Movie Review: Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium

This movie was generally about enjoying life with child-like wonder, and about finding within yourself your unique ability to be just what you were created to be.

Mr. Magorium (Dustin Hoffman) is the more than 200-year-old quirky owner of a toy store that’s very popular with children and parents alike. The store is magical, playing alongside the children and providing whatever toy a child might desire. Mahoney (Natalie Portman) is the store’s clerk, sweet and friendly. She’s also a former child prodigy who’s trying to write a symphony (I’m not sure if that’s the right word), but she struggles with insecurity. When Mr. Magorium decides it’s time for him to leave, everyone (including the store) becomes disappointed and upset. They have to decide whether they’ll accept his leaving and continue to live with joy and wonder, or simply fade quietly away.

The movie also stars Jason Bateman as Henry (or Mutant), a straight-laced accountant, and Zach Mills as a little boy who is a loner, and whose only friends are adults (to his mother’s chagrin).

I kept waiting for the movie to get really good, really exciting, but it never did. It was cute. It was sweet. It had some good things to say about life that a child could understand. But when we left, my kids said there were a lot of boring parts. And I agreed.

And the movie ended very abruptly and unexpectedly–and nothing seemed to have really been resolved.

Overall I’d give this movie a 2 out of 5 stars.