Not Quite Magic
posted on Thursday, November 29, 2007 in Movie Reviews
Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium tries so very hard to be magical, but it feels forced. Stuffed with whimsy and a whole lot of quirk, the film gets caught up in making its cinematic magic and forgets what truly makes a movie magical: a good story. Mr. Magorium is the magical 243 year-old proprietor of the Wonder Emporium, an equally magical toy store where kids rule and absolutely anything can happen. He decides, one day, that he is going to leave the world, and he leaves the store to Molly Mahoney, an insecure 23 year-old who is afraid of never living up to her potential. The store, in reaction to Magorium’s leaving, starts turning gray and wreaking havoc with all the toys. It’s up to young Eric Applebaum to help Molly keep the store from completely falling apart.
There’s a workable story in there, but the film decides that storytelling is secondary to quirkiness. There are too many scenes in this film that only serve to show how “fun” and “magical” the characters in this film are. And while these scenes are charming in their own way, they do nothing to further the plot or develop the characters. Looking at the bigger picture, it’s just feels self-indulgent and kind of pointless.
The effect of this indulgence in the quirk is palpable in the ending. Since we mostly spent time watching people do silly things, it doesn’t feel like they earned the resolution, and what could’ve been heart-warming ends up being corny.
Having said that, however, it bears mentioning that the film is bright and colorful and sometimes well-done. Children will absolutely love the visuals and all the craziness. There’s a good sentiment that runs through the film as well, though it really could’ve delivered more intelligently. The emotional impact just isn’t there.
The cast isn’t really given much to do with their characters, who are mostly a collection of quirks. They are altogether lovely and charming, but it doesn’t add up to characters that we can really fall in love with. Dustin Hoffman, Natalie Portman, Jason Bateman, and young Zach Mills are all a delight to watch, but it stops there. We tend to want a little more from people.
It’s hard to give a recommendation for Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium, especially since Enchanted is still showing in theaters, and that seems like an altogether better choice for family viewing. This film tries really hard, but it just doesn’t get there.
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