Title: Zookeeper
Director: Frank Coraci
Starring: Kevin James, Rosario Dawson, Leslie Bibb, Ken Jeong, Donnie Wahlberg, Adam Sandler (voice), Sylvester Stallone (voice), Nick Nolte (voice), Cher (voice), Judd Apatow (voice)
It’s been a while since a movie encompassing humans and animals interacting with each other hit theaters (insert sarcasm). This formula is as tiresome as 3D.
And then there’s “Zookeeper” boasting that same animal shtick. Yet despite its flaws and cliches, the 100 minute flick acts as a mild relief to the monotonous products that have been packed into the fam-friendly genre as of late. Sure the concept blatantly rips off the entire arc of say a Night of the Museum franchise or a Dr. Doolittle installment. That said, the recipe used in bringing this tale to life, finally gets all audiences laughing, even though the outcome is as obvious as star Kevin James needing to lay off the snacks. Actually, the guy could use an accelerated weight-loss plan…say a three week heroine binge.
After Griffin (Kevin James) is rejected by his out-of-his-league girlfriend Stephanie (Leslie Bibb), he takes solace in his work as a zookeeper in Boston. He isn’t settling though, for he truly loves the job and the animals he tends to. Griffin’s attitude and caring nature even inspires his co-workers like the reptile guru Venom (Ken Jeong) and the zoo’s doctor Kate (Rosario Dawson). On the other hand, Griffin’s leadership doesn’t pierce the armor of his miserable assistant Shane (Donnie Wahlberg).
His successful export car salesman of a brother (Nat Faxon) is about to get hitched, which has his fiancée (Steffiana De La Cruz) inviting Stephanie to the weekend festivities. For the last five years, Griffin has been sharing his thoughts to all the animals he looks after on a daily basis. So when he finds out Stephanie is on the premises, he wrestles with trying to get her back or to just hide like a turtle. To get away from having to make a decision, Griffin toys with leaving the zoo for a “big boy” job that could impress a girl like his ex. This leads to all of his true friends literally trying to talk him out of it. These said friends: the zoo residents.
When all the animals start speaking to each other, and then to Griffin, this is where the comedy is at its peak. Whether it’s Adam Sandler employing an Al Pacino meets Gilbert Gottfried voice (think his old comedy albums) to bring life to Donald the Monkey, or Nick Nolte ironically voicing a convict-like gorilla, the voice performers – along with the CGI and real-life animal choreography – matters. Without their creative timing and dialogue, the fundamental screenplay would have never upped its level of enjoyment. Thankfully, this isn’t just another static product to please the kiddies.
Now some of the voiceovers are lackadaisical. Sylvester Stallone and Cher voice a lion couple and they really have nothing to offer except to help guide the story to a finish. Jon Favreau and Fazion Love are two bears that argue and rip on each other; and Judd Apatow has some fun voicing a goofy elephant lacking bravery. As mentioned, a few of these characters, while necessary in depicting a continuity of a zoo atmosphere, end up being worthless. All you really need is Adam Sandler’s monkey and more of Bas Rutten as Sebastian the Wolf. His training sessions with Kevin James on how to get the girl are examples of when this flick finds the right pitch. (There’s actually one of those “movie goofs” in this scene that IMDb.com always lists. First time I’ve ever caught one. Proud of myself).
As we approach the third act, this is where things grow dull; mainly because the animals are taken out of the equation for some time. Kevin James tries to carry the comedic torch and provide substance with the other human characters. But his brand of physical comedy is hit-or-miss. Plus, the intro of the stereotypical antagonist, a.k.a. the other guy (Joe Rogan – who’s in desperate need of a spa treatment), can’t fill the void of the amusing interaction James had with his furry co-stars. And this is where the script is riddled with more clichés. It probably would have been a good idea (actually, great idea) to stick with ludicrous skits such as when James and Bernie the Gorilla have a wild night at TGI Fridays. Sequences like this will have fans of Adam Sandler shenanigans all in, even though the tone of this piece is mindful that younger audiences will be seeing this, too. But yes, Happy Madison Productions left their paw print on this one.
Overall, Zookeeper works hard to please all audiences and their efforts pay off for the most part. Once the animals get their chance to shine, this piece is smooth and enjoyable. When the animals are pushed aside for humans acting out a recycled screenplay, interest levels will fade away.
Technical: B
Acting: B+
Story: C+
Overall: B
Review by Joe Belcastro
