Synopsis: A young widower, Benjamin Mee (played by Matt Damon), struggles to come to terms with the loss of his wife. He decides to quit his job as a journalist and move to a property that turns out to be a zoo. Benjamin Mee will have to bring the zoo back to life with the help of Kelly Foster (played by Scarlett Johansson)…
Filled with good intentions (sometimes to the point of being overwhelming), the film offers genuine moments of emotion thanks to the performances of the young characters (Colin Ford, Maggie Elizabeth Jones, and Elle Fanning). In this role, Matt Damon continues to distance himself from Jason Bourne. Scarlett Johansson brightens the film with a diaphanous beauty. Some lengthy sections unnecessarily slow down the film’s pace. Around the themes of grief and rebirth, Cameron Crowe delivers a melodrama that, despite a predictable storyline and some redundancies, remains endearing.
Some may criticize Cameron Crowe for making a very conventional film where the audience never doubts for a moment the happy ending. But it is also the strength of this film to offer us a chance to forget the harshness of our times for the duration of the screening: life is more beautiful!
by Guillaume Campocasso
