Mr Magorium’s Terrible Tedium.
Comment
12/14/07
Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium (2007)
37
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:120
Fresh:44
Rotten:76
Average Rating:4.9/10
Consensus: Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium's title is much more fun that the film itself, as the colorful visuals and talented players can't make up for a bland story.
Theatrical Release:14-12-2007
Synopsis: In writer-director Zach Helm's whimsical 2007 film, MR. MAGORIUM'S WONDER EMPORIUM, veteran actor Dustin Hoffman plays the title character, a 243-year-old toy-store owner who is ready to pass his... [More]
Starring: Dustin Hoffman, Natalie Portman, Jason Bateman, Zach Mills
Director: Zach Helm
Reviews for Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium
Too dark for kids, too daffy for grown-ups. There’s the odd glimmer of charm, but beneath the fluttering FX and existential fluster, Helm has buried the most important toy in the box: a good story.
12/13/07
Things go badly wrong when eccentric Mr Magorium announces he has had enough of his 243 years on earth and has decided to pop his clogs.
12/14/07
Trying with all its might to be endearing, the magic is simply missing. Hoffman is unbelievably annoying as the lisping Willy Wonka wannabe, while Portman looks uninterested.
12/14/07
In its favour, there's nothing here to upset the children. (Not, that is, unless they're allergic to Hoffman's hammy, Method-derived acting.)
12/14/07
Top CriticLet’s not be too Scrooge-like; there are pockets of charm, and some of the effects are quite good.
12/13/07
Top CriticSchmaltzy musical cues ensure we all get the message, but the desperately dull final third is likely to drive both kids and grown-ups to nose-picking, seat-kicking distraction.
12/13/07
No doubt intended to be a Christmas blockbuster - this pretty looking film is ultimately all wrapping, with nothing much to find inside.
12/13/07
Top CriticNo wise child, let alone grown-up, will touch this with a turkey baster.
12/14/07
Better to prepare your children for the world with a DVD of Hoffman in Midnight Cowboy.
12/14/07
You'd have to be a Scrooge to take against this, though it could use a little more Roald Dahl-ish bite, and a little less of the Hoffman twinkle. Needless to say, it all ends happily.
12/14/07
Top CriticThis children's tale of magical whimsy miraculously avoids even toying with violence - while confronting the finality of death head-on.
12/06/07
Top CriticThis is a lovely story for children under 14. Jason Bateman is the horrified and expensive plod who has to wind up Hoffman’s wild accounts. Portman is wonderful as the daffy heroine who needs to grow up and perhaps fall in love.
12/14/07
Top CriticStructurally it’s a bit ragtag, but, as your mum would say, it has its heart in the right place. For all its wilful oddness it’s enchanting, imaginative and genuinely moving.
12/13/07
Top CriticIt's a little sentimental, and the finale feels rushed, but along the way it's great fun.
11/22/07
Although it's not set at Christmas, it's a great traditional yet contemporary festive treat.
01/22/08
Like something imagined by Turgenev during what would have been even for him one of his more bleak interludes.
11/14/07
... never quite as magical as it wants to be.
12/21/07
A film about joy and wonder shouldn't have to work so hard to try and achieve those traits; it kind of defeats the purpose.
11/17/07
Wonder is the key, and it's lacking in a major way. Should you decide to see it anyway, you might wonder what you're doing there.
11/15/07
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