Rated PG for some rude and suggestive humor and language
Cast: Kevin James, Rosario Dawson, Leslie Bibb, Ken Jeong, Donnie Wahlberg
Director: Frank Coraci
"Zookeeper" has a premise that would be better served in a pop-up book. Trying to extract a successful movie from this concept seems a monumental task, and invites a bit of head-scratching. The filmmakers would have had a better chance of success at crushing a lump of coal into a diamond.
The film attempts to cash in on the oh-so-cuteness of talking zoo animals... except that the animals in question really aren't all that cute. The special effects team has worked hard to make the animals' mouths move, yet the army of screenwriters somehow doesn't quite realize that insipid dialogue isn't any less insipid if it comes from the maw of collective zoo life.
The film was produced by Adam Sandler's Happy Madison production team. Sandler has a lot of clout in Hollywood, which has resulted in the netting of some pretty big names to voice the various animals... Nick Nolte, Sylvester Stallone, Cher, Judd Apatow, Jon Favreau, Maya Rudolph, etc. They bring a cacophony of inflection and pitch to the verbal proceedings, but their exchanges are presented in such a flighty, idiosyncratic, rapid-fire manner that it's sometimes hard to make out exactly what's being said. I'm sure there were some zingers mixed in as a couple bears engaged in a confrontation; maybe even some good ones. I can't recall any now. I had a similar difficulty with all the talking non-humans.
The people fared a little better. The story opens with an amusing sequence involving a sunset beach-setting marriage proposal replete with a horse, a bottle, a message IN the bottle, and a mariachi band. The hopeful would-be groom is an all-too-nice zookeeper named Griffin Keyes (Kevin James), but said proposal is rejected by his girlfriend, Stephanie (Leslie Bibb) who was already planning a split. ("I wanted to wait until the right time, but you've kinda forced my hand here.") She has a problem with his profession. Griffin wants to win her back, and is considering a career change. This is unacceptable to the zoo's inhabitants, who concoct a plan to get the two together. (Of course, this makes little sense. If she has a problem with him being a zookeeper, how is getting them together going to make him want to stay employed at the... you know what? Enough. I've already put too much thought into this.)
The zoo's inhabitants break their "code" of never speaking to humans, and attempt to impart to Griffin advice on mating methods they claim work in the wild. Griffin thinks he's going insane at first, but inexplicably accepts the situation and heeds their advice. With the help of a sweet staff assistant named Kate (Rosario Dawson), Griffin attempts to win back the woman who dumped him on that beach.
There are a few mild plusses here. Kevin James is likable as always, Rosario Dawson is insanely gorgeous, and Leslie Bibb turns a chatterbox of banality into a somewhat engaging character. But those positive elements collapse beneath the weight of a core premise that doesn't work, and jokes that never rise to the level of funny, maxing out at weird. (One scene has a wolf demonstrating to Griffin that one must establish himself by peeing on a tree. In the next scene, we witness the zookeeper urinating into a decorative plant in an upscale restaurant, then returning to his table. Whatever.) A scene where Griffin takes a despondent gorilla to a T.G.I. Friday's barely garners a laugh.
Even the supporting players don't add much. Joe Rogan plays Stephanie's jealous lover, but channels little more than a tough guy persona. ("I haven't beat anyone senseless since my birthday.") Playing an associate keeper named Venom, Ken Jeong is always a welcome presence, yet he has so little screen time here that he barely makes a dent.
Too many comedies are greenlit by Hollywood studios based on their premise alone. The problem is that the success of comedy doesn't rest in the concept, but in the execution. "Zookeeper" is too much concept mired in anemic execution. Little ones may find the talking animals fun, but I found them gnawing away at my nerves. Especially during the end credits, as they all belt out a nauseating rendition of Boston's "More Than a Feeling." Way too much more.
* 1/2 out of * * * * stars
The film attempts to cash in on the oh-so-cuteness of talking zoo animals... except that the animals in question really aren't all that cute. The special effects team has worked hard to make the animals' mouths move, yet the army of screenwriters somehow doesn't quite realize that insipid dialogue isn't any less insipid if it comes from the maw of collective zoo life.
The film was produced by Adam Sandler's Happy Madison production team. Sandler has a lot of clout in Hollywood, which has resulted in the netting of some pretty big names to voice the various animals... Nick Nolte, Sylvester Stallone, Cher, Judd Apatow, Jon Favreau, Maya Rudolph, etc. They bring a cacophony of inflection and pitch to the verbal proceedings, but their exchanges are presented in such a flighty, idiosyncratic, rapid-fire manner that it's sometimes hard to make out exactly what's being said. I'm sure there were some zingers mixed in as a couple bears engaged in a confrontation; maybe even some good ones. I can't recall any now. I had a similar difficulty with all the talking non-humans.
The people fared a little better. The story opens with an amusing sequence involving a sunset beach-setting marriage proposal replete with a horse, a bottle, a message IN the bottle, and a mariachi band. The hopeful would-be groom is an all-too-nice zookeeper named Griffin Keyes (Kevin James), but said proposal is rejected by his girlfriend, Stephanie (Leslie Bibb) who was already planning a split. ("I wanted to wait until the right time, but you've kinda forced my hand here.") She has a problem with his profession. Griffin wants to win her back, and is considering a career change. This is unacceptable to the zoo's inhabitants, who concoct a plan to get the two together. (Of course, this makes little sense. If she has a problem with him being a zookeeper, how is getting them together going to make him want to stay employed at the... you know what? Enough. I've already put too much thought into this.)
The zoo's inhabitants break their "code" of never speaking to humans, and attempt to impart to Griffin advice on mating methods they claim work in the wild. Griffin thinks he's going insane at first, but inexplicably accepts the situation and heeds their advice. With the help of a sweet staff assistant named Kate (Rosario Dawson), Griffin attempts to win back the woman who dumped him on that beach.
There are a few mild plusses here. Kevin James is likable as always, Rosario Dawson is insanely gorgeous, and Leslie Bibb turns a chatterbox of banality into a somewhat engaging character. But those positive elements collapse beneath the weight of a core premise that doesn't work, and jokes that never rise to the level of funny, maxing out at weird. (One scene has a wolf demonstrating to Griffin that one must establish himself by peeing on a tree. In the next scene, we witness the zookeeper urinating into a decorative plant in an upscale restaurant, then returning to his table. Whatever.) A scene where Griffin takes a despondent gorilla to a T.G.I. Friday's barely garners a laugh.
Even the supporting players don't add much. Joe Rogan plays Stephanie's jealous lover, but channels little more than a tough guy persona. ("I haven't beat anyone senseless since my birthday.") Playing an associate keeper named Venom, Ken Jeong is always a welcome presence, yet he has so little screen time here that he barely makes a dent.
Too many comedies are greenlit by Hollywood studios based on their premise alone. The problem is that the success of comedy doesn't rest in the concept, but in the execution. "Zookeeper" is too much concept mired in anemic execution. Little ones may find the talking animals fun, but I found them gnawing away at my nerves. Especially during the end credits, as they all belt out a nauseating rendition of Boston's "More Than a Feeling." Way too much more.
* 1/2 out of * * * * stars
