93 Minutes
Written and Directed By: Zach Helm
When King Lear dies in Act V, do you know what Shakespeare has written? He’s written “He dies.” That’s all, nothing more. No fanfare, no metaphor, no brilliant final words. The culmination of the most influential work of dramatic literature is “He dies.” It takes Shakespeare, a genius, to come up with “He dies.” And yet every time I read those two words, I find myself overwhelmed with dysphoria. And I know it’s only natural to be sad, but not because of the words “He dies.” but because of the life we saw prior to the words. -Mr. Magorium, Avid Shoe Wearer
Synopsis
The owner of a very special kind of toy store is on the brink of his existence and now must choose what to do with his magical legacy. When he decides to leave the store to his devoted store manager/piano aficionado, who denies her wondrous gift and suddenly some very peculiar things happen to the once brilliant and bright store.
Review
In the very beginning Mr. Magorium and his Wonder Emporium catches your interest. It’s bright colors and exciting atmosphere tap directly into the heart of the very young or the very old and even the in between. It’s mystery is almost as elusive as the idea of the North Pole and Santa Claus, though it’s character’s not quite as admirable or tangible. Magorium himself is a bit difficult to take in at first. His strange lisp and eccentric behavior teeter dangerously close to being a head case rather than an infectious man obsessed with his beloved store and life’s ideals. Not long in, Hoffman does manage to stay on the side of magical instead of maniacal, though it is still a bit of a stretch.
Unfortunately, halfway through the movie everything that seemed exciting and new and full of Willy Wonka type possibilities disappear just as magically as they appeared. All of the character’s, save the Hat Collector, seem to lose their shine and instead of just portions of the movie turning dark and depressing the whole story does. The main character of interest, The Piano Player, becomes unlikeable and seemingly unreasonable with her choices. Whether this was the mistake of Portmans portrayal or just a foul note in the direction or script isn’t clear, but in the end I’ve lost hope in rooting for her and only have empathy for The Mutant and The Hat Collector, whom become the most interesting and enjoyable characters. By the final scene, the film simply feels like a balloon that has finally lost all it’s air.
Cast
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Dustan Hoffman as Mr. Magorium/Avid Shoe Wearer
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Zach Mills as Eric Applebaum/The Hat Collector
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Natalie Portman as Molly Mahoney/The Composer
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Jason Bateman as Harry Weston/The Mutant
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Ted Ludzik as Bellini/The Book Builder
I absolutely adored Zach Mills and his interpretation of The Hat Collector. His eyes perfectly emoted the excitement and pure joy the imagination can offer. He truly carried the film, and made it worth watching. His chemistry with Jason Bateman was stellar, and made their relationship the most pleasurable aspect of the entire story. As big of a Natalie Portman fan as I usually am, I just couldn’t seem to get behind her performance in this film. There were moments where she shined, but not unlike the withering happiness of the store, her character seemed a dark cloud throughout most of the movie. Magorium himself had moments of brilliance and moments of shameless indulgence, but the best parts of the film were when Hoffman delivered his speeches about death. It was eloquent yet palpable.
Ratings and Suggestions
This movie started off great and turned into a wet blanket. What I wanted it to be was so far from what it became that my disappointment overrode so much of what I enjoyed about it, that it became difficult to fairly judge it. I don’t think a younger audience will be captivated by it, as my children had no interest in it, and those with minds that think much more deeply and have fantastical imaginations may feel as I did, simply disgruntled. It’s worth a sit down to watch, but it’s possibilities versus it’s actualities were very difficult to take in. From my point of view it earns one and a half stars out of four due to it’s final thirty or forty minutes.
Such a good cast, you would expect the film to have a chance at greatness but apparently not. It just goes to show that great actors can not save a horrible plot or story line.