Many will smirk at this film, but why? Has society gone so far not to believe in magic and fun? Do we really think that all there is to life is work and the doldrums of everyday existence and can only enjoy films that bore, depress or scare us to death? Can’t we get jiggy with a good time magical family feast and enjoy a G-rated film once again? Coming from a creative background, I see all the wonderful things and completely understand the moral of the story. How many things can you do with a block of wood? Or do you have to do anything to it, can you merely believe in it and see the magic aspire from the cube in front of you? Speaking of cubes, haven’t we all had enough of being thrown into a little 8-foot by 8-foot space with no window and no chances of being creative and adventurous in our day-to-day jobs? Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium is fun, happy and magical; how great would it be to be a kid again or to believe in the gray matter not just the black and white in life?
Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium
3 & 1/2 Stars
Sit back and enjoy being a kid again. Laugh and cry as the characters open up their own beliefs and see the magic within. This adventure will leave a smile on your face and a need to go play with finger-paints, cars, dollies and trains. Have a tea party with your friends, paint portraits with your kids or go on an adventure with your lover; Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium is “just” too much fun and the special effects are pretty awesome too.
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Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium is a fantastical adventure into a toy store of magic and mischief. Mr. Magorium (Dustin Hoffman) is an Albert Einstein looking fellow with big bushy eyebrows, fun pajamas and a bit of a slur who claims to be 243-years-old and had made toys for Napoleon himself. Molly Mahoney (Natalie Portman) is a youthful and struggling once child prodigy composer who has taken on the roll of daughter and heir for Mr. Magorium. She runs the toy store and whole-heartedly believes in the magic within; a beautiful sprite of a thing, Molly questions her own magic and her ability to finish composing her masterpiece. Throughout the film she plays the air piano and strives to find her place in the world. Henry Weston, aka the Mutant, (Jason Batman) is a “just man” and Mr. Magorium’s first trip down the lane of numbers, assets, insurance and taxes; Henry is his accountant. Henry doesn’t believe in magic or dreams, for that matter, all he does is work and completely misses out on all the wonder that is the toy emporium. Every time someone tries to explain to him that Mr. Magorium is actually 243-years-old and the store is magic, he just can’t see it. With the help of Eric Applebaum (Zach Mills) a hat collector extraordinaire, Henry and Molly find their place in the world and realize that they can be more than just who they are, they can be young and magical again.
Any complaint I would have about this family feast of a film would be the lack of character history. We have no idea where Mr. Magorium hails from or how he knows when it’s his time to leave, for that matter, where does the source of the magic come from? Honestly, Molly’s history is a little cloudy too, we know that she was seen as a child prodigy when it came to the piano, but have no idea where her family is or why she ended up in the toy store and a surrogate daughter to Mr. Magorium. And I have a bit of a problem with the name, it’s almost impossible to remember and kind of hard to say. Otherwise, Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium is a wonderful place to get lost in, leave your cares and worries at the door and head into the dark theater with a large tub of popcorn, a big ole’ caffeine laden soda and a handful of kids and enjoy the wondrous Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium.