by kellie abrahamson kabrahamson1@aol.com
C Rated G 95 mon.
When I see a family film, I try to see it through my children’s eyes. If they laugh at the jokes and connect with the characters and can’t stop talking about it on the way home, I know the filmmakers succeeded on one level. If I have the same reaction, I know they’ve created something special. Sadly, the latest family flick to hit theaters, Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium, is not such a film.
As explained by our narrator (and frequent Emporium customer) Eric Applebaum (Zach Mills), Mr. Magorium (Dustin Hoffman), owner of the most magical toy store in the world, Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium, has been in business for over 200 years. Having lived much longer than most and seen all that this wonderful world has to offer, the toymaker sees that his last days on Earth are drawing near. In preparation for his departure, Magorium decides to leave his beloved store in the capable but apprehensive hands of the Emporium’s manager, Molly Mahoney (Natalie Portman), an aspiring composer who has yet to tap into her potential. In order to pass on this inheritance, Magorium needs to figure out how much its worth and that’s where Henry Weston (Jason Bateman) comes in. Weston is a stuffy accountant (or “counting mutant,” as determined by the eccentric proprietor) who is far too busy working to see the magic going on all around him.
All this talk of death and departure has everyone, including the store itself, in a tizzy. Mahoney loses all faith in herself and as a result the store begins to throw a temper-tantrum, losing its color and spark and becoming a grey, lifeless mess. Without Magorium, the magic of the Emporium, it seems, is gone. Mahoney must become confident in the magic within if she wants to restore the store to all its wonderful glory.
Despite what many would assume, Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium is an original story by writer/director Zach Helm (yes, there are still people in Hollywood writing screenplays, not simply adapting stories from books, older films and cereal boxes). Helm wrote the story years ago and, after the success of his first feature film, last year’s Stranger than Fiction, was able to buy it back and get it made.
All the principles deliver decent performances. Hoffman’s Magorium is a slightly more scattered Depp-era Willy Wonka, complete with cheery one-liners, a speech impediment and a magical establishment. Portman’s performance is fine but her vanilla, predicable character will surely be lost in the body of her work. Bateman is the perfect “every-man,” channeling Michael Bluth without the innuendo. Rounding out the cast is Zach Mills, who is without a doubt one of the only reasons to see the film. This kid is a delight to watch on screen. Charming, charismatic, and absolutely adorable, Mills has talent and will no doubt go far if he sticks with it.
It’s the story itself, or lack thereof, that causes Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium to stumble. We never find out how Magorium has lived so long or why his Emporium is so different. The best explanation I can give is “magic,” which works for kids, but not so much with grown-ups who enjoy a little plot with their wonder. It just feels a like cop out; like a cheap, catch-all justification for a lack of a well-thought out back story, which brings me to another problem. There’s a lot of emphasis in the beginning of the film placed on the idea that some stories must come to an end before a new one can begin. True as this is, it’s the biggest problem with Magorium’s tale. We’re shown the last few days of this fascinating character’s life and then the film abruptly ends once the baton is passed off to Mahoney. As a result, the film feels incomplete and the people who paid $8.50 to see a beginning, middle and end are left feeling cheated. I’m sure some genius movie executive somewhere is hoping we’ll shell out some more cash to see the sequel and pay some more to read the prequel book series coming soon to a Barnes & Noble near you, but I know my family is going to pass.
After watching the film, I discussed it with my 5-year-old daughter who seemed to have mixed feelings about Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium. She looked at me very seriously and said, “I didn’t laugh at all, Mommy. Not even one time.” I asked if she thought it was a good movie and, after a beat, she smiled and said, “Yes, it was good… but it wasn’t funny.” That’s not exactly a stamp of approval and who can blame her? Here’s a story that is cute but incomplete, has great characters but lacks a real plot. There’s something amiss at Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium, and if my five-year-old can see it, your kids will too.
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EU Critic’s Choice Awards
