Buying a new large house with a zoo brings many terrible for Benjamin, a single father with two children, who struggles against losing his wife, so he buys such a house to begin a new life with his children. Although he faces many challenges and obstacles in opening the zoo to the public, he manages to overcome them all.
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.
One of the movie's best teachings is the concept that if one commits to '20 seconds of insane, embarrassing courage,' to attain what one desires, good things always come of it. An instant kid classic.
A muddled focus keeps We Bought a Zoo from being a guaranteed hit with kids or a captivating adult drama but there are enough compelling moments to make it worthwhile.
Since "We Bought a Zoo" doesn't have much on offer, it could and should have at least been a more pointed reminder for us to rediscover nature and support local zoos.
Crowe, to his credit, is more concerned with insights about family than romance - and some of these are heart-on-sleeve touching if you've got a sweet tooth for the stickier stuff.
