slightlymad22
I caught this movie on TV with my 8 year old son the other day.Molly Mahoney (Natalie Portman) is the manager of Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium, an awesome toy store owned by Mr. Edward Magorium. One of the regular costumers is the lonely boy called Eric, who has only Molly and Mr. Magorium for friends. Mr. Magorium hires the accountant, Henry Weston (Jason Bateman) to sort out the accounts of the Emporium. Furthermore, he asks Henry to transfer the Emporium to Molly's name upon his death. Hoffman seems to be having a lot of fun behind Mr. Magorium's hairdo, bushy eyebrows and lisping vocals. Natalie Portman (who learned to play the piano for her role) is lovely and has a permanent sparkle in her eye.Jason Bateman is Jason Bateman, much like Ben Stiller always plays the same type of Ben Stiller type characters, with the exception of Zoolander and Dodgeball. But Bateman doesn't have a Zoolander or Dodgeball character in his filmography, and the characters he plays all seem to blend in to one. I don't understand all the negative comments about this movie, as both me and my son enjoyed it. Portman and Hoffman are always worth watching, and I'm puzzled as to why it has taken me so long to watch it.
aboy_tom
(I don't know if it was a spoiler and this is my first time review)I could see that there were negative reviews. Its makes me heartbroken about it because people say that its only for kids. That is untrue it is for any range of age.This movies explore the everyday means of magic aka believing.Also I could feel messages coming out of the movie. For example its alright if your old and play toys, nothing wrong with your childish side.This movie is brilliant and had been misjudged. The characters in the story fit with the plot.Even if it has a childish vibe to it, nothing wrong with it.One word I have to conclude to it ..... ..... Magical!
Ashleigh Laplante
First off, the only thing I wish was different was that Eric didn't find any friends, but perhaps it's a good thing. Life's problems don't all wrap up neatly in one little package all at once.Other than that, I actually adore this film. It is not for those people who need backstory, violence, sex, action or language - but it is absolutely for those who still believe in magic and childlike innocence. A lot of details are left out, and if you focus on that, it will drive you crazy. If you can manage, however, to let it go and really just watch the movie for what it is, you'll find a beautiful story about the magic of every day life and believing in yourself. I would liken the attitude to the same of Anne of Green Gables, that fairies exist, blessings are alive and well, and magic is everywhere if you're just willing to see it. Somewhat emotional at times, but this movie makes me feel like a child again, with all a child's wonder at the world and its many joys and surprises. If you can sit down, forget about the real world, not care about who came when and why and where; just enjoy a simple experience for what it is, you will love this show.
itamarscomix
Mr. Magorium's Magic Emporium has a lot of promise and a lot of potential but very little of it is delivered. If taken only as children's entertainment then it might prove partly successful, mainly thanks to the very appealing visuals and some very original ideas (though sadly it runs out of original ideas after about thirty minutes into it), and children will probably enjoy it if they don't get bored by the slow-moving plot. Lots of respect for the art direction and cinematography, which is beautifully colorful and illustrative. But the movie completely lacks in a driving plot and in characters. Dustin Hoffman is good as always but his lines don't give him a lot to work with, Natalie Portman is flat, and Jason Bateman's character, well-performed as it is, goes very little beyond repressed and quite dull. Most disappointing of all is Ted Ludzik's character, who opens the film and promises to be a Chekhov's Gun to be fired in the last act, but has no importance whatsoever to the plot and disappears twenty minutes in. The best performance of the film is in fact that of young Zach Mills, and along with the visuals is also one of the best things in the whole movie.
AD
