Zookeeper (film)


Zookeeper is a 2011 American comedy film directed by Frank Coraci, starring Kevin James, Rosario Dawson, Leslie Bibb, Joe Rogan and featuring the voices of Nick Nolte, Sylvester Stallone, Adam Sandler, Don Rickles, Judd Apatow, Cher, Jon Favreau, and Faizon Love. It is about an unlucky zookeeper who turns to the animals at his zoo to help him find love. It was the first MGM film to be co-produced with Happy Madison, though the film, like a majority of the Happy Madison output, was distributed by Columbia Pictures. The film was released on July 8, 2011.
Filming began in Boston on August 17, 2009. The film received negative reviews from critics and it earned $169.8 million on an $80 million budget.

Plot

A zookeeper named Griffin Keyes sets up a plan to propose to the love of his life Stephanie, but she rejects him and claims that his career as a zookeeper is what is keeping her away, therefore breaking Griffin's heart.
Five years later, Griffin is shown to be the lead zookeeper at the Franklin Park Zoo who cares deeply for the zoo animals. That night, Griffin holds a party at the zoo for his brother Dave who is getting married, but freaks out when he discovers that Stephanie was invited. Dave offers Griffin to come and work with him at a car dealership, explaining that it is the best way to get Stephanie back. Griffin contemplates quitting his job at the zoo and joining his brother at the dealership.
Later, the animals hold a meeting saying that they think Griffin is the best zookeeper at the zoo and don't want him to leave, so they decide to find some way to help him win Stephanie's heart. Jerome the Bear suggests that they teach Griffin their animal mating techniques, but Joe the Lion protests, reminding them that it's against the animal code to talk to humans. Donald the Monkey says that Stephanie will be at the zoo tomorrow, and all the animals have to do is make Griffin look like a hero in front of her.
The next day, Donald unlocks the door to the lion enclosure and lets Joe out, who confronts Stephanie and Dave's fiancée Robin. Kate, the zoo's vet, manages to get them away from Joe, but Griffin fails to jump into the lion enclosure, ruining the animals' plan. When he climbs out of the enclosure, Joe accidentally yells at Griffin, causing him to believe he has gone mad. The next night, all the animals break their code of silence and tell Griffin that they will teach him what to do to win Stephanie. Griffin learns their different mating rituals, but ends up humiliating himself in front of the other zookeepers and the guests.
Griffin then has a talk with Bernie, a forlorn gorilla who was moved into a deep enclosure after allegedly attacking a zookeeper named Shane. Bernie explains to Griffin that Shane abuses the animals and he fell when he was abusing Bernie. He lied and said that Bernie attacked him, causing Bernie to lose his trust in humans.
Griffin discovers that Stephanie is dating her other ex-boyfriend, a bully named Gale. Joe's mate Janet tells Griffin that the best way to attract a female is to be seen with another female, so Griffin asks Kate to go with him to Dave and Robin's wedding. Griffin then disguises Bernie with an Izod T-shirt and takes him out to T.G.I. Friday's to celebrate Bernie's birthday. They bond, with Bernie telling Griffin that he's his best friend.
Griffin and Kate go to the wedding and seem to have fun together. Griffin becomes brave enough to stand up to Gale and this grabs Stephanie's attention. After Kate tells Griffin she had a great time with him, Stephanie asks Griffin out to dinner. Griffin accepts and they go to dinner and then go to a fashion show. Stephanie tells Griffin that his job at the zoo is holding him back, so Griffin decides to quit his job and accepts Dave's offer, which upsets Kate. Bernie also becomes upset and tells Griffin that he thought he could trust someone again, but was proved wrong when Griffin quit his job. As a parting gesture, Griffin threatens to beat up Shane if he hurts Bernie. Kate decides to leave the zoo and accepts a job in Nairobi.
Griffin becomes the best employee at the car dealership, but misses working at the zoo. Stephanie proposes to Griffin, but Griffin refuses and dumps her after coming to the realization that if Stephanie did love him she would accept him for who he was and not what he was. He then goes back to the zoo and apologizes to Bernie, who accepts Griffin's friendship, but shows signs of being beat by Shane. The animals then tell Griffin that Kate is heading to the airport. Griffin heads out to stop her, though he does make a stop at Shane's house first to punch him. Then, with Bernie's help, Griffin manages to catch up with Kate on the bridge and confesses his love for her. Six months later, Griffin and Kate get married and are back working at the zoo and Bernie is now living in a new enclosure where he gets a great view of the city. When Bernie asks what a "Benihana" is, Griffin asks Bernie if he still has his Izod.

Cast

Animals

Animal Voices

Filming

Filming began in Boston on August 17, 2009, aiming for a release in October 2010, which was then released on July 8, 2011. Filming ended on October 30, 2009.
Tweet, the giraffe who rose to fame as a star in the classic Toys "R" Us commercials and who appeared alongside Jim Carrey in the film , died after filming Zookeeper at the Franklin Park Zoo. The 18-year-old giraffe collapsed during feeding and in the care of his trainer.
Tai the elephant was featured in a video, reportedly filmed in 2005 and released in 2011 by Animal Defenders International, which showed him being abused by its trainers. A campaign to boycott the movie was formed since the outbreak of the news. ADI has also contacted the American Humane Association, urging them to re-evaluate how they assess the use of animals in films and the statements being made which effectively endorse the use of performing animals. Animal rights advocates PETA also urged the public to boycott the film.
Around 50 people came to the film's premiere at the Regency Village Theatre in Westwood, Los Angeles, California to protest against the filmmakers for their alleged animal abuse. Frank Coraci claimed that the animals were not harmed during production. In an interview, Coraci stated, "...We worked with people who love their animals and Humane Association was there to ensure that they were being treated correctly. We didn’t do anything that we shouldn’t do. We treated the animals with love and respect."

Music

Soundtrack

Box office

Zookeeper made its debut in 3,482 theaters in the United States and Canada. It grossed $7.4 million on its opening day and $20.1 million on its opening weekend, ranking it #3 for the weekend behind holdover and newcomer Horrible Bosses.
The film earned a worldwide total of $169,852,759.

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 14% based on reviews from 131 critics, with an average rating of 3.41/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Zookeeper smothers Kevin James's with a sodden script and a surfeit of jokes inappropriate for the young viewers who would be intrigued by its juvenile storyline." On Metacritic, the film has a score of 30 out of 100 based on 29 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.
Brian Lowry of Variety called it "a marketing pitch in search of a movie" and a "punishingly flat effort that offers barely enough comedy to populate a three-minute trailer."
Todd McCarthy of The Hollywood Reporter said "it's dreadful in every respect" and called it an "archly mirthless comedy". Despite his criticism he offers some small praise: "Although one would never have expected to find her in a film like this, Dawson, by dint of enthusiasm, is the only actor who rises above the material with her dignity intact."
Ignatiy Vishnevetsky, who co-hosts the film review series , said that "even though the movie looks hilarious from the trailer, it is only hilarious if you enjoy seeing Kevin James fall down a lot". He gave the film a "thumbs down," as did Christy Lemire, the other co-host of the series.
In May 2011, RedLetterMedia did an episode of the show Half in the Bag reviewing the film's first trailer. The hosts sarcastically praised the trailer as if they thought it was a fake, well crafted parody of a tired subset of the comedy genre, at one point noting "All they were missing was a wise cracking sidekick for Kevin James, played by a rapper."
Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film three out of four, "Look, a great movie this is not. A pleasant summer entertainment it is. I think it can play for all ages in a family audience... and besides, I'm getting a teensy bit exhausted by cute little animated animals. The creatures in this zoo all have the excellent taste to be in 2D."
Sean O'Connell of the Washington Post wrote: "Pratfalls and agonizing tumbles appear to be James's business, and man, business is booming."

Home video

The film was released on DVD and Blu-Ray on October 11, 2011.

Accolades

Mary Pols of Time named it one of the Top 10 Worst Movies of 2011. British newspaper The Telegraph named Zookeeper one of the ten worst films of 2011, saying "Portly Kevin James is the hero of this "comedy", which boasts five screenwriters and not a single amusing moment."
AwardCategoryRecipientsResult
Teen Choice AwardChoice Summer Movie Star – FemaleRosario Dawson
Razzie AwardWorst Supporting ActorKen Jeong