by Leah Schroeder ’13

If in twenty seconds of insane bravery, you can develop a relationship with a perfect stranger, tell a girl you love her or even decide to buy a zoo, it is hard to imagine what could happen in two hours.  In Cameron Crowe’s “We Bought a Zoo,” two hours is just enough time to fill the theater with limitless optimism and remind the audience of the importance of throwing caution to the wind and following your heart.

Benjamin Mee (Matt Damon) has just lost his wife, and he and his two kids, Dylan (Colin Ford) and Rosie (Maggie Elizabeth Jones), are struggling to cope. After Dylan is expelled from school for his violent artwork and destructive behaviors, Benjamin quits his job and tries to find a place for them to make a fresh start.

While on a house hunt with Rosie, Benjamin finds the “perfect” place, though there is one caveat: it’s a zoo. Though hesitant, Benjamin buys the property and invests his life savings into renovating the park.

At first, the situation seems bleak. The family is dysfunctional with seven-year-old Rosie seemingly in charge. The zoo is deteriorating with a misfit staff and sickly animals, yet, it provides the perfect environment for the family to work out its problems.  As they overcome obstacles to fix the zoo, they learn more about themselves and about each other.

Yet, even in the most tense moments, there is humor. During a fight in which Dylan complains about Benjamin forcing his dream on him, Benjamin shouts, “It’s a good dream. There’s cool animals and great people.” It was unexpected to have such a lighthearted line in the midst of a screaming match, causing the audience to laugh out loud.

Dylan and Benjamin have difficulty letting go of the past and communicating their emotions. However, as they open up to each other and to the possibility of a brighter future, the two find romance. Benjamin and the head zookeeper Kelly Foster (Scarlett Johansson) slowly develop a relationship, and Kelly’s cousin Lily (Elle Fanning) immediately shows an interest in Dylan.

Though Damon and Johansson are billed as the big names on the film and though they fulfill their roles remarkably, the standout performances of the rest of the cast, animals included, make the film spectacular. Benjamin’s daughter Rosie is the most memorable character. Not only is she incredibly cute, but she is able to express so much emotion through her voice, face and eyes.  Her energy and spirit are infectious. One can’t help but smile whenever she comes on screen, whether she is happily feeding animal crackers to peacocks or giving advice to her dad about parenting and which clothes to keep when they move.

The movie does come to a predictable conclusion with the zoo opening and achieving relative success, but, as is true with any good adventure, the journey has much more importance. Through its offerings of hope and resilience, the movie forces the audience to adopt the philosophy of “Why not?” and leaves even the grumpiest of movie-goers satisfied.