MOVIE REVIEW - Zookeeper

Kevin James and his band of usual suspects are back again, and this time it's the talking animal "comedy" Zookeeper.

First off, have there not been enough talking animal movies in the past number of years? Have we not seen Kevin James act like a moron in the movies enough? And is it possible for this troupe to make a movie, that you don't know the ending in the first 5 minutes?

Zookeeper is the story of Griffin (James). He is a zookeeper at the Franklyn Park Zoo, and he is in love with Stephanie (Leslie Bibb). He wants to marry her, but she says no, because he works at a zoo with animals. She wants someone important. But he works with the lovely Kate (the equally lovely Rosario Dawson). And it is clear that she is better for him than Stephanie. The makers show you this in the first 3 minutes, so there's no reason to watch any further unless you just have to see talking animals with celebrity voices.

Griffin feels that he wants to leave the zoo. He then finds out that the zoo animals can talk. And when they find out they are about to lose their favorite zookeeper, they start giving Griffin "love" advice and how to get back his ex-girlfriend. Doesn't this sound fun?

This movie is just plain bad. I am still confounded on who this movie is actually for. It is so juvenile, so Junior high you would think it's for kids. But the subject matter and language lead me to believe it's really not. They then blend in a very heavy mid- 1970's soundtrack that completely does not match one thing in this movie. It seems that they just wanted to use their favorite songs from their childhood. I am certainly hoping they were not thinking that full grown adults with real lives would think this is for them. I was in a semi full theater and a few laughs by a few people a few times. Do not let anyone tell you this is really funny.

James who was great on King Of Queens, again shows virtually nothing new here as the lovable loser, who's too fat, too shy and too dumb to figure things out for himself. I think I have seen James fall off things, get hit with things and act like he is 17 enough in my life, to take me into the next. It's an old tired act, that isn't aging very well. Seems that this bunch, of James, and Adam Sandler (animal voice and Producer) are now making movies for their own amusement and not ours. Toss in the voices of Cher, Sylvester Stallone, Nick Nolte and many others and what you have is an expensive yawn fest without one sliver of originality. It's almost like it's time for this troupes "talking animal movie" time.

Zookeeper. Pass, pass pass.....