Cast: Dustin Hoffman, Natalie Portman, Jason Bateman
Director: Zach Helm
Running Time: 94 mins
The film revolves around a 243-year-old Mr. Magorium (Dustin Hoffman) who owns a magical toy store in which all the toys possess magical abilities. Mr. Magorium's sudden decision to leave the store (meaning death) puts aspiring pianist and helper in the store, Molly Mahoney (Natalie Portman) in charge of the magical shop in the midst of her dream to pursue her musical career. Bateman (Juno, The Kingdom) plays a workaholic accountant who is hired by Magorium to sum up the store's worth while failing to see or accept the magical elements of the store. The film is narrated by a seemingly lonely hat-collecting nine-year-old boy named Eric (Zach Mills) who tells the story of the end of one era and the beginning of another.
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Helm in his directorial debut did impressively with what seemed to be a kiddish but charming story with a fittingly childish script. Unfortunately though it was written by none other than Zach Helm himself and was a far cry from his remarkable debut screenplay, Stranger than Fiction (2006) which starred a surprisingly impressive Will Ferrell and Dustin Hoffman. The story which mainly focussed on the legacy of a brilliantly deep and lovable man in Magorium and the coming of age of Maloney seemed to have a more profound meaning than what was on display. However, it seemed that the movie never made it to the deeper punch line.
A story such as this only needed one thing to make it sit a little better with critics who have increasingly grown intolerant of charming fairy-tale like stories; and that box was ticked with the casting of Hoffman. With his sarcastic humour and his no less than brilliant acting abilities, Hoffman was clearly the perfect choice to play a very eccentric and over-the-top character in Mr. Magorium. Hoffman's performance was somewhat redemptory as the rest of the cast added considerably less to the fun and excitement of the store. His fantastical character was however undeniably perfect in a way that the fatherly figure had no chink in the armour.
He had the eternal youth of Peter Pan while possessing similarities with Willy Wonka as well. In fact the store itself seemed to have many similarities with the Chocolate Factory. Portman (Closer, The Other Boleyn Girl) did a reasonably useful job as the confused Mahoney. As one of the brightest young actresses in Hollywood she certainly entertained the idea of an unfamiliar character with reasonable aplomb although Bateman's character was both inconsistent and annoying as was his performance.
The lack of an origin for Mr. Magorium may irritate much of the audience while even kids these days who tend to ask many more questions may be a little more confused than they're used to. This will be especially likely due to the sheer indifference shown by most of the people in and around the store to the unfathomable wonders of the emporium.
However, the inconsistency shown by Bateman's character through his disbelief at this phenomenon will further loosen the screws of the story. However, having thoroughly enjoyed Helms previous work I knew better than to expect a story in which all is explained and much to people's wonderment I seemed to enjoy this inexplicable, somewhat mythical part of the story.
The movie is clearly aimed at a younger audience although some adults may enjoy it on the occasion that light humour and entertainment is preferred. The story is typically fantastical of Helm while not even attempting to provide an explanation for the ludicrous goings-on in the Emporium.
I cannot say that I didn't enjoy the movie as it turned out the film's flaws took a while to digest amidst its visibly feel-good factor. Still, with the effect that Helm's previous writing encounter had on me, I was expecting much more from a story that despite its clear immaturity could have sprouted so much more.
The movie is worth a watch if you are in the mood for some light comedy and a cliché, feel-good ending. Who knows it may turn out to even be a guilty pleasure.
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