Zach Helm's innovative imagination produced last year's "Stranger than Fiction," and this holiday season, his second major project, "Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emproium," graces the silver screen.
This time around, Helm penned and directed a wacky tale of toys, magic and mystery with a whole lot of eccentricity. While an all-star cast of Dustin Hoffman, Natalie Portman, Jason Bateman and newcomer Zach Mills delivers a heartfelt performance with a positive message, this film will not be appreciated by the post-middle school crowd. On the other hand, "big kids," young souls and babysitters might have a reason to pay for admission.
Magorium (played by Dustin Hoffman), the 243-year-old owner of a magical toy store, is a truly incredible man. He dedicated his life to providing children with happiness and fun through his unusually inspired emporium of toys.
The emporium's manager, Molly Mahoney (Natalie Portman), is a shy 23-year-old piano savant who is in love with Magorium's magical world. But when Magorium hires accountant Henry (Jason Bateman) - or, as he likes to refer to him, a "counting mutant" - strange things start to happen in the normally wondrous and happy store.
When the store's vibrant colors start to fade into shades of gray, Magorium can no longer keep the secret shared only between Magorium, Henry and the store - which viewers later learn has a life of its own. Upon his mysterious departure from the store, Magorium plans to leave it to Mahoney.
As Magorium's departure grows nearer, the store takes matters into its own hands and throws what can only be called a temper tantrum. All of a sudden, the once colorful and vibrant world Magorium created changes into a dark and depressing realm. Mahoney and Henry soon discover that the aftermath of Magorium's departure is not at all what they expected.
Mahoney and Henry all scramble to convince Magorium to stick around, but in the end, there is nothing they can do but remember the magic that he created in his emporium and the wonderful effect that it had on everyone who enjoyed it.
When Magorium bids his final farewell to the emporium and to Mahoney, the magical atmosphere is sucked out of the store. Everything turns to depressing shades of gray. While wonder and imagination once inspired Mahoney, a serious lack of confidence overtakes her. The future of Magorium's Wonder Emporium depends on Mahoney's ability to rediscover the source of the magic. The question is: Can she figure out where it went and bring it back?
While 'Wonder Emporium' is an engaging tale with a feel-good ending, it is not a great movie. Hoffman's character, though great for kids, will make mature audiences more uncomfortable than when he played Greg Focker's overbearing, touchy-feely father in "Meet the Fockers" (2004). Portman does a fine job, but unfortunately, there frankly isn't much depth to her character. Bateman and Mills are professional in their supporting roles, but neither is spectacular enough to lift this movie out of mediocrity.
Where characters disappointed, the special effects, set design and score most certainly do not. A talented team composed of director of photography Roman Osin from "Pride and Prejudice" (2005), production designer Thér??se DePrez from "Dark Water" (2005) and composer Alexandre Desplat from "The Queen" (2006) does a fantastic job of creating a truly incredible world of magical toys and imagination-defying effects. The set design alone makes "Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium" worth watching, if just to entertain the little cousins, nephews and nieces around the holidays.
If adult viewers can get past the pedestrian plot and average characters, this movie can have a Disney-esque effect, leaving viewers with an air of wonderment about the magic within each of us.
