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Zookeeper
is a bit like the
2011 New York
Yankees’ season.
Filled with reliable
players and
all-stars and it
looks great on paper
but eventually it
falls flat. And yes,
I’m a Yankee fan.
Adam Sandler/Happy
Madison productions
always make me think
of the Yankees. And
if
Zookeeper
reminds me of this
season, I’m not
going to watch it or
remember it for at
least another 2
years. Even then
I’ll pay attention
for two five minute
spots and move on.
Zookeeper
is another Kevin
James comedy.
Basically, its
Paul
Blart
goes to the Zoo.
Kevin James plays
Griffin Keyes, a
zookeeper who’s
ashamed of his job.
He’s not so much
ashamed of his job
as he wants
something more with
his life. He’s
worked the same job
for a decade and has
never gotten to move
up or move on with
anything. That’s
something he is
concerned about only
because his
ex-girlfriend
Stephanie dumped him
after he proposed to
her because she
didn’t want to be
married to a
zookeeper. After
awhile apart, the
two see each other
at a party and begin
to talk again. That
makes Griffin want
to leave the zoo and
get a new job.
However, the animals
decide they don’t
want Griffin to
leave so they start
talking to him so he
can become more of
an alpha male, get
the girl, and stay
at the zoo with
them. If it doesn’t
make sense… it’s
because it doesn’t.
If the ‘Why’ can be
torn up in a plot
then it’s not a good
movie. That’s what’s
wrong with
Zookeeper.
Why does Griffin
feel so bad about
being a Zookeeper?
Why do the animals
think that hooking
him up with the
woman who doesn’t
want him to be a
zookeeper seem like
a good idea? The
holes in the plot
and the lack of good
jokes in the writing
process make this a
drab affair to get
through.
Zookeeper
doesn’t look bad,
it’s not acted
badly, and overall
it’s a good
production. James,
Rosario Dawson, and
every other actor
that’s a ‘human
actor’ is great,
every voiced animal
delivers a good
performance too.
Director Frank
Coraci did a good
job and this film
looks great. There’s
nothing wrong with
the production of
this movie from any
angle. It’s just the
writing. The laughs
are few and far
between and we’ve
seen this movie
before. We’ve even
seen it written
better before in an
Eddie Murphy movie,
and that’s saying
something. The
script should have
been worked on more
before it got the
green light, that’s
a huge gaping hole.
As far as Blu-ray/DVD
releases go, this is
what you would
expect with a Happy
Madison comedy.
There are deleted
scenes, gag reels,
and a few other odds
and ends to push you
through the disc.
Not a huge amount
but it’s more than
adequate for what’s
required.
Zookeeper
isn’t a terrible
film. It’s a good
family film that
will be watched and
enjoyed by families.
It gets a bad rep
because with all the
talent and a strong
marketing push early
on made it out to be
much funnier than it
is. It’s not a bad
watch but it’s one
of those
‘what-could-have-been’
films.
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