I just watched We Bought A Zoo and if you’re looking for a cute, feel-good flick that won’t make you think too much, this movie is for you. However, if you’re anything like me—hyper-critical and too judgmental for your own good—give this stinker a miss.

We Bought A Zoo is based on the real, amazing story of the Mee family, Benjamin and his son and daughter, who bought a dilapidated zoo which they restored and reopened. After the movie, I watched the thirty-minute special feature about the actual family and found that much more interesting and compelling than the two-hour sludge that was inspired by it. I don’t know all the details of the true story, so I’m not entirely sure how much of the movie matched reality, but it felt too fake. Another special feature I watched focused on the music of the movie and how director Cameron Crowe didn’t like strings because he felt they sounded “too Hollywood”. I found this a bit ironic, because the rest of the movie seemed to be heavily injected with “Hollywood-ness”. In the movie, the zoo was moved from England to the United States, the age difference between the children was increased from two years to at least seven, the son was troubled and distant, the daughter was bright and shiny, Mr. Mee was emasculated, love interests were added for Mr. Mee and his son, and there was just one “deus ex machina” after another! There were too many manufactured obstacles and not enough real life.

It seemed poorly written, poorly directed, and just overall poorly planned. Not as much thought was put into the story as it deserved, and that frustrated me. The Mee family genuinely seem like good people and I feel that this movie is a disservice to them and their story. But, you know, if you ignore all that I’m sure it will give you a warm, fuzzy feeling by the time the credits roll.