We Bought a Zoo (2011)

Users' rating: 6.8

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About the movie

Year

2011

Runtime

2 h 4 min

Genres

Comedy, Drama, Family

Country

United States

Director

Cameron Crowe

Writers

Aline Brosh McKenna, Benjamin Mee, Cameron Crowe

Plotline

Set in Southern California, a father moves his young family to the countryside to renovate and re-open a struggling zoo.

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Starring

Matt Damon

Scarlett Johansson

Thomas Haden Church

Colin Ford

Elle Fanning

Main cast

Matt Damon Benjamin Mee

Scarlett Johansson Kelly Foster

Thomas Haden Church Duncan Mee

Colin Ford Dylan Mee

Maggie Elizabeth Jones Rosie Mee

Angus Macfadyen Peter MacCready

Elle Fanning Lily Miska

Patrick Fugit Robin Jones

John Michael Higgins Walter Ferris

Carla Gallo Rhonda Blair

J.B. Smoove Mr. Stevens

Stephanie Szostak Katherine Mee

Michael Panes Principal

Kym Whitley Cashier

Todd Stanton San Diego Vet

Lauren Sanchez TV Anchor

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External critics' reviews

Damon can elevate just about anything in which he appears. more

Genuinely charming, treacle-free family films are tough to find these days, so I'm happy to heartily recommend We Bought a Zoo as heartwarming holiday fare that even jaded adults can share with the kids. more

As a man committed to reinventing himself, Damon is terrific. And Johansson brings to Kelly just the right blend of spunkiness and hard-won maturity. more

The film is sweet. Its observations of life in the aftermath of death ring true, especially for anyone who's traveled the contours of mourning. And although it doesn't rank among Crowe's greatest films, it's a better, tighter, more disarming piece of grief work than his baggy and zigzaggy "Elizabethtown." more

Provides a welcome seasonal dash of wholesomeness and humor. more

Scarlett Johansson plays the head zookeeper and she's a lot less mannered than usual. more

Damon is extraordinary. He's heartfelt performance has a tough core of intelligence and wit. more

Heartfelt but safe. The missing element is the edgy irrelevance that elevated Crowe's best directorial efforts - "Say Anything," "Jerry Maguire," and "Almost Famous" - above their generic counterparts. more

We Bought a Zoo has more soul than substance, but I'll be darned if it didn't put a smile on my face and keep it there. more

The movie is like Doctor Dolittle remade as a therapeutic sudser. By the end, it got to me. more

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