Heart wins over schmaltz

DAMON, JONES AND JOHANSSON. Topbill frothy combo of true-to-life drama and situational comedy.

“ALL it takes is 20 seconds of insane courage to change your life,” says Matt Damon’s character, widower Benjamin Mee, to his children in his true-to-life starrer, “We Bought A Zoo.”

Director Cameron Crowe spins his yarn around a frothy combo of drama and situational comedy—so, his formulaic movie actually takes much longer than 20 seconds to win you over. When empathy for the production’s distraught protagonists finally kicks in, however, viewers cheer them on till the very end.

We’ve all lost dear friends and loved ones to cancer at one time or another—so, there’s really nothing new about Benjamin’s story. But, what sets it apart from other triumph-over-adversity tales is Crowe’s insightful treatment of Mee’s grief and healing.

Six months after his wife succumbs to cancer, the do-it-yourself writer cum adventurer inadvertently buys a zoo nine miles away from “civilization”—where he relocates his teenage son, Dylan (Colin Ford), and 7-year-old daughter, Rosie (the scene-stealing Maggie Elizabeth Jones).

But, it doesn’t take long for Benjamin to realize that it’s easier to embark on one of his dangerous trips than pick up the pieces of his and his kids’ tattered lives, especially where his emotionally distant son is concerned.

As he struggles to cope with his troubles, Benjamin’s newly acquired property is turning more and more into a money pit—after all, buying a zoo is one thing, but maintaining it is another, even with the help of his well-meaning brother (Thomas Haden Church), as well as his lovely zookeepers, Kelly (Scarlett Johansson) and her 13-year-old niece, Lily (Elle Fanning). And, it doesn’t help that the nitpicking animal-control inspector, Walter Ferris (John Michael Higgins), is constantly threatening to close down his wildlife facility!

Crowe has an intriguing but hard-to-sell premise: Initially, it’s difficult to suspend disbelief that a person in mourning would purchase a zoo just to boost his family’s sagging spirits—but, as they say, truth is stranger than fiction. Nevertheless, the movie has “special” elements that allow the production to break out of its formulaic mold.

The director embraces his narrative’s shaky foundation and builds on it with insight after moving insight, each intelligently conveyed by actors who work in thespic harmony—and synergy.

The film has a spry ensemble of humans and beasts, but Crowe knows only too well that a story as shop-worn and trite as this can’t coast on charm alone.

Pacing the cast is the outstanding Matt Damon, whose character mourns in quiet grace—until he’s forced to deal with his bottled-up emotions and explodes in a stunning confrontation scene with his son.