We Bought a Zoo is a family film which is about a man's quest of starting a new life after the loss of his wife, so in doing so, he decides to move and buy a house which in come with a zoo (though it is not fully functioning when he buys it, as he becomes the owner and must fix it and start it back up).This film does offer some solid acting from Matt Damon as the lead, but many of the other characters are unlikeable and forgettable, specially the son. The main problem with the film is that it isn't as interesting or unique given that it's about a zoo. Nothing much out the of ordinary happens and at times it is quite dull.The movie is also very predictable but dealing with a novel, it appears to be expected. As we know everything will work out in the end, we know the zoo will be back running in good shape, people will enjoy it, the father-son relationship will better itself and eventually Matt Damon and Scarlett Johansson's characters fall for each other. It is also quite unrealistic as he seemed like he was able to smoothly pay for everything that appeared to be a problem with the zoo. The film didn't mention how Matt Damon had all that money, but living in a zoo, the price would be very expensive, and the film made it seem like a fantasy. They did show some scenes of problems but overall everything seemed a little far fetched and unrealistic. Overall, We Bouth a Zoo is a typical and somewhat dull family film which doesn't offer much, but is at worst quite average. Maybe more thugs would have happened which would have been unexpected.

It's a decent family movie unless you expect something out of ordinary in a family movie. I loved its kind-of unusual theme, with beautiful views and animals. Matt Damon is great, the kids are cute and Scarlett is gorgeous.For me it was a great way to lose myself into a fantasy tale, forgetting everything around me for 2 hours and enjoy the kind of life I always dream for myself, but can never get my hands on. The complications and the solutions might not seem real, but then again it's a family comedy with a touch of fantasy, not a drama or a documentary. So don't have your hopes high, that you will watch an incredibly accurate movie which will inspire you through every step of your life; and you will be fine.

We Bought a Zoo (2011): Dir: Cameron Crowe / Cast: Matt Damon, Scarlett Johansson, Thomas Hayden Church, Colin Ford, Elle Fanning: A lacklustre drama about responsibility. Matt Damon plays Benjamin Mee, a widow whose son is rebellious and just expelled from school. Seeking to start over and shacks up his son and daughter in a new house but the catch, they learn, is that it is a zoo. Great concept with lots of thrilling wildlife including lions, tigers, bears, zebras, peacocks, etc. Unfortunately the film grows formula and too corny for its own good. It needed taken out with a tranquilizer dart right about the time the dimwitted romantic subplot surfaced with Scarlett Johansson making claims that no woman would ever make. Cameron Crowe struck gold before with Almost Famous and the underrated Elizabethtown, but here the wildlife can only distract lame writing and corny situations. Damon holds strong as he struggles to raise his children as well as take on this new task and have the zoo opened at a particular date. Johansson as the head zoo keeper is more or less there to shovel sh*t and shovel more of it at viewers when idiotic romantic elements creep in. Thomas Hayden Church plays Damon's brother in a cardboard role. Colin Ford has the thankless task of playing the whiny son who complains constantly and irritates everyone on screen and off. Elle Fanning makes a cameo appearance that is also second fiddle to the scene stealing wildlife. Great theme regarding responsibility and preserving wildlife but the only thing viewers bought is a headache. Score: 5 ½ / 10

Cameron Crowe's "We Bought a Zoo" stars Matt Damon as a Benjamin Mee, a single father who purchases a dilapidated zoo. With the help of his son, daughter and a gang of likable eccentrics, Benjamin attempts to reopen the zoo ahead of a crushing deadline.Like most of Crowe's work, "Zoo" strains desperately to be cute, magical and cosy. The film bludgeons you with cutesiness, every inch sentimental to a fault. Crowe would cite Bill Forsyth's "Local Hero" as an influence on his picture, a superior film about a man on a similar mission. Scarlett Johansson co-stars as "Zoo's" obligatory love interest.6/10 – Worth one viewing.