- Running time:
- 95 minutes
- Rated:
- G
- Cast:
- Natalie Portman -
- Molly Mahoney
- Dustin Hoffman -
- Mr. Magorium
- Jason Bateman -
- Henry Weston
- Zach Mills -
- Eric Applebaum
- Director:
- Zach Helm
- Genre:
- Family, Fantasy
- Official Movie Web Site:
- http://www.magorium.com/
- Movie Trailer:
- View Trailer
- Overall User Rating:
-
(6 ratings)
Weird, wacky and 243-years-old, Mr. Magorium (Dustin Hoffman) decides that it’s time to leave the planet now that he’s on his last pair of shoes. That leaves his protégé—Mahoney (Natalie Portman, in full pixie form), who’s been thinking of quitting to pursue piano playing—to convince him to stay, and uptight accountant Henry (Jason Bateman) to get the Emporium’s finances in order. Meanwhile, 9-year-old store regular Eric (Zach Mills) tries to make his first friend.
Big question: Is this G-rated fantasy any more than an overflowing cauldron of whimsy?
Skip it: First-time director and second-time screenwriter Zach Helm (“Stranger Than Fiction”) loads up on bouncy balls, loud whistles and brightly colored gadgets while not caring much about why Magorium’s leaving or how this store isn’t the talk of the town. Like “Fiction,” it’s an intriguing idea without a payoff, and Henry’s similarity to Will Ferrell’s character in “Fiction” shows that it only takes two movies for a writer to repeat himself.
Catch it: If you wish that, like Magorium, you also had the chance to beat Abraham Lincoln in a game of hopscotch. The President doesn’t look like much of a hopper, but we hear he had a mean Tetherball game.
Bottom line: Between a kid who needs a pal, a stick in the mud who needs to lighten up and a magical store that can only be seen if you believe, “Magorium” churns out family movie clichés that felt familiar 16 years ago in “Hook.” Only a completely cold fish wouldn’t find some giddy enjoyment in the shop’s magical toys, but even kids who love stuffed animals and jumping on beds deserve more than “Magorium” has in stock.
Bonus: Imagine how fun it would be to hang in the Emporium and play Duck Duck Goose with a real goose. Though on second thought, it doesn’t really allow anyone without feathers to have a turn!
mpais@tribune.com
