In an interesting marketing move, 20th Century Fox decided to give Cameron Crowe fans an early Christmas present by unveiling special advanced screenings of We Bought a Zoo nationwide nearly a month before its December 23rd release date. Whether or not this stunt works to the studio's advantage remains to be seen, but one thing is certain; I really enjoyed this film. Based on the book of the same name, this true story tells the tale of Benjamin Mee--a grieving father of two who, in desperate attempt to start his life over following the untimely death of his wife, purchases a new home at a steel of a price. The catch is, the home is attached to a run down zoo--complete with lions, tigers and bears. Oh my in deed.

While Mee knows absolutely nothing about running a zoo he decides to take a leap of faith, and through the aid of his brother (played by Thomas Haden Church), his two children (solid Colin Ford and an adorable Maggie Elizabeth Jones), and a knowledgeable staff (headed by a wonderful Scarlett Johansson), Benjamin might just find a new lease in life. We Bought a Zoo is sweet, idealistic, and very sentimental. Furthermore, if you're not prepared to simply go along with the actions of its central character, it might be a tough sell for you. In some ways, this film reminded me of Field of Dreams, minus the fantasy element. Cameron Crowe is a terrific writer and while We Bought A Zoo doesn't quite rank up there with the likes of his best work (i.e. Say Anything, Jerry Maguire, and Almost Famous) its certainly stronger than his last outing (the misguided Elizabethtown). In the earlier portions of this picture, I was a bit worried. There are a couple of scenes that are a little clunky, the relationship between Ford and a luminous (and fittingly offbeat) Elle Fanning felt somewhat undercooked, and the pacing was a little off. Thankfully though, We Bought A Zoo becomes more engaging as it moves along and I attribute a great deal of this film's overall effectiveness to Matt Damon. As an everyman, he is is both vulnerable and sincere. This is yet another terrific performance from one of our most dependable actors. Further kudos's to Crowe for his uncanny ability to find songs that perfectly compliment the action on screen. This has always been one of his strong suits, and it certainly hasn't changed with We Bought a Zoo. I want the soundtrack...now!! We Bought a Zoo isn't a masterwork, but it is a pleasant film experience and the final thirty minutes in particular pull at the heartstrings in all the right ways.