We Bought a Zoo poster & wallpaper
Get movie widget Recommend it Add to Favorites

Matt Damon, Scarlett Johansson, Thomas Haden Church, Colin Ford, Maggie Elizabeth Jones ... see more see more... , Angus Macfadyen , Elle Fanning , Patrick Fugit , John Michael Higgins , Carla Gallo , J.B. Smoove , Stephanie Szostak , Michael Panes , Kym E. Whitley , Todd Stanton , Lauren Sanchez , Peter Riegert , Roberto Montesinos , Desi Lydic , Erick Chavarria , Samantha Fox , Dustin Ybarra , Ben Seeder , Alice Marie Crowe , Michelle Panek , Gary D. Robertson , Nicole Russell , Reid Peters , Taylor Victoria Cerza , Steve Bessette , Hal Alpert , Leslie Trotter , Steven Lee , Katherine Yerves , Caroline Hanna , David López , Benjamin Mee , Ella Mee , Milo Mee , Sammi Yorn , William Crowe , Curtis Crowe , Johnny Cicco , Alexia Barroso , Thomas R. Baker , David Dustin Kenyon , Shannah Barrett , Christie Kittelsen , Michelle Pickens , Gabriel Escalante , Bart And Tank , Crystal , Katie , Ninja

This holiday season, acclaimed filmmaker Cameron Crowe (Jerry Maguire, Almost Famous) directs an amazing and true story about a single dad who decides his family needs a fresh start, so he and his two... read more read more... children move to the most unlikely of places: a zoo. With the help of an eclectic staff, and with many misadventures along the way, the family works to return the dilapidated zoo to its former wonder and glory. -- (C) Official Site

Flixster Users

78% liked it

48,501 ratings

Critics

67% liked it

147 critics

PG, 2 hr. 4 min.

Directed by: Cameron Crowe

Release Date: December 23, 2011

Invite friends to see

DVD Release Date: April 3, 2012

Get It:

Stats: 3,363 reviews

report incorrect info

Photos

Rosie Mee Lily Miska Movie We Bought a Zoo We Bought a Zoo We Bought a Zoo We Bought a Zoo We Bought a Zoo We Bought a Zoo We Bought a Zoo We Bought a Zoo We Bought a Zoo We Bought a Zoo We Bought a Zoo We Bought a Zoo Benjamin Mee Benjamin Mee Kelly Foster
Upload a Photo | View All We Bought a Zoo Photos

Your Rating


clear rating

Flixster Reviews (3,363)

  • LWOODS04
    May 28, 2012
    LWOODS04
    Cast: Matt Damon, Scarlett Johansson, Thomas Haden Church, Patrick Fugit, Colin Ford, Elle Fanning, Maggie Elizabeth Jones, John Michael Higgins, Angus Macfadyen, Peter Riegert, Stephanie Szostak, J.B. Smoove

    Director: Cameron Crowe

    Summary: In this adaptation of Benjamin M... read moreee's memoir about buying and saving a run-down zoo, the locale shifts from Britain to southern California. However, the wacky spirit of the original is retained, complete with escaped tigers and a zoo crew of misfits.

    My Thoughts: "A sweet movie about a family struggling to move on and heal. The relationship between father and son is strained and tense. But I think the son is acting out for attention. He is upset and grieving, but having difficulty dealing with his feelings. I think the father, Benjamin, turned a blind eye to it. He seemed more focused on his daughter Rosie (who is played by an extremely adorable Maggie Elizabeth Jones) and her happiness more so then his sons. He even metioned to Dylan that he needed his help to make her happy. That was sad to watch when the son, Dylan, is screaming for him to help him be happy.
    I didn't see why Dylan and Lily needed to have the scene of declared love. Seemed unnecessary for the film and forced. Just cheesy."


    "You know sometimes all you need is 20 seconds of insane courage."
  • MrMarakai
    May 23, 2012
    MrMarakai
    Director Cameron Crowe is certainly no stranger to maudlin sentimentality. I have found a few of his films rather good though. I enjoyed "Singles" and "Almost Famous" and despite some critical panning, I found "Vanilla Sky" to be a bit of a darker delicacy from him. Even "Jerry M... read moreaguire" was decent. However, the abysmal "Elizabethtown" didn't sit too well at all and I thought Crowe couldn't crank up the excessive mushiness any further after that. I was wrong.
    Benjamin Mee (Matt Damon) is a widowed father, bringing up his two children by himself, after losing his wife to cancer. Things aren't going well though as his son gets expelled from school and he feels the need to quit his job on an L.A. newspaper. He decides that a fresh start is needed for them all and takes his two kids off to live in a run-down country house with a run- down zoo attached. It seems like lunacy at first but Benjamin decides to refurbish the place and bring the zoo back to life.
    There is a question that's asked between two characters at the end of this film... "If you had to choose between people and animals. Who would you pick?" On this evidence, I'd chose the animals. The cheese factor is so high on the people that they may aswell be walking chunks of four week old camembert. I swear I could see the mould on them. The performances aren't bad per se but Crowe's direction is so high on the schmaltz that I was crying out for a Travis Bickle to come and wash this scum out of the park. Someone to just take this zoo "and just... just flush it down the f**kin' toilet." Damon puts in his usual, likeable, everyman job and shows good emotive moments. The rest of the cast are also quite appealing and even Johansson's pout is kept to a minimum. The only glimmer of anything natural here though, is the animals. Everything else is completely manufactured tosh. As mentioned, the problem lies in Crowe's direction. He doesn't let the characters breathe and develop on their own. He forces you to feel for them. He feeds you more shit than it's possible to shovel at a zoo and my emotional state felt violated at his insistence. Subtle, this film is not. Stereotypical and predictable, it is.
    There's an integral, recurrent piece of fatherly advice that runs throughout..."You know, sometimes all you need is twenty seconds of insane courage. Just literally twenty seconds of just embarrassing bravery. And I promise you, something great will come of it."
    Maybe Crowe shouldn't have actually applied this advice to himself. He may have taken that twenty seconds of insane courage but something 'great', certainly, DID NOT come of it. There is one word that's correct about that quote though... 'Embarrassing'. Crowe must be in the midst of mid-life crisis or something. It's the only way you can explain such nauseating cloyingness. Is he compensating for something, or did mommy and daddy not pay him enough attention when he was a child?
    If you have a sweet tooth, then this will be a real treat but otherwise, stick to something with a bit more zest and sharpness.
  • katykern8261
    May 22, 2012
    katykern8261
    Directed (co-written) by Cameron Crowe, 20th Century Fox, 2011.

    Starring: Matt Damon, Scarlett Johansson, Thomas Haden Church, Angus Macfadyen, Carla Gallo, Elle Fanning and John Michael Higgins.

    Genre: Comedy, Drama, Family

    Question: What would you do if your daughter s... read moreays to you when looking at a group of people having a good time, "Their happiness is too loud"? First your heart would sink and then you would do anything, even if it was considered crazy, to make sure your kids are happy again.

    Months ago I posted the preview for We Bought a Zoo and was waiting for it's release. The story looked a little too sweet but every once in a while you need a movie like that - a feel good movie. Plus, it was a Cameron Crowe movie and I have enjoyed many of his movies. On Christmas day I finally saw it. (Side note: it's been my family's tradition for decades to see a movie on Christmas day and this year I wouldn't pass up another opportunity to see a movie.)

    I usually don't use a quote from movies I have just seen, but the one I used in the first paragraph sort of struck a chord with me and I had to share it. There are actually many great lines in this film although many I feel were forced and trying a little too hard to tug at one's heartstrings. But I was sort of expecting that once I saw the preview.

    Short summary: Matt Damon plays Benjamin Mee, a widower raising his two children 6 months after his wife passes away. He then tries to change their entire living situation to better his children's mental state (and his) so he buys a home that happens to be in the middle of a zoo that requires major renovation. There is a lot of family turmoil between the father and son; and the man is so lost without his wife that he barely functions with getting over his own grief.

    The father's intentions to help his children overcome their grief should evoke a lot of strong emotions. If you have children and they are suffering, as a parent, you will do whatever takes to help them. Sacrifices and attempts at trying anything to make them happy is an essential part of being a parent especially when you are the only parent who can help. However, the weight of that is extremely heavy and Matt Damon did a convincing portrayal. Fortunately, there was a lot comic relief throughout the film to counterbalance the drama.

    Over all I enjoyed this movie but wish it would have toned down the sweetness factor a tad bit. Nonetheless, I believe many will find We Bought a Zoo the perfect family movie. In fact, my children both gave the movie 9 out of 10 -but the animals may have helped swayed their vote a little. They were cute.

    Based on the book and true story: We Bought a Zoo: The Amazing True Story of a Young Family, a Broken Down Zoo, and the 200 Wild Animals That Change Their Lives Forever by Benjamin Mee

    My favorite thing: The daughter is simply precious - she stole every scene.

    My least favorite thing: The film-makers tried a little too hard to force a romantic set-up between two characters.

    Rating: PG
    Length: 124 minutes

    Rating: 5 out of 10
  • flixsterman
    May 8, 2012
    flixsterman
    Family friendly feel-good film based (loosely) on the true story of Benjamin Mee and the Dartmoor Zoological Park near Sparkwell, England. The script, sentimental as it is, makes little use of its exquisite cast. I expected more of Cameron Crowe.
  • fb100000145236770
    April 27, 2012
    fb100000145236770
    You can always tell a Cameron Crowe movie from other movies. "Almost Famous", "Jerry Maguire", "Elizabethtown", are all different movies with similar traits. Some comedy, lots of sentimentality, usually a cute kid, and great music. "We Bought a Zoo" has all of that. Matt Damo... read moren stars as a widower who is left with his two children, and looking for a new place to live. So, he decides to buy an abandoned zoo, and works to reopen it. The movie is filled with animal humor, sweet moments with his kids, and Scarlett Johansson being dreamy as ever. His daughter is the cutest kid I've seen in a movie in a long time. Perfect casting overall. It's a great family movie, that people of all ages will enjoy. The movie does drag a little here and there(like most Crowe movies), but overall it's entertaining. Not Crowe's best movie, but worth a watch or two.
  • YLOWBSTARDreturns
    April 11, 2012
    YLOWBSTARDreturns
    "We Bought a Zoo" is two hours of possibly the most enjoyable fluff Cameron Crowe could muster. It's sweet, it's predictable, it's also well written and full of heart. Bolstered by a terrific Matt Damon performance, it's a family film actually worth rounding up the family to watch!
  • fb733768972
    April 3, 2012
    fb733768972
    Matt Damon portrays real-life man Benjamin Mee, who's wife has recently passed away. To cope, he moves away with his charming daughter and his expelled son. When he finally find the house wants, he realizes that it is actually a zoo. He is determined, once he meets the workers wh... read moreo live there, that this is going to be his new home no matter what. Based on a true story, the filmmakers do an amazing job at capturing the emotions of the characters, and there is not a single time in the film when I hated anyone, and that was a very nice feeling. Some of the dialogue does feel like it has been written for a soap opera television show, but it quickly changes gears before becoming too sappy. The acting is terrific, the story is very touching, the score is very forceful (but still great), and there is not one character that you will not feel for. "We Bought A Zoo" tries a little too hard to be witty, and sometimes tries a little too hard to tug on the heart strings, but when it works, Oh my god does it work. I was crying a lot during my viewing of this film. It made me feel like a changed person, and my love for animals grew significantly! This film is great!
  • aquateen2
    April 3, 2012
    aquateen2
    [img]http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/user/icons/icon14.gif[/img]

    In the schmultsy, annoying and slightly off putting style of Free Willy, We Bought a Zoo is quite often overly dramatic without being that emotionally involving. Neither does it makes the inspiring true ... read morestory believable because of the edginess being removed at the cutting room floor. But Matt Damon is excellent in the lead role, the animals are great to look at and the direction is pretty good. It didn't consistently keep a smile on my face and it is very cheesy. But it's a nice litte warm and innocent family film that's sometimes quite charming and funny.
  • scottgreen96
    March 30, 2012
    scottgreen96
    I suppose there isn't much to comment on, which is seen to be a bad thing, but it is made up through the main characters shining through the screen and bringing a nice, comfortable film to watch with the family.
  • xXGiNoBiLiPRXx
    March 24, 2012
    xXGiNoBiLiPRXx
    Set in Southern California, a father moves his young family to the countryside to renovate and re-open a struggling zoo.

    Very good family film. Everyone acted very well in this film, I thought seeing Matt Damon and Scarlett Johansson in these roles really shows there versatili... read morety as actors and human beings. We Bought a Zoo is no action-packed, high suspense adventure movie. What it is is an inspirational family movie that I really enjoyed.

    A widower (Matt Damon) purchases a zoo in order to bring his family back together in this Twentieth Century Fox adaptation of Benjamin Mee's autobiographical memoir. Cameron Crowe (Almost Famous) writes and directs based on a script by Aline Brosh McKenna.

View All We Bought a Zoo Reviews

Critic Reviews

Roger Moore
March 23, 2012
Roger Moore, McClatchy-Tribune News Service

It's something of a sweet-natured slog, peppered, as all of Crowe's films are, peppered with he pop music the former pop music journalist loves. Full Review

David Denby
January 9, 2012
David Denby, New Yorker

Nothing that happens in this movie is in the least surprising, but it's all quite pleasant and even, at times, moving. Full Review

Rafer Guzman
January 5, 2012
Rafer Guzman, Newsday

The movie has animals, kids and fine acting from Matt Damon and Scarlett Johansson, but it lacks the emotional honesty and unpredictability that made Crowe's early films so irresistible. Full Review

David Edelstein
December 30, 2011
David Edelstein, New York Magazine

Damon and Colin Ford as his teen son have an affecting hesitancy, their hearts hovering between the living and the dead. Full Review

Rick Groen
December 23, 2011
Rick Groen, Globe and Mail

A professional actor in the best sense, always credibly grounded, Damon is much better than the material, and so is Colin Ford who plays the troubled son. Full Review

Tom Long
December 23, 2011
Tom Long, Detroit News

We Bought a Zoo is so filled with artificial sweetener that it may cause cancer. Full Review

Lisa Kennedy
December 23, 2011
Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post

Consider it a fine sign of emotional discipline that the movie doesn't overplay Kelly and Ben's romantic possibilites. Full Review

Stephen Whitty
December 23, 2011
Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger

These are ideas from old movies, and presented without any of the conviction those pictures used to give them. Full Review

Ann Hornaday
December 23, 2011
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post

"We Bought a Zoo" provides a welcome seasonal dash of wholesomeness and humor, but it's also a heartening celebration of second acts, even at their most unwelcome. Full Review

Lou Lumenick
December 23, 2011
Lou Lumenick, New York Post

Heartwarming holiday fare that even jaded adults can share with the kids. Full Review

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Cast

More Like This

Click a thumb to vote on that suggestion, or add your own suggestions.

  • Evan Almighty
    Evan Almighty (67%)
  • The Descendants
    The Descendants (50%)
  • The Muppets
    The Muppets (100%)

More Movies like We Bought a Zoo

Facts

Submit a Fact | View All
    • Benjamin Mee: What I've figured out is that when you love somebody that much, that hard, that long, you can never get away from them, no matter where you go. And that only comes once in a lifetime. Just can't get a handle on it. I cannot let go.
    • Benjamin Mee: I thought if I came out here it would stop. Back home, every place reminded me of her. Filippe's on Third Street. Balboa Park. Little Dom's, the coffee shop, that... That's a big one.
    • Delbert McGinty: You don't want me. I'm filled with Scotch, bitterness and impure thoughts!
    • Kelly Foster: Why did you buy this place?
    • Benjamin Mee: Why not?
    • Lily Miska: I like your drawing...its a little dark. Wheres the sun?
    • Dylan Mee: There's not sun in the underworld...at least that I'm aware of.
    • Benjamin Mee: Then pick up a shovel and dig a hole! Help me! Dylan Mee: HELP ME!
    • Dylan Mee: HELP ME!
Submit a Fact | View All

We Bought a Zoo : Watch Free on TV

We Bought a Zoo Trivia

  • finish this quote we bought a ~~~  Answer »
More We Bought a Zoo Trivia

Movie Quizzes

No quizzes for We Bought a Zoo. Want to create one?

Video Clips

Upload a Video |

All We Bought a Zoo Videos

Meet Other Fans

Add We Bought a Zoo to favorites

Recent News

Submit a Story |

View We Bought a Zoo News

Recent Lists

Make a List |

View All Lists

Most Popular Skin

No skins yet. Interested in creating one?