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We Bought a Zoo
We Bought a Zoo

Flixster Users

78%liked it

Critics

67%liked it

Matt Damon, Scarlett Johansson
Dec 23, 2011
PG, 2 hr. 4 min.

Trailer

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Movie Info

Cast: Matt Damon, Scarlett Johansson, Thomas Haden Church, Colin Ford, Maggie Elizabeth Jones, Angus Macfadyen, Elle Fanning, Patrick Fugit, John Michael Higgins, Carla Gallo
Director: Cameron Crowe
Rated: PG
Running Time: 2 hr. 4 min.
Genre: Drama, Comedy
Theater Release: Dec 23, 2011
DVD Release: Apr 03, 2012
Synopsis: 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 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

Critic Reviews

  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Tom Long, Detroit News
    We Bought a Zoo is so filled with artificial sweetener that it may cause cancer.
  • Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post
    Consider it a fine sign of emotional discipline that the movie doesn't overplay Kelly and Ben's romantic possibilites.
  • Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger
    These are ideas from old movies, and presented without any of the conviction those pictures used to give them.
  • 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.
  • Lou Lumenick, New York Post
    Heartwarming holiday fare that even jaded adults can share with the kids.
  • Get more reviews for We Bought a Zoo at RottenTomatoes.com
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