Zookeeper (2011)
Directed by Frank Coraci
Kindhearted Griffin Keyes is one of the best-loved caretakers at the Franklin Park Zoo, but he's more comfortable with the animals than with females of his own species as proven by his failed marriage proposal to the self-absorbed Stephanie several years ago. The animals have listened to Griffin pine over her for years and, after she reappears in his life, they decide to help Griffin rekindle the relationship and become the alpha male she wants him to be. They inadvertently reveal their secret ability to talk and, after Griffin's initial shock, teach him the rules of courtship, animal-style. Surprisingly, the animals' advice really works and Griffin is about to get everything he's ever dreamed of--or is he?
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12 films that influenced Zookeeper
What critics say influenced Zookeeper
A zoo is a location made to order for amusing slapstick set pieces and outrageous situations -- just think what Jerry Lewis did with a hotel in "The Bellboy" and with a department store in "Who's Minding the Store?"
A zoo is a location made to order for amusing slapstick set pieces and outrageous situations -- just think what Jerry Lewis did with a hotel in "The Bellboy" and with a department store in "Who's Minding the Store?"
As for adults, unless they are exceedingly easy to please?think the people who showed up in droves for 2009's " Paul Blart: Mall Cop "?they'll see right through a script that refuses to give them, and most of the characters onscreen, enough credit.
Best know from TV’s “King of Queens” and “Paul Blart: Mall Cop,” Kevin James, aptly described as “a chaotic pile of a man,” is obviously a better match with Kate, a kindly co-worker, played by Rosario Dawson.
In Paul Blart: Mall Cop, a surprise hit in early 2009, James proved he could attract audiences on his own; and when he simply let his character endure indignity with a strangely Zen-like calm, he could be funny and endearing.
Zookeeper represents Kevin James' second foray into high-concept leading man territory, after 2009's Paul Blart: Mall Cop .
Well, it’s definitely as bad as “ Paul Blart: Mall Cop ,” but at least that movie was sort of fun to ridicule.
So James is stuck in routines echoing other movies: replaying the Ben-Hur chariot scene as a bike race in Boston traffic; doing a car singalong, � la Wayne's World's "Bohemian Rhapsody," but to Flo Rida's "Low" and with a gorilla named Bernie.
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I half expected Favreau’s bear to swipe dialogue from the actor-director’s classic dating exercise “Swingers,” telling James he was “so money” as he tried to win over “beautiful babies.”
In a weird amalgam of two other Eddie Murphy comedies The Nutty Professor and Dr. Dolittle the zookeeper takes the creatures' counsel and transforms himself into an alpha-male boor, a character James doesn't have the meanness to inhabit.
It’s a kid-friendly romantic comedy, a “ Night at the Museum” at the zoo.
Zookeeper is an unholy blend of both Night at the Museum movies with a misanthropic, passive-aggressive Adam Sandler movie.
Only now, in lieu of a wise-cracking Will Smith, we have a smart-ass Capuchin monkey (the only kind of monkey you’ve seen in kid’s movies since “Night at the Museum”), a lazy lion, two brother bears, and hip hop savvy Giraffe.
Frank Coraci's inane Kevin James vehicle covets the "Night at the Museum" audience with disappointing results.
And director Frank Coraci (“The Water Boy,” “The Wedding Singer”) primarily relies on slapstick, combining live action with animation, never quite knowing when to yell “cut” to the critters.
Directory Frank Coraci, veteran of several Adam Sandler comedies ("The Waterboy," "The Wedding Singer"), steers the humor from the broadly slapstick to the logically absurd and back again.
Director Frank Coraci has been responsible for one of Adam Sandler's best movies ("The Wedding Singer") but also his worst ("Click"), and unfortunately, this one has the same problems as the latter, an embarrassing mess of ideas that will hold very little merit to anyone over 4 years old.
Directed by Frank Coraci (“The Wedding Singer,” “Click”) and written by Nick Bakay (“The King of Queens”), Rock Reuben (“The King of Queens”), Jay Scherick (“Norbit”), David Ronn (“Norbit”) and James, this “Zookeeper” belongs in a cage.
Directed by Frank Coraci , who also supervised " The Wedding Singer " and a couple of other deathless star vehicles for James' crony and patron Adam Sandler , from a script by James and, believe it or not, four other screenwriters, "Zookeeper" weds " Hitch " to " Dr. Dolittle ," and, no, the distinction here between the crap Rex Harrison musical and the crap Eddie Murphy comedy is, for the purpose of this review, meaningless.
In fact, he directed Click, The Waterboy and The Wedding Singer, which all starred Sandler.
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Directory Frank Coraci, veteran of several Adam Sandler comedies ("The Waterboy," "The Wedding Singer"), steers the humor from the broadly slapstick to the logically absurd and back again.
Though the directing is credited to Adam Sandler crony Frank Coraci (Click, The Waterboy) and the writing to five men (including James), Zookeeper feels like the kind of thing that could have issued from the motherboard of Deep Blue’s Hollywood nephew, Shallow Green.
Director Frank Coraci, a veteran of Adam Sandler’s comic style (“The Waterboy”), is more at home with the slapstick than the would-be romance or the movie’s darker subtext.
Director Frank Coraci (The Waterboy) never finds the right tone.
In fact, he directed Click, The Waterboy and The Wedding Singer, which all starred Sandler.
Mini-Review I have genuinely liked some of Kevin James' roles in recent movies, particularly in "Hitch" and "I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry," so it's a shame when he feels the need to cater to the lowest common denominator with movies like "Zookeeper."
In Hitch, his entire character was built around the fact that love interest Amber Valletta was way out of his league.
Directed by Frank Coraci , who also supervised " The Wedding Singer " and a couple of other deathless star vehicles for James' crony and patron Adam Sandler , from a script by James and, believe it or not, four other screenwriters, "Zookeeper" weds " Hitch " to " Dr. Dolittle ," and, no, the distinction here between the crap Rex Harrison musical and the crap Eddie Murphy comedy is, for the purpose of this review, meaningless.
The Bigger Picture: Ever since his breakout as Will Smith 's pal in Hitch, Kevin James has played role after role as the charming guy whose heart is as oversized as his frame.
Zookeeper, at its core, is no different from Paul Blart Mall Cop or Hitch--it's just that this time, Adam Sandler lends his vocal stylings to help a monkey talk like Gilbert Gottfried.
It’s the latest in actor Kevin James’ increasingly lengthy list of recycled, lackluster zero-to-hero comedies that includes such nonclassics as Paul Blart: Mall Cop and Hitch, and now this uninspired retread of Dr. Dolittle that does very little indeed.