We Bought A Zoo
Matt Damon and Scarlett Johansson star in this drama, directed by Cameron Crowe (Jerry Maguire, Almost Famous), based on the true story of a single dad who moves his family into a zoo.
Benjamin Mee (Damon), an animal behaviour specialist, and his family need a fresh start. Using his life savings, he buys a dilapidated zoo in the countryside complete with 200 exotic animals (including Siberian tigers, African lions, wolves and brown bears), and moves his family in. Along with his children and an electric team of staff, Mee balances caring for his wife, diagnosed with brain cancer, with returning the zoo to its former glory.
2011Rating: PG, Mild themes and infrequent coarse language124 minsUSA
DramaTrue Story & Biography
- Director:
- Cameron Crowe ('Elizabethtown', 'Vanilla Sky', 'Almost Famous', 'Jerry Maguire')
- Writer:
- Aline Brosh McKennaCameron Crowe
- Cast:
- Matt DamonScarlett JohanssonElle FanningThomas Haden ChurchPatrick FugitAngus MacfadyenColin FordJ.B. Smoove
We Bought A Zoo / Reviews
Rolling Stone
There's a lot of fun waiting at We Bought a Zoo, but it's the feelings that run through every scene scene that'll make you glad you came.
Full review
New York Post
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.
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IndieWire
If, however, you like heartwarming—not cloying—stories about decent people, and hope to leave the theater feeling better than you did when you walked in, We Bought a Zoo will be a welcome cup of holiday cheer.
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Hollywood Reporter
Arguably the director's least typical film, it doesn't dodge the potholes of earnest sentimentality and at times overplays the whimsy. But the uplifting tale has heart, humanity and a warmly empathetic central performance from Matt Damon.
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A.V. Club
Formula, however, is the enemy of sincerity, and in We Bought A Zoo, the two engage in a film-long struggle.
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