This is a great movie about life and overcoming tremendous loss. But I think that movie companies have the idea that if you put some animals in a film along with a cute little girl then it is somehow a “kids” movie. This is NOT a kids movie. I took my 6 year old son thinking that he would love it. He saw the previews on TV and insisted on coming. This was our “Christmas” movie. Every Christmas morning we see a movie. It has been a tradition in my family for decades. So there I am bawling my eyes out in this theater with my son and the rest of my family thinking WOW I love this movie but I wonder what he is going to think.
He told me after the movie that he wants to move to a Zoo in Colorado. We live in California and he has never been to Colorado and the Zoo in the movie is in California but he has made up his mind evidently. I am to be a Zookeeper. Sounds exciting.
This movie moved me so many times I can’t pick just one moment in the movie to focus on. Matt Damon delivers yet another amazing performance this year and was just wonderful as this broken father who is making the best of the worst possible situation. The kids in this movie are great. Charming and wonderful. Scarlet Johannson was great as the understated Zookeeper with a MAD crush on Matt Damon’s father character. Both played well off the other and it was a great human story. See this movie it will warm your heart up right after it breaks it.
