Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium: Blu-ray Review

The Movie Itself is written by — and serves as the directorial debut for — Zach Helm. Prior to dreaming up “Magorium“, Helm penned the script for “Stranger Than Fiction“, a film that also deals with the magical. It’s very clear that Helm is drawn to, or intrigued by the surreal, or even magical-realistic elements in film, taking into account his prior works.

“Magorium” details the final chapter in the life of “Mr. Edward Magorium“, an avid shoe wearer and toy store owner. From the onset of the film, Helm primes us for the ultimate departure of the titular character, an arch that was aptly cut from the films theatrical trailer — that instead focuses on the “feel-good” moments of the film. “Mr. Magorium” knows that his time here on earth is limited, and that he has even less time before his “departure” to groom his heir, “Molly Mahoney” (Natalie Portman) and get his estate in order, with help from a by-the-books accountant (Jason Bateman). The problem that “Mr. Magorium” hadn’t forseen is that “Molly” isn’t terribly keen on inheriting the Wonder Emporium, instead favoring her life-long dream of becoming a composer. All the while, the store itself begins to rebel and fight back — it is magical after all — in protest of “Mr. Magorium’s” ultimate departure.

Amidst the magical hijinks and chaos, “Mr. Magorium” seeks to teach “Molly” that perhaps the greatest magic of all is within us, and that we need only believe in ourselves in order to fully realize our potential, as well as our dreams.

Regrettably, “Magorium” isn’t nearly as cheery as it was advertised, nor as insightful or meaningful as Helm’s previous endeavor, “Stranger Than Fiction.” “Magorium” also differs greatly from “Stranger Than Fiction“, both in resonance and in quality. Each film wrestles with the acceptance of death, and benevolence but where “Magorium” differs is the film’s target audience — children. Billed as a Thanksgiving holiday film, “Magorium” should have been a shoe in for the family audiences — instead grossing $32.1 million domestically — but critics disliked it and most families opted to see “happier films” after catching word of the “sad” ending.

To be fair, “Magorium” makes an earnest attempt at being a heartfelt piece of cinema, and in many ways it succeeds. The main problem is that a lot of the potential emotional gravity is lost due to the whimsical nature of the film. However, I believe that this is Helm’s intention, or perhaps his message to the audience — that we should be able to accept and make light of our death. It’s impossible to know whether or not this was Helm’s true message, but given the parallels between this and his previous script, it doesn’t seem far off to me.

Ultimately, I think it’s sad that more people haven’t seen this movie, and that even fewer had any emotional connection to the story, or the characters. It’s not a master-work by any means, and despite Stranger Than Fiction being the better of the two, I still find something rather redeeming in this film. I realize that I might belong to a distinct minority, but I’m fine with that, and I wish that more people would have given this movie a chance.