Review: Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium

Dustin Hoffman is the lisping, wild-haired, apparently 243 year-old title character, an inventor and owner of a ‘magical’ toy store. Literally, it’s magical. Mr. Magorium has decided the time is right for him to depart this world, hoping to leave the reigns of the store over to assistant Natalie Portman. Portman isn’t so thrilled about this, she’s a child prodigy who is starting to feel too old for the store and thinks about picking up her piano playing again. She also doesn’t think she is qualified to run a ‘magical’ store. Jason Bateman is the well-meaning, but humourless accountant Mr. Magorium hires to look into the store’s financial affairs (seemingly about a couple of centuries behind in the books) and clean things up before the time of his departure (A departure he is nevertheless cheery about. Mr. Magorium is the epitome of the eternal optimist). This fish-out-of-water is contrasted with Portman’s young friend Zach Mills, an avid visitor to the store, who doesn’t seem to fit in anywhere else and has no friends his own age. It is Mills who narrates the film, and tries to encourage the buttoned-down Bateman to have fun and be silly. Meanwhile, the store itself starts throwing temper tantrums (!) at the realisation Mr. Magorium will be leaving.

Cynics everywhere take cover, this eccentric, sugary 2007 Zach Helm flick is essentially a modern version of “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” by way of “The NeverEnding Story”. You will hate it. But it’s your loss, because this is bright, cheery fun, with terrific work by Hoffman (channelling not-so much Gene Wilder as vaudeville comedian Ed Wynn) and a sweet and well-cast Portman, though her character’s child prodigy subplot seemed out-of-place to me. It’s fun, imaginative - that’s what it’s about - and better than I expected. I was expecting Pee-Wee Herman-esque aggravation and potty humour gags crossed with “Patch Adams”. Kids will love it (the store itself looks like heaven!), and so will anyone whose heart is still beating in their chest. I mean, it’s about a living, breathing, toy store! What could be cooler or more interesting than that? Heck, it’s even a little touching at times, especially towards the end.

It’s not as much fun as you’d like it to be overall but the cast is good, the store is wonderful, and the premise is a can’t-miss. Scripted by the debuting director, who previously wrote the excellent and imaginative Will Ferrell comedy-drama “Stranger Than Fiction” (in which Hoffman played a far more grounded character in a similarly fantastic tale). I liked this one, it made me happy. Sometimes that’s all you need.

Rating: B-