The magic only comes in occasional flashes, with the rest of the time filled by forced silliness that is not united by anything more than talk of smiles and puppies and rainbows
Comment
12/07/07
Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium (2007)
37
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:120
Fresh:44
Rotten:76
Average Rating:4.9/10
Consensus: Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium's title is much more fun that the film itself, as the colorful visuals and talented players can't make up for a bland story.
Runtime: 1 hr 34 mins
Genre: Childrens
US Box Office: $31,920,538
Synopsis: In writer-director Zach Helm's whimsical 2007 film, MR. MAGORIUM'S WONDER EMPORIUM, veteran actor Dustin Hoffman plays the title character, a 243-year-old toy-store owner who is ready to pass his... [More]
Starring: Dustin Hoffman, Natalie Portman, Jason Bateman, Zach Mills
Director: Zach Helm
Reviews for Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium
Top CriticA film about joy and wonder shouldn't have to work so hard to try and achieve those traits; it kind of defeats the purpose.
11/17/07
Let’s not be too Scrooge-like; there are pockets of charm, and some of the effects are quite good.
12/13/07
The cast mingles in happy harmony, and the film is effortlessly cheerful and often quite funny.
11/15/07
No wise child, let alone grown-up, will touch this with a turkey baster.
12/14/07
It's well made, and adults likely will find themselves yielding to its gentle, whimsical charm.
11/15/07
I laughed out loud once, yet I am giving this film a positive review. There's something magical about a G-rated film that attempts to capture life, death and a little bit of magic.
03/04/08
There's so much whimsy here that whimsy-averse parents in the audience may imagine their own rhyming title for the film: 'Mr. Magorium's Vomitorium.'
11/16/07
Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium is the kind of warm, mushy, predigested pap that haunts theaters every year around this time, and it nearly pulls a muscle trying to arouse a sense of wonder.
11/16/07
For all its computer-generated effects and colorful sight gags, Magorium is a dreadfully prosaic movie, lacking charm and grace.
07/12/08
This children's tale of magical whimsy miraculously avoids even toying with violence - while confronting the finality of death head-on.
12/06/07
Children will find the feature enchanting, while adults may not be so easily impressed.
11/16/07
Dustin Hoffman charms in [this] colorful fairy tale, but despite plenty of magical moments, it's missing the extra sparkle that could make it a classic.
11/16/07
If there were as many great ideas in the story as there are in the art and CGI special effects departments, this fantasy tale of wonder might have been a hit.
03/05/08
You'd have to be a Scrooge to take against this, though it could use a little more Roald Dahl-ish bite, and a little less of the Hoffman twinkle. Needless to say, it all ends happily.
12/14/07
Top CriticWith no playthings on the order of Buzz or Woody to enliven events, this proves to be one toy story that's easy to skip.
11/28/07
delightfully silly, and if you can get past its wrinkles, it should tap into your inner child
11/16/07
Like something imagined by Turgenev during what would have been even for him one of his more bleak interludes.
11/14/07
A tediously unimaginative short story run amok that will somehow put kids to sleep who are already sleeping and maybe wake up adults who were overly harsh on Barry Levinson for Toys.
11/15/07
This is a lovely story for children under 14. Jason Bateman is the horrified and expensive plod who has to wind up Hoffman’s wild accounts. Portman is wonderful as the daffy heroine who needs to grow up and perhaps fall in love.
12/14/07
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