We Bought a Zoo

We Bought a Zoo This isn’t a great movie, but it does feature a strong performance from Matt Damon, and a bunch of cute and impressive animals, making it a pleasant enough experience and a step in the right direction for director Cameron Crowe after the disaster that was 2005’s Elizabethtown. One could argue he hadn’t made anything worthwhile since 2000’s Almost Famous, but I actually really like 2001’s weird and much maligned Vanilla Sky. Anyway, this one involves Damon’s Benjamin Mee, a widower who buys a zoo in a ploy to start over and give his kids a change of scenery. The zoo comes with a staff, populated by the likes of Kelly (Scarlett Johansson), left in charge of the zoo and its animals after it was closed to the public. She’s also a sort-of love interest for Benjamin, and good one at that. Crowe is a little clunky with the comedy stuff, but he does manage some effective dramatic moments in this one, thanks in large part to stellar work from Damon.