Wir kaufen einen Zoo

Cameron Crowe hat mit meinem Lieblingsfilm ein unvergessliches Zeichen gesetzt und es wird mit jedem weiteren Film nur noch schlimmer werden. Dabei vergleiche ich überhaupt nicht, was angesichts des Themas auch nicht möglich ist. Aber alle anderen Filme sind für mich mindestens eine Klasse schwächer, eine Ausnahme ist vielleicht nur Jerry Maguire – Spiel des Lebens. Wir kaufen einen Zoo ist ein typisch amerikanischer Film mit allem Drum und Dran. Ich war darauf eingestellt, ihm all die bekannten amerikanischen Klischees und Unbeholfenheiten zu verzeihen und die Stärke der Geschichte, die ergreifenden Aspekte und die natürliche Schauspielleistung von Matt Damon zu loben. Ein angenehmes Familienerlebnis, das es schafft, jedes Familienmitglied mehr oder weniger beim Herzen zu packen. Ich habe auch eine interessante biologische Erkenntnis über den Vergleich zwischen Löwen und Tigern mitgenommen. (01.05.2024)

Ein durch und durch optimistischer Film, für den man offenbar die richtige Laune haben muss (ich hatte sie). Ungefähr fünf Minuten vor dem Filmbeginn war ich noch besorgt, dass er vielleicht zu niedlich sein wird, voll von lallenden Kindern, witzigen Tieren und so weiter. Ich habe mich umsonst gefürchtet. Ausgezeichnete und sympathische Schauspieler*innen, ein nettes Drehbuch, Humor, hier und da eine Träne (wirklich!)… Und die sensationelle Figur vom Zoo-Inspektor, die John Michael Higgins spielt. (12.10.2013)

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)

Today’s American genre movies apparently know only two extremes: either complete rejection of certainties and questioning of basic existential values or a safe escape into an idealised fairy-tale world. Cameron Crowe’s new film falls into the latter group with such irresistible guilelessness that I feel ashamed to criticise it for its naïveté. Since I ultimately didn’t get the good feeling that the film ceaselessly pushes on viewers, I’m not rating it higher, but in the same breath, I can recommend that you give We Bought a Zoo a chance, as it can be touching, depending on your state of mind at the moment. It’s solidly directed and offers tasteful humour, even when it comes to the animals. ___ Though the film doesn’t try to hide its affiliation with the Christmas family comedy category (American premiere date: 23 December), it also doesn’t manage to exploit it in any clever way. It is simply an intentionally nice film and nothing more. The type-casting of the characters is flawless; there is no risk that someone would deviate from the clearly defined course. Radical, though of course temporary, deviations are allowed either in the context of the acknowledged game (MacCready) or to confirm the absolute success of the main characters (Ferris). There are no negative characters that could be taken seriously. To be precise, the creepy inspector is a caricature like something out of a children’s book. Like the film’s cast of animals, he serves only for comic situations that alleviate the mourning for the dead wife and the search for a way back to people. The only effort at more sophisticated involvement of the ever-present animals in the central plot is the impassioned (even by the standards that the film sets) episode with the dying tiger. Otherwise, the animals only a) generate grotesque humour or b) try to convince us that it’s natural for them to be locked up in cages. Thomas Haden Church managed to make the most of his thankless role and, unlike Damon, he can deliver his great pearls of wisdom with a light sense of detached humour. The film otherwise falls desperately short. ___ The “fine” mood spiked with rising intensity towards the end (thanks especially to Elle Fanning) made me wonder if that was an intentional change of stylisation on Crowe’s part, resulting in a very clever practical joke. But probably not. 55% (11.04.2012)

I love it when filmmakers take a good and original true story and interpret it in an utterly beautiful and natural way that brings up a ton of emotions and by the end of the film it makes me feel truly amazing. Films like this are as scarce as grains for forest animals in the middle of desert. Well, that may be a stupid analogy. Simply there’s just very few of them. But still you can come across stories with happy endings that are worth watching. This one is really emotional, because it’s not only about a likable family, but also about the zoo, which instantly doubles the emotions. Matt Damon’s sincere expression throughout the whole film made me really happy. I wish there were more surprises like this and always something I could look forward to and be happy for others for a job well done. (13.05.2013)