100 Movie Challenge 2016 - # 107: We Bought a Zoo

Director: Cameron Crowe
Genre: Drama/ Comedy/ Family
Runtime: 124 minutes
Year: 2011
Starring: Matt Damon, Scarlett Johansson, Thomas Haden Church, Colin Ford, Angus Macfadyen, Elle Fanning, Patrick Fugit, John Michael Higgins

Description: Set in Southern California, a father (Matt Damon) moves his young family to the countryside to renovate and re-open a struggling zoo.

Review: Director Cameron Crowe is mostly known for his film “Almost Famous”. “We Bought a Zoo” is his first family film, based on a true story where a widowed man and his two kids move and buy a struggling zoo.
Benjamin Mee doesn’t have a lot of experience as a parent, because for his job as a journalist he was on the road a lot. He quits his job writing and eventually finds a beautiful house that comes with a zoo. And he buys it.
Matt Damon plays the lead and I loved his character. It’s really easy to relate to him, a man just trying to deal with his wife’s death and his kids. Especially his son, who he just can’t seem to reach. Him buying a zoo is part of the process Benjamin is going through. Scarlett Johansson is also good in this film, I also sympathized her character a lot. And the little girl Rosie, so adorable!
“We Bought a Zoo” is such a great film, very underrated. Okay, it’s bittersweet, but who cares. I loved the film and I think everyone should see it sometime. It put a big smile on my face in the end.

Rating: 5/ 5