WE BOUGHT A ZOO Film Review

There are people who want Cameron Crowe to do a sequel to 'Say Anything', because they want to see what Lloyd Dobbler (John Cusack) is up to twenty-something years later. But the thing is, you can see a little bit of him in Benjamin Mee. You can see a bit of Penny Lane and Jerry Maguire in him too. Of course, what you're really seeing in all of these characters, is Cameron Crowe himself.

Not everyone loves Crowe's movies, but that's life. The best you can do as an artist is be authentic. When you're truthful and real, there'll still be people that hate you; but there'll be people who absolutely and completely love you, too. 'Say Anything', 'Jerry Maguire' and 'Almost Famous' are among my favourite films of all time. To me, they're masterpieces.

What is it that I love about this guy's movies? It's simple: they make me feel alive. They remind me of the simple joys of life. You feel it when William Miller is contemplating going to Morrocco for a year, and you feel it when Jerry Maguire is shoplifting the pootie. And you feel it in 'We Bought A Zoo' when Benjamin (Matt Damon) and Kelly Foster (Scarlett Johansson) are exchanging glances. In fact, there's a beautiful moment when Damon's character is simply telling Kelly to "go home", because she's been working too hard. The text of the scene isn't romantic, but the scene is positively ALIVE! Makes you want to run out into the streets and find someone adorable just so you can make a connection happen. Life is about the connections, it's about feeling those subtle flows and big booms in your heart, but we forget this; we go years without it. Cameron Crowe reminds us of who we are, and how we felt once.

There was a time when I thought Cameron Crowe was only capable of masterpieces. Turns out, it's not true -- he is human after all. The truth is, 'Elizabethtown' was uneven and strange and didn't always ring true. But then again, some bits of it were magical and transcendent. That's the thing about Crowe - he stays true to who he is. As he seques into family-comedy with 'We Bought A Zoo' you could be forgiven for thinking he's sold out, or been downgraded from auteur to studio-fluff-director. But that's not what this is.

So what IS IT?

It's a little piece of magic, is what it is. It currently sits at 7.3 on IMDB. And that's probably fair. It's not a masterpiece--- but what it does have, is a beating heart. Like I said before, his work makes you feel alive. The nuanced characters and the joyful little life moments--- NO-ONE does them like Crowe. Just seeing a clip of a Cameron Crowe character waving goodbye to someone can sometimes send me spiralling upwards into full joy that lasts for days. If you wonder what I mean by a Cameron Crowe character waving, watch the trailer from 0.38-0.43 -- it's those moments, they kill me, in the best possible way. I can't even explain it, it's just one element of the many many tiny little elements that make Cameron Crowe movies fantastic.

'We Bought A Zoo' is sweet, heartwarming and life-affirming. It's a family-comedy that doesn't try to be anything more or anything less than what it is. Cameron Crowe has a distinct artistic voice, and this film is a worthy addition to his body of work which has had a huge hand in shaping my artistic sensibilities as a writer and director. For Cameron Crowe, 'We Bought A Zoo' proves, It's all happening, still.

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Ten Random Film Things

1. I am in love.


2. Which got me to thinking about Marilyn Monroe -- so I watched this about six times in a row.


"Goodbye Norma Jean
Though I never knew you at all
You had the grace to hold yourself
While those around you crawled
They crawled out of the woodwork
And they whispered into your brain
They set you on the treadmill
And they made you change your name

And it seems to me you lived your life
Like a candle in the wind
Never knowing who to cling to
When the rain set in
And I would have liked to have known you
But I was just a kid
Your candle burned out long before
Your legend ever did

Loneliness was tough
The toughest role you ever played
Hollywood created a superstar
And pain was the price you paid
Even when you died
Oh the press still hounded you
All the papers had to say
Was that Marilyn was found in the nude

Goodbye Norma Jean
From the young man in the 22nd row
Who sees you as something as more than sexual
More than just our Marilyn Monroe"
3. I've been catching with the work of previous interviewees of KITFR. The film that Lawrence Sher shot; 'DUE DATE,' now has a trailer- which excites me GREATLY!


Joe Leonard's debut feature 'HOT I GOT LOST' is now available on DVD. He also has been busy since our interview working as an editor on Glee; and he was also on the editing department for 'EAT, PREY, LOVE.'


4. One of my favorite books, 'ON THE ROAD' by Jack Kerouac is being made into a film, and I don't know how I feel about it. It stars an actor called Sam Riley as Sal and Garrett Hedlund as Dean Moriarty. I am not familiar with either of the actors. The female parts are taken by more recognizable names and; if they HAVE to make this into a movie, then I think they are good names to have attached: Kirsten Dunst as Camille, Kristen Stewart as Marylou and Amy Adams as Jane.

5. A few days back I wrote about the lack of Ginger Rogers in modern film. I feel just as strongly about Katharine Hepburn. She was so powerful, so strong, so talented, so so beautiful -- and this was back in the 1940's -- where is Hepburn now? Where is the spirit of Katharine Hepburn? Where are the powerful roles? Where are the dynamic women? We're writing more roles for the 'sexy' woman and the 'Mother' and the 'girl next door' than ever before. Our films would be so much more original, diverse, truthful, and exciting -- if writers would do more than just write their girl next door fantasies. Women are as crazy, fucked up, nonsensical and capable as men; and that should be represented in film.

6. I was talking with an actress friend last night about how homosexuals are portrayed in cinema. Has there ever been a gay character who was gay but had a normal storyline? As far as I can see, if gay characters are in films they usually fall into these catagories: a) Their sexuality is a central point of their story, or b) They are camp and feminine (if male) and you can spot their sexuality merely by witnessing their first line of dialogue. In every film you watch; there will be numerous straight characters who are going about their lives and struggles; and of course, many smaller characters are assumed straight. But when a homosexual character is involved, it is always 'part of their story.' Therefore, films tend to suggest that all gay people have to deal with or care about, is being gay-- but surely as writers and filmmakers, we can do better than writing in this way?

7. The film 'SPEED' is insane. They spend over an hour saving these people on a bus; then after everyone gets off the bus, it plummets into an airplane which is moving towards the runway. There's a giant explosion and, I'd assume, hundreds of plane passengers dead. Even if there are no passengers; it still has a pilot and crew - so as many people will die as were on that bus. But nobody seems to give a shit and Keanu and Bullock just start flirting. What's that about?

8. Another thing about 'SPEED' - Jeff Daniel's character is called HARRY, which is also his name in 'DUMB AND DUMBER.' So whenever I watch Speed, I imagine that it's actually Harry from 'DUMB AND DUMBER' who has somehow managed to make people think he's a bomb expert. It makes the viewing experience HILARIOUS! Another hilarious thing is when Dennis Hopper says to Keanu Reeves "don't try and grow a brain!" Looking at Keanu's career recently; it looks like he took the advice to heart.

9. I am SO excited about upcoming interviews that will be here on Kid In The Front Row soon.

10. It's been six years since 'ELIZABETHTOWN.' Aside from a Pearl Jam documentary that he's currently shooting, I really don't know when we're going to see another feature film from Cameron Crowe. Whether you liked his last movie or not; this is the guy who brought us 'SAY ANYTHING,' 'JERRY MAGUIRE' and 'ALMOST FAMOUS.' He had numerous struggles trying to get his new flick 'DEEP TIKI' made and now that it's dead-- I don't know what's going to happen. I sincerely hope he gets to work on something new soon though.

I would love for you to take this 'Ten Random Film Things' idea over to your own blogs and run with it.....

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Scarlett Johannson & Pete Yorn singing "RELATOR"

I like this song. I like Scarlett's voice. I also like other things about Scarlett, but we'll save those for another time.

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My Views On Life Expressed Through Movies #1

Scarlett Johannson - On How It Really Doesn't Matter.

JOHN
Would you-- Would you
please stop smoking?

CHARLOTTE
I like to.
I don't really smoke that much.

JOHN
It's just so bad for you,
though.

CHARLOTTE
Well, I'll stop later.

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