Writer: Zach Helm
Director: Zach Helm
Cast: Dustin Hoffman, Natalie Portman, Zach Mills, Jason Bateman, Ted Ludzik
Rating: G
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Release Date: March 4, 2008
Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium is a fluffy, adventure-filled journey through the multiple storybooks that make up a person’s life. That person just happens to be Mr. Edward Magorium, a magical toymaker with an Italian shoe fetish.
The wonderment of the Wonder Emporium in Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium will make you feel like you’re stuck in a song by the Beatles. Perhaps “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” or “I Am the Walrus”. The insane, head spinning marvelousness is just one aspect of a much deeper story with a simply complex message. Perhaps most of the reviewers who dissed this movie, “just didn’t get it”. Those of us who are adults do have a tendency to over analyze things, after all.
In it’s complexity, a daft riddle that takes most of the movie to solve (though the message is easy to know – not so easy to learn), though the message is simple. It’s heartfelt. It may be super sugary coated to make it easier for children to understand, but it’s an important lesson nonetheless. Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium carries the message of hope, moving on, and ultimately, learning to make your own destiny by believing in yourself. Nothing more, nothing less. Those who expect some, hard to fathom revelation, will be disappointed, but I am one who sees the beauty in such simplicity and appreciates it.
Release Information:
Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium was first released in theaters in Brazil, on November 15, 2007. It enjoyed a next day theatrical opening in the U.S., Canada and Taiwan. Other locations where the movie has played include the Philippines on November 28, Israel on November 29, Poland on November 30, and Germany, Russia, the UK, Belgium, and several other countries in December. In the U.S., in particular, the movie premiered in over 3,000 theaters and finished in #5 at the box office during it’s opening weekend. Since then, it has grossed over $38 million worldwide.
Thanks to 20th Century Fox, Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium is set to be released on DVD this Tuesday, March 4, 2008. The DVD will be available at local and national retail chains such as Best Buy, Circuit City, and Wal-mart. Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium is also available at their online stores and on Amazon, where it can be pre-ordered for $17.99 USD.
The Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium Plot
First, I just have to comment on the name, Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium. I’ve seen reviewers complain about this as though it were the name of Black Death. It’s just a name, and I happen to think it’s catchy. The marketers did a good job with this one, because who in their right mind is going to forget a title of a movie like, Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium?
With that in mind, if you don’t like it, get over it. My kid thinks the name is hilarious and I’m sure plenty of other kids feel the same way. It’s sad that so many stuffy, white collar, adults grow up to have no sense of wonder, imagination, or humor pertinent to the mind of child because, I remember life being much more fun than now, as an adult.
Now that the name thing is out of the way, I also have to comment on the “Willy Wonka” connection and similarities (or lack thereof). Yes, Magorium is a toymaker with a wonderful toy store. Willy Wonka was a wonderful candy maker with an amazing factory. That is about where the similarity ends. Anyone who says that Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium is a bad remake of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory or Charlie and the Chocolate Factory doesn’t really understand Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium.
Furthermore, I found nothing similar in Eric Applebaum and Charlie Bucket. Charlie is poor and lives with his two parents and extended family. Eric is awkward and disliked by his peers, and lives with his single mother, who apparently isn’t poor. The two movies both have great messages, but neither message is the same. That being said, I can finally get into discussing the plot.
Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium was written and directed by the genius behind the screenplay for Stranger than Fiction, Zach Helm. Helm manages to create a script for Magorium that appeals to children and yet is able to explain complex concepts including the importance of living life to its fullest, moving on and accepting death, and finding your own destiny in a way that isn’t so mindless that adults will be too bored by it and isn’t to advanced children won’t be able to understand it.
The story begins with the voice of the young narrator of the story, Eric Applebaum (Zach Mills). Eric talks about his favorite story, which is the story of Mr. Magorium (Dustin Hoffman), his wonder Emporium, and how the events of the story affect his store manager, Molly Mahoney (Natalie Portman). As the story explains, Molly was a child prodigy at the piano. She went to college and everyone believed she’d one day write that amazing composition that would make her famous. Unfortunately, Molly has composer’s block, so while her fingers constantly hear a melody, she’s unable to finish it, or make anything out of her music career. She continues to work for Mr. Magorium as a result.
Who wouldn’t want to work in the wonder emporium though? It’s filled with colors, magic, and every kind of toy imaginable from homemade fare to commercial products, Mr. Magorium’s store has it all. All of the kids hang out there, especially Eric, who has returned home after one week at summer camp. Eric is awkward around other kids. An avid hat collector, all the other kids seem to look at him like he’s weird and the only friend Eric has is Molly, besides Mr. Magorium himself. He comes to the store every day to play and help Molly.
On this day, Mr. Magorium announces (after we see how quirky he is) he must hire an accountant (or as he calls it, ‘a counting mutant’) to get his business affairs in order. You see, Mr. Magorium is 243 years old. A shoe aficionado, he has purchased just enough Italian shoes from a store he liked in Italy, until it is time for him to depart from this world. He doesn’t want anyone to know this, except for the “mutant”, Henry Weston (Jason Bateman), who is going through 243 years of documentation to get things in order for Mr. Magorium.
In the meantime, Molly has plans of finally pursuing her music career and leaving the Emporium. Eric’s biggest challenge is making friends, and the Mutant must deal with his stuffy, accountant-like, lack of imagination in a place where imagination is the only thing required.
As each of the characters struggle with their particular dilemma, Mr. Magorium has his own plans for all of them, especially Molly, who he sees as a shining star. With Molly unwilling to accept the fact that Magorium will be leaving the world, such a simple fact, Magorium explains by saying he lived his life and one of the most brilliant discussions on death occurs between these two, amazing characters.
“When King Lear dies in Act 5 do you know what Shakespeare has written? He’s written- He dies. That’s all. Nothing more; no fanfare, no metaphor, no brilliant final words. The culmination of the most influential work of dramatic literature is: He dies. When every time I read those 2 words I find myself overwhelmed with dysphoria. I know its only natural to be sad. But not because of the words “He dies”…, but because of the life we saw, prior to those words.”
“I’ve lived all 5 of my acts, Mahoney. And I’m not asking you to be happy that I must go. I’m only asking that you turn the page, continue reading, and let the next story begin. And, if anyone asks what became of me you’ll relate my life and all its wonder. And it was a simple, modest, he died.”
This alone speaks volumes about the kind of movie Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium is. While kids may get the message that death is just the ending of one story and the beginning of another, Helm is reaching out to adults, those who quite often have the hardest of times letting go, to explain to them that each life is complete, even if it might not seemed finished or even if they might not want their loved one to go. It’s just another chapter, in the book of life. It’s a great metaphor and this scene made the movie for me. Dustin Hoffman is a brilliant actor and this really showed off the emotional power he is capable of portraying both in what is said and what isn’t.
All of the actors do wonderful in their respective roles. Natalie Portman is fantastic as a young woman caught between childhood daydreams and adult realities. Her chemistry with both Hoffman and Bateman is a thrilling addition to the movie. Portman and Hoffman play off one another like a modern day odd couple, though Mahoney really seems to understand Magorium and he understands her. Bateman is making a comeback, with his transformation from the man stuck in the adult world to someone who can have fun, make believe, and see both the magic and sparkle in people. Young Zach Mills is superb as the loner, Eric. He’s a cute little kid and he has a way of lighting up the screen with his presence.
One of my favorite scenes occurs between Mills and Bateman. The two talk by writing messages, and holding them up to one another. The emotions that range across young Mills’ face speak volumes. There is also a scene where Eric teaches the mutant to play a make believe game. While I have heard some complaints about kids being friends with adults (my son plays at one of our neighbors house – they are grandparents and are very kind to him because their grandson is autistic and he has an autistic spectrum disorder – so does that make them molesters?) because that’s unnatural, but I thought the scene fit in quite nicely and showed Henry’s transformation into a more balanced perspective on life. Not everything is all about work, and life should be enjoyed whenever possible.
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Replayability:
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Directing:
Audio/Visual:
Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium was given to me as a watermarked, screener copy. Despite being a screener, the visual quality for this film is excellent. Fox is releasing Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium in anamorphic widescreen with an aspect ratio of 2.35:1. The visual quality really enhances all of the wonderment of the film and if this were lacking, the film might not have been as enjoyable as it was. I should note that even the opening credits for Magorium are wondrous. A 60s throwback to movie openings like Charade or cartoons like the Pink Panther, the opening was quite an impressive start to a great movie.
The audio quality for Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium is equally as impressive. With the magnificent score by Alexandre Desplat and Aaron Zigman, the score plays an important role in telling the story, so it is important that the music comes through loud and clear. With swelling crescendos and symphonic melodies, the music is balanced nicely, in contrast with the spoken dialogue. No volume toggling, even on the screener, was needed. The Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound mix is presented in English with subtitles available in English, Spanish, and French.
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Bonus Features:
While there are some bonuses included on the DVD for Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium, most of them aren’t as in depth as they could be. There is a short, but sweet, four part, behind the scenes making of feature, “Strangely Weird and Weirdly Strange: The Magical World of a Wonder Emporium”.
Other features on this DVD include an interview with director/writer Zach Helm called “Supposedly the Mind of Zach Helm”, a look at Dustin Hoffman, Natalie Portman and the characters they play in “An Eccentric Boss and an Awkward Apprentice”, a look at Zach Mills and his portrayal of Eric Applebaum in “To Meet Eric Applebaum Start By Saying Hi”, a look at the creation and puppetry of the on screen puppets in “The Sock Monkey”, the creation of the Wonder Emporium set in “The Magical Toy Store”, a look at the live zebra used in “Mortimer the Zebra” and a look at the building of the Lincoln Log statue of Abe Lincoln in “Lincoln Man”.
Fox has included an interactive feature that provides a look at the all new movie, “Horton Hears a Who!”. There is also the typical list of 20th Century Fox trailers, that usually play before the movie loads and there are also a couple you can check out in the bonus features, trailer section. Overall, while each featurette is relatively brief, the overall set of bonuses is fun. Most of them are kid friendly and are are short enough to keep their attention. I should note that I recommend this movie for older kids (7-10 and up). Young kids simply won’t understand the message, though the store will mesmerize them.
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Bottom Line:
Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium is a heartfelt look at life and death, believing in yourself, and living life to the fullest. While your dreams may not always be able to come true in the way you believe they should, you can learn from everything you do and make a difference in your life, and the lives of others, with all of the opportunities that are presented.
While this message is said in a way kids can understand, adults would be wise to heed the advice of Mr. Magorium and delight in the joy of his Wonder Emporium, if only for a moment, as they’re transported back to a much simpler time, where life was carefree, joyous, and such heavy decisions were never a thought in their mind.
This film comes highly recommended.
Overall Rating:
Technorati Tags: Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium, DVD Reviews, 20th Century Fox, Dustin Hoffman, Natalie Portman, Zach Mills, Jason Bateman
