He ain't Doctor Dolittle, but he talks to the animals, and that's because they talk to him. He is Griffin, the nice-guy zookeeper hero of this nice-guy comedy about being yourself, doing what you love and winning the girl.
"Zookeeper" is pretty much the Kevin James show: he plays the lead role, had a hand in the script and is one of the film's producers. His Griffin is a hapless sweetie, who, after being rejected by his blond dream girl, Stephanie (Leslie Bibb), takes love advice from the animals: unlock your inner bear, scratch yourself on a tree, mark your territory.
To list all the heavyweights who lend their voices to the animals would take up the rest of this review, but they include Judd Apatow, Maya Rudolph, Sylvester Stallone, Cher, Don Rickles and Adam Sandler as a particularly unintelligible monkey.. That's a lot of talent for these not-very-charming animals, which are hybrids of live action and animation.
That may not bother the target audience. The two little girls leaving the theater behind me each rated the movie a 10 and then proceeded to name their favorite characters (another long list).
"Zookeeper," though, resembles its hero, whom one of Stephanie's friends, a high-handed fashionista, calls "a chaotic pile of a man." (All the best lines are throwaways.) The director, Frank Coraci ("The Wedding Singer"), doesn't impose much discipline, letting some scenes run wild and others peter out, their punch lines dangling.
But it's hard to completely dislike a movie in which Mr. James makes like Fay Wray, hitching a ride on the back of his gorilla pal, Bernie (voiced by Nick Nolte), as Bernie clambers up a bridge.
The bridge scene is the culmination of the buddy part of this picture (Griffin and Bernie, BFFs). The love story part is too clumsily predictable to be satisfying, even if Rosario Dawson, as a kind veterinarian, and the likable Mr. James make an appealing couple. I give them a 6, and the film a 4. (Sorry, girls.) My favorite character? Well, that's just the problem.
"Zookeeper" is rated PG (Parental guidance suggested). There are potty jokes and a creepy pansexual (though appropriately intraspecies) reptile keeper.
ZOOKEEPER
Directed by Frank Coraci; written by Nick Bakay, Rock Reuben, Kevin James, Jay Scherick and David Ronn, based on a story by Mr. Scherick and Mr Ronn; director of photography, Michael Barrett; edited by Scott Hill; music by Rupert Gregson-Williams; production design by Kirk M. Petruccelli; costumes by Mona May; produced by Todd Garner, Mr. James, Adam Sandler, Jack Giarraputo and Walt Becker; released by Columbia Pictures and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures. Running time: 1 hour 44 minutes.
WITH: Kevin James (Griffin Keyes), Rosario Dawson (Kate), Leslie Bibb (Stephanie), Ken Jeong (Venom), Donnie Wahlberg (Shane), Joe Rogan (Gale), Nat Faxon (Dave).
WITH THE VOICES OF: Judd Apatow (Barry the Elephant), Cher (Janet the Lioness), Nick Nolte (Bernie the Gorilla), Don Rickles (Frog), Maya Rudolph (Mollie the Giraffe), Adam Sandler (Donald the Monkey) and Sylvester Stallone (Joe the Lion).
Zookeeper (2011
Dating Tips From Friends at the Zoo? Of Courserous
To list all the heavyweights who lend their voices to the animals would take up the rest of this review, but they include Judd Apatow, Maya Rudolph, Sylvester Stallone, Cher, Don Rickles and Adam Sandler as a particularly unintelligible monkey.. That's a lot of talent for these not-very-charming animals, which are hybrids of live action and animation.
"Zookeeper," though, resembles its hero, whom one of Stephanie's friends, a high-handed fashionista, calls "a chaotic pile of a man." (All the best lines are throwaways.) The director, Frank Coraci ("The Wedding Singer"), doesn't impose much discipline, letting some scenes run wild and others peter out, their punch lines dangling.
But it's hard to completely dislike a movie in which Mr. James makes like Fay Wray, hitching a ride on the back of his gorilla pal, Bernie (voiced by Nick Nolte), as Bernie clambers up a bridge.
The bridge scene is the culmination of the buddy part of this picture (Griffin and Bernie, BFFs). The love story part is too clumsily predictable to be satisfying, even if Rosario Dawson, as a kind veterinarian, and the likable Mr. James make an appealing couple. I give them a 6, and the film a 4. (Sorry, girls.) My favorite character? Well, that's just the problem.
"Zookeeper" is rated PG (Parental guidance suggested). There are potty jokes and a creepy pansexual (though appropriately intraspecies) reptile keeper.
Directed by Frank Coraci; written by Nick Bakay, Rock Reuben, Kevin James, Jay Scherick and David Ronn, based on a story by Mr. Scherick and Mr Ronn; director of photography, Michael Barrett; edited by Scott Hill; music by Rupert Gregson-Williams; production design by Kirk M. Petruccelli; costumes by Mona May; produced by Todd Garner, Mr. James, Adam Sandler, Jack Giarraputo and Walt Becker; released by Columbia Pictures and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures. Running time: 1 hour 44 minutes.
WITH: Kevin James (Griffin Keyes), Rosario Dawson (Kate), Leslie Bibb (Stephanie), Ken Jeong (Venom), Donnie Wahlberg (Shane), Joe Rogan (Gale), Nat Faxon (Dave).
WITH THE VOICES OF: Judd Apatow (Barry the Elephant), Cher (Janet the Lioness), Nick Nolte (Bernie the Gorilla), Don Rickles (Frog), Maya Rudolph (Mollie the Giraffe), Adam Sandler (Donald the Monkey) and Sylvester Stallone (Joe the Lion).
Zookeeper (2011
Dating Tips From Friends at the Zoo? Of Courserous