In the world of film criticism, critics often thrive on destroying comedies like Zookeeper: a film clearly not made for the standard, cynical critic, but instead the families that it was intended for. Today, I’m going to go onto the nuance route, and happily not pick apart every frame of this dopey, pointless yet heartwarming little flick. Is Zookeeper by any means a good movie? Absolutely not and I can’t recommend it to anyone in earnest. But what I can say is that for families, the film is pleasant enough: Kevin James is inherently likable, and he guides this ho-hum tale to at the very least a watchable endeavor.

Our plot, which you must suspend total disbelief in order to partially enjoy, follows Griffin (Kevin James) an amiable go-getter of a zookeeper who is thoughtful and kind to everyone. He has one problem though, Stephanie (Leslie Bibb), a girl who rejected him when asked to tie the knot all of five years ago, has recently re-entered his life, possibly wanting him back.

Griffin is enthused by the idea, but knows that Stephanie won’t tolerate dating a man working at the zoo. He battles, figuring he must dump his dream job, and go work as an exotic car salesman.But here is the kicker: the talking charismatic animals in the zoo love Griffin and can’t have him leave. So, their solution is to break their code of silence and help Griffin win his girl back, without leaving his beloved zoo.

I get the feeling you are shacking your head just reading that juvenile premise of talking animals. It’s quite silly, I admit. In fact so much of the film is revealed in the first 15 minutes that it was rather disappointing. For instance, we meet Kate (the lovely Rosario Dawson), a fellow colleague at the zoo, who right from the get go, is made clear that she has some feelings for Griffin. It makes you question throughout the film why on Earth he would go head over heels for a predictably pretentious and annoying girl (Stephanie), when he has a charming and sincere woman right in front of him. Oh, and to boot, she loves animals, just like himself.

The lack of believability in the relationships is just one digression on a long list of problems with the film. I suppose this would where I would be ranting and despairing about the film’s shortcomings. But to be honest, today, I refuse to. You will get what you pay for. If you have seen the trailer, you can pretty much deduce the entire film from it.  But above all I know how this review will play out with my readers: most will be skipping this movie and those who have families, will read, carefully I hope, and understand that critics are not fit to review a film like Zookeeper. And that’s the God’s honest truth.

Zookeeper is predictable, clichéd, and completely unnecessary viewing for any viewer older than 15. It’s often over-the-top and uninspired, but there’s also no way one could hate this film. It has this wistful, fluffy celebration of life that, just like the film’s inherently likable lead, is chummy and completely neutral.

C

(✭✭/✭✭✭✭)

Notes: Rated PG for some rude and suggestive humor, and language, 104 minutes.

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