We Bought a Zoo

A film that's not afraid to deliberately move you, yet is perfectly optimistic and intentionally smiling with every thought and plot point. The whole group of teenagers, children, dedicated caretakers, and gazing animals could easily crumble into a meaningless family mess. But Cameron Crowe proves that he still has a firm hand in calming down turbulent emotions. A film for everyone. Literally. (04/04/2012)

A thoroughly upbeat spectacle, for which one obviously has to be in the mood (and I was). I was still worried about five minutes before the film started that it would be too cute, full of babbling children, funny animals and so on. Of course, no such thing happened. Excellent sympathetic actors, nice script, humor, a tear here and there (really!)... And the sensational character of the zoo inspector played by John Michael Higgins. (12/10/2013)

A completely professionally made film (perfect editing, amazing cinematography, breathtaking sets...), which thanks to its "soft drink" script manages to attack the viewer's emotions quite indiscriminately at some moments. Fortunately, the whole thing actually feels on the whole quite natural and civil (mainly thanks to the excellent cast), and therefore there is no need to wonder if Cameron Crowe is just forcing your emotions or if the characters are so wonderfully written and acted that you just believe them all. What’s more, the story itself is so beautifully human that perhaps it must ultimately soften even otherwise purely cynical hearts. The ending is so very moving it's almost unwelcome :))) (28/10/2013)

A a barrage of positivity that relies on the typical trademarks that Cameron Crowe sprinkles into each of his films: strong characters that you can't help but sympathize with, some sparkle between main characters, a common goal to work towards, a dash of emotions and personal attitudes that need to be changed, all adding to one of the film of the year. Crowe hasn't overstretched himself this time around, and made a modest, intimate film that is emotionally transparent and relatable, even though it's actually woefully unoriginal and ordinary. But even fleshing out the characters and dialogue and adding a catchy soundtrack is quite a feat in a production like this. The last scene is awesome. (20/04/2016)

If I had the opportunity and the necessary funds, I would also like to own a zoo. After watching this relaxing film, this is doubly true. While it's full of clichés and perhaps overly saccharine, I actually expect all of that from a family movie for animal lovers, so I don't have the slightest problem with it. On the contrary, I was happy to be moved by the sweet story presented to me by mostly likable actors. The film also features great music. (85%) (22/06/2021)