Zookeeper

Movie review by Sandie Angulo Chen, Common Sense Media
Zookeeper Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 10+

Pointless comedy is a waste of a talented comedic cast.

PG 2011 104 minutes
Rate movie

Parents say

age 10+

Based on 38 reviews

Kids say

age 9+

Based on 72 reviews

Common Sense is a nonprofit organization. Your purchase helps us remain independent and ad-free.
Rate movie

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

A Lot or a Little?

The parents' guide to what's in this movie.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that this PG-rated Kevin James comedy deals with some grown-up issues about dating and mating that may not interest young kids. The humor, while featuring the predictable amount of animal "poop" and "pee" talk, is largely aimed at older audiences and includes some double entendres about sexual relationships -- marking territory, being forceful, highlighting your genitalia, and other jokes. Language includes words like "idiot," "crap," "shut up," and some scatological terms. Ultimately, the titular zookeeper learns a worthy lesson about just being himself, but by then kids will already have seen him act foolishly for an hour and a half.

Community Reviews

AndradeFamily
AndradeFamily Adult
November 8, 2020
age 8+

Not bad for a family movie night

There are a lot of mixed reviews on this site for this movie. Bottom line, our family enjoyed it and it opened up a lot of conversation points that I think are valuable. I would watch this with your kids, not let them watch it on their own, so you can take advantage of the plot lines and scenes to have conversations later with your kids. What some parents don't seem to get is there are a lot of shallow, self-centred, judgemental people out there that your kid is going to come across in life. Movies like this give parents the opportunity to face these stereotypes with their kids and teach them how to deal with certain types of people (or help stray them away from becoming these types of people), how to find their own identity, how to recognize what things in life make you happy, how to face confidence issues or help someone else through them, how to be a good friend, how to tell someone "no," etc. It's utterly predictable and silly for adults, but our son enjoyed it. Good for kids who have already started to have conversations with parents about relationships and mating/sex. Not so good if you haven't breached those concepts yet.

This title has:

Great messages
Baseballmom1970
Baseballmom1970 Adult
August 6, 2019
age 18+

Good

Great for the whole retirement home

This title has:

Great messages
Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
See all 38 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Professionally, Griffin (Kevin James) is a successful lead zookeeper at a Boston-area zoo. But personally, he can't get over his ex-girlfriend, Stephanie (Leslie Bibb), who turned down his proposal five years ago. After he spots Stephanie at his brother's engagement party, Griffin vows to win back her affections, eventually using his sweet and attractive coworker, Karen (Rosario Dawson), to make Stephanie jealous. The zoo animals, who adore Griffin, decide to break their vow of silence and speak to him in order to help him with his dating issues. But Stephanie is only interested in Griffin if he agrees to leave his job and become the man she wants him to be -- rich, stylish, and materialistic.

Is It Any Good?

With so much comedic talent on board, it's really embarrassing that so few moments are laugh-worthy for adult audiences. Bernie the gorilla (Nick Nolte) driving a car straight into another car, Salem from Sabrina, The Teenage Witch popping up on TV just as Griffin has a meltdown about talking animals, and a couple of one-liners from the animals are about it. And that's being generous. This isn't so much a movie as a joke between James and his various comedian pals (Adam Sandler, Judd Apatow, Maya Rudolph, Faizon Love, and many more, who all voice animals).

Fans of Cher, who plays the zoo's lioness to Sylvester Stallone's lion, might want to stay for the credits to hear her (and the rest of the cast) sing Boston's classic-rock anthem More Than a Feeling. In fact, the soundtrack is hands-down the best part of the movie, with particularly memorable renditions of Flo Rida and T Pain's "Low," Barry White's "You're the First, the Last, My Everything," and Kansas' "Carry on My Wayward Son." Of course, the tunes alone aren't a reason to see yet another disappointing live-action talking-animal dud.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the appeal of animal-human comedies. Why are they so popular? What makes some succeed and others fail?

  • What does this movie say about romantic relationships? What dating advice works for Griffin, and what doesn't?

  • Who do you think this movie is intended to appeal to? How can you tell?

Movie Details

Our Editors Recommend

  • Babe Poster Image

    Babe

    Heartwarming farm story is touching and a bit scary.

    age 6+
  • Beverly Hills Chihuahua Poster Image

    Beverly Hills Chihuahua

    Upbeat talking-animal adventure is fun for kids.

    age 5+
  • Stuart Little Poster Image

    Stuart Little

    Sweet book-based tale has some emotional intensity.

    age 7+
  • Underdog Poster Image

    Underdog

    Not too many new tricks left for the old Underdog.

    age 7+

Themes & Topics

Browse titles with similar subject matter.

  • Cartoon picture of an elephant
    Wild Animals
    See all

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate