Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium
By Karen WilsonAverage User Rating:
MPAA Rating: G
Theatrical Release: November 16, 2007
Genre: Comedy
Runtime: 93 minutes
Plot: The 243-year-old magical toy storeowner Mr. Magorium (Dustin Hoffman) has decided it’s time to leave the Wonder Emporium to his 23-year-old manager, Molly Mahoney (Natalie Portman). But Mahoney, a former piano prodigy, is uncertain if she’s sufficiently magical to take over the store. Meanwhile, Mr. Magorium has also hired a “counting mutant,” otherwise known as Henry the accountant (Jason Bateman), to assess the value of the store and get his office in order. However the store itself has other ideas—one young customer, Eric, begins to notice one corner turning a menacing grey.
Sex/Nudity: Nothing, not even the expected gushy love story between Mahoney and Henry
Violence/Gore: The magical store goes comically berserk on the customers with bouncy balls flying everywhere and a squid suctions a woman’s head.
Profanity: none
Will Kids Like It?
Like kids let loose on a toy shopping spree, pre-school children will go nuts for this brightly colored and fanciful story. Just expect to have to make a swing by the local Toys ‘R Us for a playtime fix after the screening. Introspective elementary school age kids will identify with the movie’s narrator Eric, a 9-year-old who has difficulty making friends with his peers but feels utterly at home with the Emporium’s staff. They will also be in stitches when the store acts out against the customers.Older teens, especially ones who have already taken on an after-school job, will wish they could hang out in Mahoney’s awesome work place. They should also appreciate her coming-of-age story and Portman’s adorable pixie look.
Will Parents Like It?
The simple story line and effects heavy sight gags probably won't thrill the adult viewers as much as the little ones, but decent performances by Natalie Portman and Jason Bateman should get parents through a viewing.
Kaboose Review: After releasing the blockbuster adaptations The Chronicles of Narnia and Charlotte’s Web, film distribution company Walden Media has begun to be considered a new major player in family entertainment. While Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium is not based on a beloved children’s literature classic, is still unwaveringly wholesome; it’s a film the whole family can enjoy together.
Dustin Hoffman plays eccentric Mr. Magorium, a cross between Albert Einstein and Willy Wonka, who runs the most wonderful toy store ever, filled with ordinary and extraordinary toys from ant farms to zepplins. But after 114 years on the job, Magorium is ready to pass the reigns onto his young manager, Molly Mahoney. Mahoney used to be a piano prodigy, and now at 23-years-old, is questioning whether she is living up to her childhood promise.
Mahoney and Magorium have a very close, father-daughter bond, and when she discovers his intentions to leave this earthly plane, she tries to persuade him to stay. One of Magorium’s other devotees, young Eric, a boy with an enormous hat collection and a difficulty making friends his own age, understands better what Magorium intends for Mahoney. After all, he’s the film’s narrator and offers a book like structure to the movie announcing the title of each chapter.
Eric’s voiceovers drive home the film’s major lesson: that even as one story may be ending the next one is just beginning. But despite its earnest life lessons, Mr. Magorium is at its most entertaining when reveling in childish wonder. The film is chockablock full of fanciful bits of animation, like Magorium’s pet zebra Mortimer, and computer-generated effects such as a room filled with zooming trains, which are delightful. Interestingly, the movie doesn’t try to explain why in this world magical happenings live side by side with mundane details like hospitals and accountants. If you believe, then they do.
Speaking of accountants, the charming television actor Jason Bateman (Arrested Development) plays an incredibly sympathetic one, and represents the adult faction who may have lost their ability to accept magic. While Bateman’s performances in adult fare always have a snarky ironic edge, here he and the rest of the excellent cast are just enjoying the fun.
Directed by: Zach Helm
Cast: Natalie Portman (Molly Mahoney), Dustin Hoffman (Mr. Magorium), Jason Batemen (Henry Weston), Zach Mills (Eric Applebaum)
Karen Wilson is a freelance writer living in New York City.
Star Rating
3 Stars
