|
|
|
Mr.
Magorium's Wonder Emporium
(2007)
 
This is one of those films that probably sounded better on paper, but
there's just something lacking in its translation to the cinema screen.
Molly Mahoney (Natalie Portman) works in a magical toy store owned by
the whimsical 243-year-old Mr. Magorium (Dustin Hoffman). When Mr.
Magorium believes his long life is coming to an end, he decides to
leave his store in the care of Molly, despite her nagging self-doubts
about her abilities. With the help of a young boy (Zach Mills) and a
practical-minded accountant (Jason Bateman), can she come to believe
in herself and succeed as the new owner of the Wonder Emporium?
Writer/director Zach Helm (writer of Stranger Than Fiction) makes
his directorial debut with a light fantasy that's certainly a colorful
production with a whimsical sensibility, but it lacks a certain
magical spark. The story offers too slender of a plot and at times is
simply bland, while Helm's direction is competent enough but lacks the
imagination that the concept demands. I also felt like I'd walked in
on the middle of the story with some essential character development
missing, especially for Molly.
The lighting of cinematographer Roman Osin (Pride & Prejudice) is
uninteresting and far too mundane to conjure up a magical mood.
However, production designer Thèrése DePrez (Hedwig and the Angry
Inch) provides eye candy in the form of a magnificently eccentric toy
store, while the store's living toys are believably brought to life by
CGI effects.
Make no mistake about it, this is Hoffman's film. He's wonderful as
an eccentric old toy store proprietor, a Willy Wonka of toys instead
of candy. The film is always at its best when he's on screen and
working his acting mojo. Mills delivers a winsome performance as the
shy but wise beyond his years young boy, but Portman's performance as
Molly is just flat. Bateman is well-cast as a buttoned-down
accountant who stubbornly refuses to see the magic around him.
There's also an amusing cameo by Kermit the Frog, performed and voiced
by Steve Whitmire.
What an audience expects from a film with an imaginative title like
Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium is to be amazed and charmed. While
it may not succeed at that, it's an inoffensive family film with some
entertainment value that might be worth watching on DVD.
-Danielle
Ní Dhighe
|
|
|
|
All contents ©
2004-2007 Thoughtsonfilm.com |
|
|
 |
Director:
Zach
Helm
Writer: Zach
Helm
Starring: Dustin
Hoffman, Natalie Portman, Jason Bateman,
Distributor: Fox-Walden
Runtime: 93
min
Rating: G
Release Date: November
16, 2007
|
|
 |
|
