crowe got what he needed from everyone.

This film is about a Benjamin Mee (Damon) who loses his wife and is left with two kids; Dylan (played by Colin Ford) a 14 year old boy and Rosie (played by Maggie Elizabeth Jones) a 6 year old girl. They miss their mom just as Benjamin misses his wife every single day.

Benjamin gets advice and support from his very close brother Duncan (played by Thomas Haden Church) who is an accountant and has his own life struggles. Feeling stuck in their lives, Benjamin leaves the city and moves his family outside into the country by buying a rundown and soon to be closed down zoo.

Rosie is happy, Dylan is angry, Duncan is confused, and Benjamin is doing his best to find a way to let go of the memories of Katherine is wife (played by Stephanie Szostak). Running the zoo is the former zoo keeper apprentice Kelly Foster (played by Scarlett Johansson). All the zoo workers are unique in their own way and this film lets them all have their moments.

The story’s goal is to get the zoo open by July 7th and they only have a few months. This journey is one of forgiveness, letting go, letting love, hard work and the results of “giving yourself 20 seconds of insane courage”.

Damon is amazing. He brings courage, confidence, thoughtfulness, anger, sadness and laughter to his character. Ford is wonderful as the frustrated teen who is very lost. Jones is unbelievably wonderful as the wondrous daughter. Church is perfect as the supportive but ever skeptical funny protective brother. Johansson is sublime as the zoo keeper who has confidence and is looking for someone to match this. Elle Fanning as Lily was super as the open fearless girl who has a crush. The entire cast is simply wonderful and that is because of the well written story by Aline Brosh McKenna and Cameron Crowe and the perfect direction by Crowe.

Overall: This is a very good and heart-warming PG film.

Morning Glory

First Hit: Actually funnier and better than I expected.

Rachel McAdams plays Becky a very ambitious television producer who is well liked by her colleagues because she is hardworking, compassionate and willing to work with almost anyone. She is ungraciously fired from a job where she thought she was going to be promoted. She beats the pavement and finds a new job on a show that will soon be replaced if they don’t get higher ratings.

Jeff Goldblum plays Jerry Barnes, a prickly sarcastic VP of the studio that decides to give her a chance. The production team and talent on this morning show are odd balls and they work in a congested basement like mess of a studio.

Becky sets the tone and gains admiration of her staff in her first staff meeting when the entire staff tells what they want to work on all at one time, but then in this welling of confusion, she responds to each of their ideas right after she fires the head male talent because he is a pervert. However, all her work gets her nowhere until she comes up an idea to hire on a veteran hard news reporter the studio has on contract.

This reporter, Mike Pomeroy (played by Harrison Ford) is grumpy, arrogant, hates anything that isn’t what he considers “hard news” and declines her offer. However Becky points out that if he refuses he will lose the last two years of his lucrative contract with the studio. He’s paired on the set with the current long standing hostess Colleen Peck (played by Diane Keaton) who would like the show to do well and will try new stuff.

However, Colleen and Mike do not get along and some funny lines are written for these two as they squabble on air. Of course the film ends in a Hollywood way and the show is saved.

McAdams is intense in this role and almost feels like she as pressing the character. However, there are some very funny moments with her bringing some funny comedic timing with her lines and cute physical characterizations (like her walk). Keaton is low keyed and she brings out a strong character that isn’t going to be fooled with. Ford is a good grump. He can screw his face up in a very convincing way. When his character is to be a little bit open and vulnerable he carries this off without making incongruent with the overall wizened and grumpy character. Aline Brosh McKenna wrote an amusing script, however there wasn’t enough in the script to really bring a depth to Becky as to why she was such a workaholic. There was some stuff about her mom and dad but it lacked realism. Roger Michell directed this and for the most part did a wonderful job of keeping it all moving in the same direction with drama and comedy from many different characters.

Overall: Not a great film but there were some very good laughs and it was enjoyable to watch and I left the theater feeling better than when I walked in.