Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium (2007)

Waste of time

So much average

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

Vacillating over scoring this 3 or less. A generally disappointing movie that one can only imagine genuinely respected actors such as Dustin Hoffman must have ended up feeling a bit embarrassed about being involved with. Potentially this could have been a much better film. One appreciates that it is fantasy, and essentially aimed at children, but this is no excuse for the overarching contrivances and heavy-handed sentimentality all aimed at achieving an emotional response. This film needed another half hour to flesh-out the characters and plot to make us 'care' about them and left too many things feeling flimsy and undeveloped. Children of a certain age may be momentarily amused by some of the 'special effects' for some of the time, but the screenplay, the constant use of emotional music and meme-like conversational gambits, and the rather 'bright'/made-for-TV feel of the production quality, combined with the essentially simplistic and facile 'big message' all leave one feeling bluntly dissatisfied and frustrated at having spent 90-odd minutes watching something that was ultimately 'less than the sum of its parts'.

I remember seeing this movie as a kid and liking this movie. Now that I am a teenager I still like this movie but I have newer thoughts on this movie. So let's discuss, shall we?So first off, the movie begins and already the musical score has shown itself to be really powerful and great. The opening credits scene is nicely done as well. When the movie actually starts is where I kinda start getting nit-picky. The movie is narrated by a kid, and just in my opinion, he is a little wooden and you can tell he probably hasn't voice acted much. His actual acting is a different situation.We get introduced into the main protagonist, Mahoney, portrayed by Natalie Portman, who is great in this movie. I am a musician and so is she in this story so I can really connect to her struggles and thoughts. I love people who I can connect to. I like all the actors in this movie but she stands out which is not a bad thing. When the Emporium, which is basically a character by itself, is introduced, there's a montage of the awesome magical things the store can do. My only problem with this montage is that some of the shots are awkward and a bit off in some places. And the CGI, and let's be honest in some places there had to be CGI, it's not the best and looks like a straight to DVD movie even though it was released in theaters. However, I love all the store has to offer us. It's like Toy Story but live action which I think is pretty cool. Now it's not just the main kid in this movie but all the kids in my opinion seem off. I felt like all they had to say was pretty cheesy and because they are just kids they don't act the best. Apart from that, the rest of the actors are actually really good and have really good lines. The comedic moments and dialogue is really good. The slapstick in this movie isn't the best and didn't always land with me. And in my opinion, because of the big picture of this movie, some of the slapstick is actually not needed. Another nit-pick, as the movie goes on, some of the editing in terms of putting together the shots don't always align and are sometimes painfully obvious. Also, each "chapter" is organized as if it was a book, which I don't mind. However, the chapter titles are pretty cheesy and in my opinion, strange. But maybe that's the genius of this movie. There are a couple really good scenes in this movie and one of my favorites is when Eric, the kid, shows Henry, or the "Mutant," his hat collection. They have such a nice playful banter and always makes my family and I crack up laughing. My only big flaw with this movie is the end or the last "chapter". I just don't get it. After Mahoney obviously made the block of wood fly because she believed and Henry passed out, Henry wakes up and Mahoney acts like it never happened. Then she believes again or whatever followed by surprisingly awkward dialogue. Then she starts to conduct the store back alive and the CGI here is definitely out dated and pretty bad actually. Also, there is like five seconds where the movie turns into like a computer animated film and it's completely useless. One of the last shots is of Mahoney conducting the store to life again but the problem is that almost nothing is happening and not to mention Mahoney's conducting is pretty awkward. And the very last shot is also pretty strange. There are just things I don't understand about this ending!Overall, the movie definitely isn't bad. Far from it. It just isn't great. There are for sure some great scenes, and definitely some awkward ones. Overall the special effects were mediocre which is disappointing. The sound editing and mixing are fine. The score is pretty good and overall the characters are good as well. Just the script and mainly towards the end just kind of gets a little ridiculous. This is a good movie and it is worth seeing.

Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium (2007): Dir: Zach Helm / Cast: Dustin Hoffman, Natalie Portman, Jason Bateman, Zach Mills, Kiele Sanchez: Festive family film about magic. Dustin Hoffman plays Mr. Magorium who for reasons not given is the owner of a magical toy store for over 200 years. When he decides to pass the business down to the manager, played by Natalie Portman the store acts up. Makes no sense but director Zach Helm has fun with the visualized toys. Everything comes to life like some sort of enclosed theme park. This is about the best element of the film, which fails to make up for the fact that the screenplay is a dud. Hoffman is an excellent talent but even he cannot make sense of this individual. He is given little if any background and the whole story behind his leaving is just plain depressing. Portman fares much better because she brings a sense of reality and reason to the material although it is obvious that it will hint future innuendo with the accountant. Jason Bateman as a stern faced accountant will need more than magic to come to life. Zach Mills plays a boy struggling to adapt socially. With an idea and visual appeal of this film one would think that it would be more fun and high spirited but instead viewers are treated to an invitation to drink heavily. In the end, the screenwriter brought no wonder to the Emporium. Score: 4 / 10

Not based on a book and written by the director, the plot is cute enough but seems quite familiar. A magical toy shop that seems to borrow from many other imperfect holiday/Christmas movies like "Santa Clause", "Willie Wonka" and "Santa Claus-the Movie". The first half is magical, as the wonders of the toy shop are revealed. (It's like "Duncan's Toy Chest" in "Home Alone 2", only even nicer.) Dustin Hoffman's fake "accent" seems borrowed from Ed Wynn. I guess the reason they didn't make him up to look 243 years old is because this isn't a horror movie. He looks about "90ish". So Mr. M is finally tired out and has "run out of shoes". He is moving on. (No actual mention of Heaven, but it's strongly implied.) Natale Portman is the cute waifish-looking shop manager who doesn't believe in her own magical abilities. The plot is quite obvious: she and her supporting cast are going to end up running the toy store when Mr. M. leaves. The movie is charming and often plays on both the Disney and Hallmark Channels. Is it a classic? No; but it will be thoroughly enjoyed by young children and it is totally without violence, and these days that's a rare treat in children's movies. The toy shop is truly magical, and it is as much a character in the film as any of the actors. There is even an uncredited cameo appearance by Kermit-The-Frog!