Moving on after a traumatic event can be challenging, especially when there are children involved.
Moving on can seem wrong, like you're leaving behind a very important part of your life. This is the struggle that Benjamin Mee is faced with in the film “We Bought a Zoo.”
Benjamin (Matt Damon) has two children, Dylan (Colin Ford), who is 14, and Rosie (Maggie Elizabeth Jones), who is 7. The three are all feeling the effects of the death of their mother and wife, Katherine (Stephanie Szostak). It has been six months and the family is getting by but struggling.
Benjamin is trying to keep things together, at least for the kids. He takes them to school every day, and the single moms are really keeping an eye out for him with at least seven lasagnas in his fridge. Dylan has crawled into his own world of self-pity. He is a talented artist but all he draws now are scenes of darkness and death. Rosie seems to be handling the situation well, but she still clings to the physical things her mom left behind.
Benjamin’s newspaper editor wants to give him his own column, but Benjamin wants no part of it. Instead, he ends up quitting. His brother Duncan (Thomas Haden Church) tries to get Benjamin to visit places that remind him of his wife, but Ben doesn’t want to be reminded that she isn’t around anymore.
Benjamin decides his family needs a change, so he starts looking for a new house. When they come to a home that is situated on a rural property, Ben is sold. He then finds out the place is an actual working zoo. There are more than 40 different animal species on the property, and if he buys the place, they come with it. Benjamin decides this is what his family needs.
He finds out that the state currently owns the property, which must pass an inspection. He meets the staff, including head zookeeper Kelly Foster (Scarlett Johansson). She is a no-nonsense kind of person who cares deeply for the animals and doesn’t want to see then get hurt. Ben and the staff have only a few weeks to get everything ready for the inspection.
You might think this film is a romantic comedy, but it isn’t. This is more a drama about a family and how they break through the torment of losing someone.
Damon does a wonderful job making the audience feel his emotion. The tension between the son and the father is real. Cameron Crowe directed and must have worked very well with all the actors to get such great performances. He also helped write this film and was able to take the story in a direction most people won’t see coming.
If you are considering taking your kids, take into consideration the language. It isn’t over the top, but it is present. Also, one of the characters does drink a bit and is seen drunk in this film. There is a tavern on the property, and the staff does like to hang out there. There is also the theme of death; you may have to talk to your kids about it afterward. Also, some of the drawings the son does are somewhat graphic, but still cartoonish.
“We Bought a Zoo" is a fantastic movie. It has moments of warmth and caring as well as some intense emotions. This film feels like a team effort, and a good one at that. If you think your kids can handle the thematic elements, take the family to see it.
Title: 'We Bought a Zoo'
Star Rating: 3 1/2 out of 4
Shawn O'Neill is the Family Man Movie Reviewer on BYU Radio. His reviews can be heard on BYURadio.org and on SiriusXM Channel 143.