We Bought a Zoo
Cameron Crowe's comedy about a family who, er, buys a zoo Discuss this article
A comedy with youthful wonderment on its side, the latest film from perpetual teen Cameron Crowe heals a broken family in the quasi-spiritual gaze of the natural world. Widowed father Matt Damon takes his two children out of noisy Los Angeles and plunks down his savings on 18 acres of sun-dappled green, also the home of a rundown zoo with tigers, birds and a highly symbolic bear. Before you frown in disbelief, know that a version of this story actually happened in the English countryside.
Too much of the movie feels predestined, and subplots involving budding romance end up forcing what’s implicit. Crowe, meanwhile, still can’t stop abusing his vinyl collection; the aural wallpapering of Bob Dylan, Cat Stevens and others will surely please post-boomer fans who haven’t quite got the hang of silence.
Time Out Abu Dhabi,
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