Wir kaufen einen Zoo

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 is not afraid to deliberately touch you, yet is perfectly optimistic and intentionally smiling with every thought and point. The whole group of teenagers, children, dedicated caretakers, and gazing animals could easily crumble into a meaningless family mess. But Cameron Crowe proved that he still has a firm hand in calming down turbulent emotions. A film for everyone. Literally. 90%. (04.04.2012)

A a barrage of positivity that relies on the typical trademarks that Cameron Crowe sprinkles into each of his films: strong characters that you can't help but sympathize with, some sparkle between main characters, a common goal to work towards, a dash of emotions and personal attitudes that need to be changed, all adding to one of the film of the year. Crowe hasn't overstretched himself this time around, and made a modest, intimate film that is emotionally transparent and relatable, even though it's actually woefully unoriginal and ordinary. But even fleshing out the characters and dialogue and adding a catchy soundtrack is quite a feat in a production like this. The last scene is awesome. (21.04.2016)

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)

Yeah, why not? Why not, for once in your short life, take your own path full of bumps, where even your loved ones will lose their sense of security? Why not believe in something that others would never hope for? Why not throw away past traumas and start again? We Bought a Zoo has an unoriginal story that as a whole ends in the most unexpected way, but I absorbed the varied and beautiful flavours and feelings contained in the individual scenes, the sweetly humorous dialogue, and the overall mood and motivational atmosphere of the film with as much joy as a kiss emoji from my crush (yeah, I wish she would actually think of me at least once a month). A small film, but with a big heart and a haunting last line that almost brought tears to my eyes. 75% (22.11.2015)