Blu-ray Review: Huge Collection of Special Features For Sweet ‘We Bought a Zoo’

CHICAGO – Cameron Crowe’s “We Bought a Zoo” should have made more money. Sure, it’s a cheesy slice of family entertainment but when the cheese is this well-crafted, performed, and delivered, one can’t complain too much about it. “We Bought a Zoo” is too long, not subtle enough, and pretty manipulative, but it the manipulation works. Matt Damon is stellar (as he always seems to be lately) and Crowe tells this old-fashioned tale with enough skill to make it entertaining. “We Bought a Zoo” is one of those rare cross-demographic films — from children to grandparents — that doesn’t insult the intelligence of any of them.

Blu-ray Rating: 3.5/5.0

Those who did see and love “We Bought a Zoo” will be happy to learn that the Blu-ray release is as packed with special features as nearly any 2011 film. Cameron Crowe is a documentarian at heart, so it’s not surprising that he basically chronicled the entire production. He appears on a commentary and the featurettes, which are typically short on Fox releases, add up to more running time than the actual film. There’s even a lengthy piece on the real Benjamin Mee, the man who inspired the film. If you loved “Zoo,” you couldn’t be happier with this Blu-ray.

We Bought a Zoo
Photo credit: Fox

Synopsis:
Oscar winner Matt Damon gives a heartfelt performance in this film which is based on a true story. When his teenage son gets into trouble, Benjamin Mee (Damon) gives up a lucrative newspaper job to move his family to the most unlikely of places: a zoo! With help from an eclectic staff, and with many misadventures along the way, Benjamin embarks on a fresh beginning to restore the dilapidated zoo to its former glory, while uniting his family. From the director of Jerry Maguire, We Bought A Zoo is a “wonderful, warm and witty” (Bill Bregoli, CBS Radio News) celebration of the human spirit.

Special Features:
o Audio Commentary With Director Cameron Crowe, Actor JB Smoove and Editor Mark Livolsi
o Deleted & Extended Scenes
o Gag Reel
o We Shot A Zoo: Go Behind The Scenes
o Their Happy Is Too Loud
o The Real Mee
o It’s A Zoo: An Insider’s Look At We Bought A Zoo

By BRIAN TALLERICO Content Director HollywoodChicago.com brian@hollywoodchicago.com