We Bought a Zoo Directed by: Cameron Crowe Starring: Matt Damon, Scarlett Johansson, Elle Fanning Rating: NR Release Date: December 23, 2011
TRAILER SCORE: 5/10
Thoughts by TSR: It's sad to see Matt Damon relegated to this heartthrob status so early in this trailer. In fact, for the first 30 seconds or so, all that's talked about is Matt Damon's looks. Is that really an important part of the movie? or is it Hollywood just reminding us why we should love him again?
Thankfully, Damon's got the acting skills to back it up. Even with a tissue thin premise, Damon does what he can with it to sell both the sad attempts at humor and the prepackaged sentimentality. Seriously, halfway through I could've sworn they were gonna play Coldplay's "Clocks" and I was gonna hafta fight every urge to turn it off. Unfortunately, not even Damon can save this one. Then again, the trailer as a whole doesn't do too much to help. Aside from some gorgeously shot moments and my love of animals, within 5 minutes of watching this trailer, I had forgotten a lot of what this movie had to offer. The premise of a man and his family buying a rundown zoo and restoring it to its former glory is nice in theory, but there's absolutely no indication that this has any more substance than a fluff piece on the evening news.
Still, the idea of the movie seems to be doing most of the work here, along with Damon in select moments. Any interest that I still have in this movie stems from what it's about, which I knew before watching the trailer. The trailer neither really helps nor hurts when it comes to this unadulterated cheese-fest. It could be a heartwarming holiday film for family's, but there are probably a dozen other "quirky and inspiring based on a true story" films this holiday season. Aren't there always? We Bought a Zoo fails to rise above the rest and instead, just stews in its own mediocrity thanks to this trailer.