If you have kids, are around them, and/or recall what it was like to be one yourself, you'll obviously know that their world is filled to the brim with imagination. Although that occasionally becomes a bit of a problem when trying to get them to differentiate between reality and imagined people, places, and events, and obviously leads to an oft-used parental or teacher phrase ("Get your head out of the clouds"), such mental creativity is otherwise a wonderful thing.
Which is why it's a sad that most adults don't possess it in the same or, for some, any, amount. The reasons for that are varied (adult responsibilities and demands, the social or cultural pressure to be more "mature," etc.), but a direct result of that has been the entertainment business.
Whether it's reading books, playing video games, or watching TV or movies, grownups use such media to escape the trials and tribulations of everyday life. Some of that product even goes so far not only just to entertain audiences, but also to extol the virtues and mental and physical benefits of recapturing the essence of being a child, playing, and tapping into one's once fertile imagination.
"Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium" is the latest such movie to try to be a piece of entertainment with a message. Marking the debut of Zach Helm (who also wrote the screenplay, as he did with last year's flawed but interesting "Stranger Than Fiction"), the film's heart is undeniably in the right place. Unfortunately, its execution leaves a lot more than a bit to be desired.
It's the tale of a century old toy store where magic truly exists, at least for those who believe in it. Balls bounce on their own, stuffed animals move about, paper airplanes seemingly fly forever, and a magic dial on the wall changes what will appear behind a door when it's opened.
Since young kids love toy stores in general (as they naturally feed children's voraciously hungry minds), they'll probably like the titular locale, even if today's bevy of visual special effects in other films might make the same here seem bland, blasé, or too commonplace to standout.
And that's one of the film's biggest issues. For a movie about magic, and notwithstanding those effects, it just doesn't feel that magical. I think back to my childhood and watching "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" and being utterly amazed and entranced by the story and, more importantly, the storytelling. In short, the film took me (along with the kid characters inside it) on an unexpected journey of wonderment and awe, where anything seemed possible.
Here, the magic feels shoehorned into the message. As a result, the zaniness and absurdism come off as forced rather than naturally emanating from the material. The unfortunate byproduct of that is many adults will likely find such material and the various non sequiturs as unnecessary, odd, or just plain irritating.
It certainly doesn't help that the title character -- as embodied by Dustin "What Was He Thinking?" Hoffman -- leads the march down that latter path. The entire performance is affected, from the Einstein type wild hair and eyebrows, a constipated smile, a slight stutter, and the half-crazy, half-wily old man bit, all of which makes one wonder if he took the role due to some child in his life.
That said, the bittersweet, dramatic moments where he realizes it's time for him to leave -- forever -- do manage to work, at least to a smaller degree. That's directly related to his character's interaction with the one played by Natalie Portman. Cute as a button, the actress inhabits a more subdued persona than her older costar, and one that questions her previous belief. Nevertheless, she can't do as much as intended with the part, mainly due to the way in which it's been written.
Jason Bateman's character personifies all adults who've forgotten how to play, dream, and believe (and thus is the one destined for a behavioral makeover), while Zach Mills plays the kid whose perseverance pays off, despite obviously facing his own dilemma (in this, not having any friends his age).
Perhaps with an altered take on the story and its message, and/or a different directorial approach, the film might have worked. As it stands, about the only fun thing about "Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium" is its rhyming title, and that's clearly not enough to make us believe, or care, as much as we should. It rates as a 3 out of 10.
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