We Bought a Zoo (Cameron Crowe, 2011) ****

Dir. Cameron Crowe
Starring Matt Damon, Scarlett Johansson, Colin Ford, Maggie Elizabeth Jones, Elle Fanning, Thomas Haden Church

Cameron Crowe has always been a patient filmmaker, often taking 3-4 years between projects. It was usually worth it, as in the past this resulted in several films that I consider to be modern classics, such as say Anything, Jerry Maguire, and Almost Famous. Crowe's latest period of absence is more frustrating than usual because it was 7 years ago and that was the highly disappointing Elizabethtown. Thus it is a great treat to finally see Crowe back to top form with this lovely family dramedy sprinkled with his usual brand of original and magical movie moments.

We Bought a Zoo is based on the autobiographical book of the same name by Benjamin Mee (Matt Damon). Tragedy strikes Benjamin's family when his wife dies and his young daughter (Maggie Eliabeth Jones) and teenage son (Colin Ford) have difficulty adjusting. He decides a change of scenery is in order, but the only property he likes happens to be a dilapidated zoo. After seeing how much his daughter takes to the animals, he decides this is the perfect place for a fresh start and sets about restoring this zoo so it can be reopened.

This film is a delicate balancing act between sentimentality and humor. In the hands of many other directors, the tone would be all wrong, it would feel manipulative and overly silly. But this is a balancing act that Cameron Crowe has mastered throughout his career and he is better at finding that tone than just about anybody else in Hollywood. Not a moment in this film feels fallse or manufactured. In fact much of it is underplayed, especially the relationship between Benjamin and head zookeeper Kelly (Scarlett Johansson), which would normally dominate the film but Crowe never lets it get in the way of the family drama that is the core of the story.

Part of what killed Elizabethtown was terrible casting in the lead role. After making a mistake with Ashton Kutcher, Crowe decided to try Orlando Bloom and he was pretty dreadful. Here Crowe has gone with Matt Damon, who is a perfect fit for the earnest, good natured, and tortured main character. As Benjamin repairs the zoo, he must also repair his relationship with his teenage son, who doesn't want to be there. The father-son relationship in this film is tremendously affecting thanks both to Crowe's honest approach to the material and the terrific performances from Matt Damon and Colin Ford.

What really sets Crowe's films apart are what I call "Crowe moments". These are unique, magical moments throughout his films that seemingly come out of nowhere. Examples include the boombox scene in Say Anything, "You had me at hello" in Jerry Maguire, and the Tiny Dancer singalong in Almost Famous. The Crowe moments are a testament to the effort he has done in studying his idol Billy Wilder, who came up with similarly original moments in his films. Even the great Wilder would attribute this to his own idol Ernst Lubitsch who perfected what was called the Lubitsch Touch. Very few directors seem to have studied these two men, so it is enormously refreshing to see Crowe applying their techniques so successfully once again, more than 80 years after Lubitsch first perfected them.

We Bought a Zoo is a terrific Crowe film that stands strongly with some of his best work. Not only does he come up with a wonderful ensemble cast and a very funny and honest script, but the former Rolling Stone writer once again delivers a marvelous soundtrack to the film, led by Jonsi's incredible score that lifts the film's emotional moments to greatness. The film also has a sublime ending, with Crowe finding a perfect last line to the film that would make both Lubitsch and Wilder proud. Thanks for coming back, Mr. Crowe. You have been missed.