We Bought a Zoo

It would be easy to be cynical and pick apart this heartfelt story of a single dad who uproots his family and takes them to live at a home in the country that just happens to come with its own wild game preserve. But don’t. Leave your cynicism at the door. Sit back, relax and watch that rarest of Hollywood creations, a really well-made family movie. Director Cameron Crowe, perhaps trying to get back on the mainstream movie track after veering wildly off course with Vanilla Sky (not to mention the abysmal Elizabethtown), keeps the story flowing at a pretty brisk pace, never letting the family drama get too heavy along the way. He depends a little too much on inserting close-up reaction shots of the animals whenever the story drags, but given the title of the film, you have to cut him some slack.