An interesting movie for me to follow-up after seeing The Descendants, in that they share a few common themes – a nice guy simply trying to get through a similarly tough situation and figure out his children. Beyond those similarities, they are very different films. This one is far more light and outwardly trying to be entertaining, and I thought very successful as such. One or two very minor shortcomings, but ultimately very enjoyable.

Writing: Somewhat loosely based on the story of the Dartmoor Zoological Park in England, featured in a documentary mini-series and memoir, Cameron Crowe had rewritten a previous script for this film version. There were obvious changes from the real story, such as the location moving from England to Southern California. I haven’t read the book, nor seen the documentary series, about the original zoo, so I can’t directly comment of the adaptation. Overall, there’s plenty of the warm character writing that Crowe does so well. I’ve liked all his films. Even the ones I didn’t thing were particularly great (Singles, Vanilla Sky, etc), I still liked well enough. For this one, we get a more lighthearted approach to dramatic material.

Production: There’s nothing fancy about this production, which is just the way it should be. It’s solidly produced and very well filmed. You’re not going to find any flashy cinematography here, or anything to show off you state-of-the-art home theater. This movie is about casual simplicity, and the production nails it.

Cast: A particular strong point of the film is the excellent cast. The always excellent Matt Damon does yet another great job here. His affable and charming side gets to shine through, with just the right amount of solemn sadness and confusion. He’s simply perfect in the role. Scarlett Johansson seems to very much enjoy her light and charming role, and plays very well off Damon. In a somewhat unexpected casting choice, Thomas Haden Church plays the brother to Damon’s character, with his typically goofball sidekick style. Elle Fanning, the highly talented younger sister of Dakota, plays her character with a bizarrely off-center style. Not much is explained about her character, and it’s hard to put your finger on what her back story might even be. An odd but equally charming role. The son and daughter roles are well portrayed by Colin Ford and Maggie Elizabeth Jones, respectively. Jones gives the daughter a particularly fun and cute performance. Other supporting roles are well cast, including great actors like Angus Macfadyen. And Crowe casts his previous Almost Famous star, Patrick Fugit, in a nice supporting role as Robin Jones. A couple of the roles are pushed too far over the quirky and upbeat line, that of the realtor and the zoo inspector. The role of the inspector is cast with the great John Michael Higgins, who manages to somehow make it work anyway. There’s no such luck with that of the realtor. Actor J.B. Smoove has no such luck, as his character is instantly grating and hard to take. Thankfully, he’s not in much of the movie.

Music: Jon Thor Birgisson, credited as Jonsi, does a fun, light job with the score. Nothing super remarkable, but it works well. He’s new to the scoring game, and I was unfamiliar with his work as lead singer of Icelandic band Sigur Ros, though they have a handful of songs that have been featured in films which in retrospect I realize I kinda liked. Was just never familiar with them by name. Overall, a pretty good score.