It's all about right casting. Loved Maggie Elizabeth Jones! I was already inlove (in her acting and cuteness) with Elle Fanning and who doesn't love Matt Damon? Scarlett? Screw her.

Why did sappy sink Spielberg's 'War Horse' and yet shoots Cameron Crowe's 'We Bought a Zoo' straight to the heart? I loved the raw earnestness at play here, even if it occasionally comes off as manufactured through some blunt line readings. No matter. Matt Damon is superb here as a widower trying to keep his family together. Crowe gives us intimate relationships that are easy to cling to. It's one of the cutest movies I've seen in years.

Worst ending, well, ever. I was so furious by the apple endorsement that I went straight home and through my Ipod out the window. No film will ever tell me what to buy again(especially if it has MAAAATTTTT DAAAMMMOOOON in it).

Not a masterpiece definitely but worth to watch. Very nice and heart warming movie.

Sweet and effective tale of loss and courage. Good performances.

Good movie but not really family friendly.

Barely watchable!

Interesting story, although the script is really weak and too easily holds together. Good actors, which is probably the only reason that pushes to watch it.

Cameron Crowe is back at the top of his game, proving you can have a clean film that people of any age can enjoy. Make no mistake, this is not a kids film (you'll find yourself blushing in certain scenes if you bring them), this film is superbly directed and you'll find yourself so immersed in this incredible tale of human experience, as Cameron Crowe can so often do to his audiences.

Some winning performances make this delightful enough... It certainly causes no harm... Enjoy!

cute movie 10 out of 10

An extremely sentimental drama that is well made and filled with strong performances from Matt Damon, Elle Fanning, Thomas Haden-Church and Scarlett Johannson. It's not at the same level as Cameron Crowe's best work (Almost Famous, Jerry Maguire, Say Anything), but it has a sweet story that really got to me. Some critics have called it manipulative, but I don't care. I got lost in its story.

So now Cameron wants you to care about this father who can't let go his wife and his two kids and also about this old zoo he just bought, and he tries to win you over with a score by Jónsi, a soundtrack by Dylan, Neil Young, Bon Iver -- even Sigur Rós' Hoppipola is there --, but this is just a lazy and, of course, too long romance. Cameron still have a signature -- this feeling of grandeur in simple things --, and I just don't know if I like it now. I like that "20 sec courage" stuff, though.

Stupendously sappy, and there's not a thing that happens that you don't see coming a thousand miles away. But it's so aggressively, puppy-dog earnest and sincere and well-meaning that you can't help but give in to it after awhile, and beneath all the animal bonding tomfoolery is a surprisingly tender, mature, clear-eyed portrait of widowhood. Damon's intelligent, smoothly modulated performance makes you thankful Ben Affleck isn't playing this part.

Cameron Crowe's script contains elements of sheer brilliance, but its Crowe's direction that interferes with this film being anything more than above-average schmultz. We Bought a Zoo can't decide if it wants to be a zany character comedy or a heartful human study. While Crowe's earlier works walk that line much more firmly, We Bought a Zoo is certainly a tale of two films, maybe the signs of an older and more systematic Crowe.

Another one of those movies with a greatly underachieving misguided disaster of a preview. I echo the positive point about the "20 sec. of courage". It's what put it above a 7 (Hollywood average) for me.

I'm not a heartless man, nor do I reject sentiment in films - hell, I'm the only person on Criticker who loved War Horse - but good lord, the way this film tries to surgically crack open your chest so it can reach right in there and yank your heart strings is kind of galling. The final scene had me cringing away from the screen with its schmaltz. It's so, so cheesy. But, that said, the performances are good. I enjoyed John Michael Higgins as the dick zoo inspector.

Amazing feelgood movie! One thing I really have to say is, for a comedy, the acting was brilliant!! Obviously Matt Damon was the star of the show.. but I actually liked all the child-actors! Horay for Elle Fanning and Maggie Elizabeth Jones!

i dont really care

Writing/direction is very cliché and cheesy, dialogue is actually crappy every once in a while...but you've got pretty much the whole cast selling the hell outa that shit. Esp. Matt Damon and Elle Fanning...man they're good! And there was some really cool shit in there, too. The father/son confrontation scene for example...and some of the cheesyness played really really well with the soundtrack. I guess the movie is a pretty even mix of really cheap and awesome...with emphasis on the latter.

#12#, story, reviews, (dir/writer Crowe/1), Scarlett J/9-4, Elle F/8-4, M Damon/4-3

There seems to be some hate for Cameron Crowe's latest, and I couldn't disagree more. Maybe its because I'm a young father and I find feel good family movies relatable, but I loved everything about this film. Amazing performances and such a great story. I didn't find the heartfeltness over reaching at all, the moments seemed genuine and nicely written. Excellent job across the board!

As warm and kind-hearted as movies get. Slow but never boring, succeeds where The Big Year failed