ZOOKEEPER

US, 2011, 102 minutes. Colour.
Kevin James, Rosario Dawson, Leslie Bibb, Ken Jeong, Donnie Wahlberg, Joe Rogan.
Directed by Frank Coraci.

Older grandparents accompanying their grandchildren will remember the Francis the Talking Mule movies of the 1950s. Younger grandparents may remember Doctor Doolittle’s song, ‘Talk to the Animals’. Parents will remember all kinds of talking animals on the large and small screen. Here’s another one.

The littlest children may find the animals funny but there is a lot of plot concerning the Zookeeper himself and his pining over his former girlfriend, Stephanie (Leslie Bibb) while he has to learn to be satisfied in being his real self which will seem to them to be just marking time until the next funny bit. It may appeal most to primary school goers. Parents could enjoy it, but it is fairly basic comedy.

Kevin James made his name with the TV series, The King of Queens, and then came to the screen in Hitch, Paul Blart Mall Manager and Grown Ups. He is large, acknowledges this, and is not exactly your screen heartthrob. He plays to this image, plenty of pratfalls, plenty of accidents and a fair amount of mayhem.

The animals have obviously seen the Madagascar films and see Zookeeper as a great opportunity to become stars. They talk – although the code does not allow them to let humans know they can speak. But, they are grateful to Griffin the Zookeeper for helping them, especially against hard-hearted co-workers and obnoxious visitors to the zoo. When they reveal themselves to Griffin, they each try to help him to woo Stephanie again and make him look like a hero. The results are disastrous as each animal gets him to be like them: lions advising getting prey by themselves, the wolf advising his canine techniques for marking out territory (demonstrated and Griffin following suit), bears offering macho hints.

Griffin’s main friend is the lonely gorilla, Bernie, and a highlight of their being buddies is Griffin taking Bernie to TGI Friday’s and a boisterous night on the town. Bernie is also instrumental in helping Griffin propose to Kate (Rosario Dawson) his co-worker.

And, there are some amusing out-takes during the final credits.

The bonus in seeing the film, the voice talent: Nick Nolte is a doleful Bernie; Adam Sandler is the comic monkey (and his wife, Jackie, appears as the waitress in TGI Fridays); Sylvester Stallone is a rather cowardly lion with Cher as his wife; Jon Favreau and Faison Love are the bears and Maya Rudolph is Mollie the Giraffe while director Judd Appatow is Barry the elephant.

1. The target audience for this film? Families? Children over seven? Adults? How did it reach its target audience? Plot, characters? Animals and their talking?

2. The title, Kevin James and his screen presence, style of comedy? The fat man, awkward, in love, searching for himself, discovering his true self?

3. The zoo, the animals, an ordinary zoo? The contrast when the animals began to speak? Their performance for the visitors? Their meetings? For Griffin?

4. The opening, Griffin, Stephanie, in love, the beach, her rejection of him? His accepting it? Not getting over it? Five years passing?

5. Griffin as the zookeeper, his work in the zoo? His working with Kate? Looking after the animal? Getting the can out? Success? His liking Kate and working with her?

6. His brother, fiancée, the invitation to work as a car salesman? His liking the zoo? The animals listening in? The reception for his brother? His speech? Seeing Stephanie? His becoming awkward? Meeting Stephanie, asking for the tour? His regulations and the letter of the law?

7. The animals, beginning to talk, their meetings? The personalities of the different animals, the actors speaking their lines? The star cast?

8. The animals themselves? Nick Nolte as Bernie? The story about him attacking the keeper? His revealing the truth to Griffin? The discussions together? His sad story, in the cage? Not going to the meetings? His wanting to know about TGI Friday? Donald the monkey? His voice? Adam Sandler? The comic touches? Sylvester Stallone voicing Joe the Lion? His relationship with Janet, Cher’s voice? Their arguments? His macho style? Her putting him down? Judd Apatow as Barry the elephant? His awkwardness? Jon Favreau and Faizon Love as the two bears? Their arguments? Maya Rudolph as Mollie the giraffe? Sebastian the wolf and his advice? Don Rickles as the frog?

9. Griffin’s story, his asking Kate to go with him to the wedding, his awkwardness, the animals trying to make him a hero, his trying to rescue the girls from the lion and his falling into the pit? With the young boy who taunts the animals? His going to the reception? His awkwardness, breaking the ice sculpture? Wanting to dance with Kate? The reaction of Stephanie? Stephanie and her ex, the bike ride, hiring the cycle, the chase through the city? The obnoxious character of the boyfriend?

10. The animals, their tutorials for Griffin? Suggesting that he be like a monkey? The lion and separating the prey? The elephant and his advice? The bears getting Griffin to walk like a bear? The wolf and marking out the territory? The frog intervening?

11. Bernie, the seeming hopelessness? His leaving the zoo? The animals and their reaction? His trying to work as a car salesman? His making a mess of his job?

12. Coming back to the zoo? The animals welcoming him? The importance of getting to Kate before she went on the plane? Bernie, the driving, the race to the airport, climbing the bridge? Falling on the car? Kate and the romance?

13. Kate, strong character, her work, going to Nairobi, her attraction towards Griffin? Helping him out at the party? Her decision to go to Nairobi? The happy reconciliation?

14. The comic touches with all the animals? Especially Griffin taking Bernie to TGIF, the collage of their having an enjoyable night, playing pool, with the girls, the food, the waitress?

15. A comedy for young children? For older children? For adults?