Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium

[tyandskyesmom]

We went to a local theatre last night for a free sneak preview. I was expecting something along the lines of the Johnny Depp Charlie and the Chocolate Factory but I was very pleasantly suprised!

It was really pretty good. We had four adults with us, two 8 year old boys (one of which went into it saying "I don't want to go it is gonna be dumb!" - and no it was not mine!), and 4 and 3 1/2 year old girls. Everyone, even the cynical one, came out laughing.

It was a really fun movie!


47 more days!!!

[NotaGeek]

Yeah, I think that i am going to pass on this movie. I will catch it on a plane or a dvd sometime. It just doesn't intrigue me at all. :confused:

[Disneyatic]

DD8 and I are excited about seeing this movie tomorrow!
DH isn't to thrilled but I have a feeling he will like it when he sees it.

[mudpuppysmom]

This movie is all DS has been talking about for weeks!!!

Last week his grandparents and I took him to see Fred Claus and he was like "ok", yeah he laughed a few times, but he thought we were going to see Mr. Magorium!! He was a little bummed when the movie started and I had to tell him which movie we were seeing......

Tomorrow DH works at the new Dino exhibit opening at the Carnegie Museum, so DS and I are off to see Mr. Magorium!!

[PirateLover]

I'm confused by this movie. I've seen the previews and the commercials and it all looks very whimsical and kid friendly but I just don't understand the story I guess. And I'm not intrigued enough to go investigate more. However I did recommend in the other thread that parents skip Fred Claus if they have younger children, so this sounds like a fun alternative for the kiddies.

[snowflakegirl]

I'm intrigued by this movie and I love Natalie Portman, so I was definitely planning on trying to catch it at some point (now if I can just get DH to agree to go with me if I agree to go see Beowulf with him). Glad to read a positive review of it. Thanks!

[Jared]

When I first saw the trailer for this movie (in front of "Ratatouille," I think), my whole body lit up. Visions of one film combining "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" with "Toy Story" flashed before my eyes. When I saw the cast of Dustin Hoffman and Natalie Portman and a late-November release date, I thought "Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium" couldn't miss.

Sadly, something seems to have went wrong. I'm not trying to devalue the original reviewer, but I just haven't felt much buzz surrounding the movie, even during the last couple weeks. It just never took off the way I hoped. Like Michael, I'll probably wait until a long airplane trip or the DVD.

[Jeff]

I havn't seen it but my daughter a fairly typical 16 year old, and several of her friends saw it last night. They all loved it!

[Jared]

Natalie Portman saves this movie and kept me in the theater until the end. She is just so stunningly beautiful and naturally talented, and first-time director Zach Helm intelligently chose a lot of close-up shots, really focusing on her face and reactions.

Still, I wonder why Portman signed with this project after reading the script.

The premise is absolutely wonderful, as I said in another post in this thread, and the toy store visuals live up to my expectations. When the little children play in the emporium for the first time, I was excited and thrilled to see all of the trinkets and playthings roaming wild in a living, breathing toy palace.

But, unfortunately, the plot was just too thin for me to recommend this picture.

I think Dustin Hoffman gave his worst performance in years in the title role. He's supposed to be silly and youthful, but I thought his voice quality was annoying. He was just quirky, not particularly charming or funny.

Actually, the whole movie wasn't really charming or funny. Here is a film that takes its G rating and embraces it without worrying about the parents taking the children to the theater. We've come too far in the world of family films with pictures like "Ratatouille" and "Shrek" to revert back to movies exclusive to kids. I don't think "Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium" is strong enough to keep parents engaged after seeing the toy store for the first time. What was the point of the entire subplot with Mahoney and the mutant, anyway? And why was her piano playing so important? I feel like her musical dreams were left undeveloped.

I give credit to this film, however, for tackling the idea of death head-on. It approached a very important and difficult issue very unconventionally for a traditional Hollywood picture, and Helm was bold for choosing such a hard theme. Hopefully, children can see the message in Mr. Magorium's death and not leave feeling sad.

Of course, the ending is happy enough to eliminate any sad thoughts, as expected.

I'd award this film two-and-a-half stars on a five-star scale (thumbs down, mildly).

[baby minnie's mommy]

Please don't forget to post spoiler alerts! :)

[Jasper]

We saw this movie with a group ranging in age from 8 years old to myself and my wife who are at a slightly more advanced age than that and every one of us loved this movie!! Oh sure, it may not be the movie of the year but none of us felt cheated or let down after seeing it. The plot is not anything to write home about but the performances were solid and the visuals were truly fun! If you choose not to see it in the theater you will be missing out because of the lushness of the visuals can only be truly appreciated on the big screen!