Parents' Guide to The Wolf and the Lion

The cute odd-couple animal pairing only works for so long before this movie's plot and underwhelming characterizations start to stretch credulity. Alma's decision to save both baby animals, while initially admirable, is utterly irresponsible. Instead of reaching out for help, she -- a classical musician with no training in caring for wild creatures -- takes it upon herself to mother these two seemingly orphaned babies on a private island? The script makes no sense, jadedly lumping in government forestry officials -- and even animal conservation experts -- with the likes of circus owners. You can't help but agree with nerdy wolf biologist Eli (Charlie Carrick) that Alma doesn't know what she's doing.

Greene is fine as godfather Joe, but aside from a few conversations between his character and Alma, there aren't any compelling human interactions here. And while Mozart and Dreamer's coexistence is touching (and adorable, particularly when they're babies), there's not much more to The Wolf and the Lion beyond occasional performances of classical pieces courtesy of Alma. Yes, if you only care about watching a lion and wolf hang out together, the movie satisfies. But if you're looking for more -- particularly about the realities of conservation and the dangers of humans thinking they can truly take care of big cats and wild wolves -- this is an unintentionally problematic story.