We Bought A Zoo
This Easter, be unpredictable, do something crazy and embrace your wild side! Twentieth
Century Fox Home Entertainment presents an inspiring adventure based on a true story of one man who brought a zoo back to life and family back together in WE BOUGHT A ZOO, arriving on Blu-ray, DVD and digital download April 3. Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Cameron Crowe (Almost Famous, Jerry Maguire) and starring Matt Damon (Contagion, True Grit), Scarlett Johansson (Iron Man 2, Vicky Cristina Barcelona) and Thomas Haden Church (Easy A, Sideways), WE BOUGHT A ZOO is “a sweet-natured tale…that you’ll want to see with your kids” (Liz Braun, Jam! Movies).
Benjamin Mee (Damon) is a Los Angeles newspaper columnist and adventure writer who, as a single father, faces the challenges of raising his two young children. Hoping that a fresh start and a new life will restore their family spirit, Mee quits his job and buys an old rural house outside the city with a unique bonus feature: a zoo named the Rosemoor Animal Park, where dozens of animals reside under the care of head zookeeper Kelly Foster (Johansson) and her dedicated team. With no experience, limited time and a shoestring budget, Mee sets out with the support of his family and the local community to reopen the zoo. Now, Benjamin is no longer reporting an adventure story; he’s living it in his own backyard.
OUR REVIEW
I loved this movie. I found the characters genuinely entertaining and engaging. There was plenty of comic relief and a good dose of heartfelt drama too. I didn't think the kids would be interested in watching it but since there was nothing objectionable in it I put it on to watch while they were around. Within minutes all three of them were glued to the TV with my husband and I and watched the whole movie with us- start to finish.
I don't think they fully grasped all the family drama - it was a little over their heads for sure- but they enjoyed it anyway.
I asked them what they thought and here is what they told me:
Aiden (age 9): I loved it because it was funny. I liked the kid that is just a little older than me because he is a really good artist. I liked where he painted a picture that was very evil but cool looking like comic books. The part where he accidentally let the snakes out and then kicked the snake when he was mad was sort of sad but sort of funny too.
Owen (age 8): I really liked it. It was really cool. It was funny. The one big guy with the beard is just hilarious how he gets so mad. And I think that girl likes that boy for sure.
Olivia (age 5): I loved it. I liked all the animals and that the little girl feeded some of the animals and that they lived at the zoo. But I didn't like it when the snakes got out because snakes are scary. But the rest of the am-ni-mals-es were nice to live with.
Overall I would say We Bought a Zoo is a great family friendly movie to watch. And it totally made me laugh AND cry- which is always the sign of a good movie in my books :).
*I was sent a promotional copy of this DVD to review*
