User reviews

Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium is a magical story about a young woman named Molly who inherits a mysterious toy shop that reminds me of the toy shop Duncan's Toy Chest from Home Alone 2.

Directed by Zach Helm, the film has a colorful cast, with Dustin Hoffman as the eccentric 243-year-old Mr. Magorium, Zach Mills as Eric, Natalie Portman as his talented but uncertain store manager slash apprentice Molly, Ted Ludzik as Bellini, the Bookbuilder and Jason Bateman as a skeptical mutant, Henry.

The movie has a clear message about the wonder of existence, the inescapable fact of death, and how we reconcile these two contrasting realities.

The cartoonish circus gadgets and décor set an aesthetic or vibe that I like, blending surrealism and absurdism. The acting and casting are good overall. The plot itself is fairly straightforward when you break it down, its decent but a bit corny, and it can feel slow and cringey at times. Natalie Portman looks great with short hair. Some scenes could definitely have been cut out, but the farewell scene was well done. Overall, it's a creative and interesting movie.

My husband and I brought our 4 year old daughter to see this movie last night. We'd already seen (and ADORED) THE BEE MOVIE, and nothing else seemed age appropriate. Despite horrible reviews, we gave it a shot.

I loved this movie. It's not often that a kid's movie can move me to tears, but this one had a powerful (yet simple) message...LIFE IS WHAT YOU MAKE OF IT.

My daughter was bored to the point of BEGGING us to leave. This from a kid who sees movie-going as the ultimate treat. While it was visually stimulating overall, there could have been more in the way of special effects.

Jason Bateman was surprisingly good in his role as the accounting mutant. Some of the most moving moments in the film were created by little more than the expression on his face.

Natalie Portman was radiant and lovable and...androgynous? ;) She could easily have been mistaken for a thirteen year old boy throughout most of the film, to the point where it seemed that she had her chest bound up to appear that way. But it's not about the boobies, and it's not a romantic love story, which I greatly appreciated.

No sex. No violence. No profanity. My husband hated it.

There is love...lots of love. Pure love. The kind of love you feel when you're a child, and your mind has not yet been bogged down with the soul-crushing stress of adult responsibility.

This movie is a nice kick-in-the-pants for anybody who needs to be reminded that you don't have to be a kid to see the potential in yourself and the world around you. You just have to relax a little and believe in magic.

I will admit to being surprised at how many people claimed that this lighthearted tale was a snoozer. If you or your children were bored, how sad for you. While this is not action-packed nor animated, it's filled with subtly delightful moments and a sense of whimsy. Unfortunately these qualities are lost on the those who are so conditioned for immediate gratification and messages that are as subtle as a flying brick. Well, too bad for you.

While far from a cinematic masterpiece, my family and I found this thoroughly enjoyable. Dustin Hoffman is a master at fully inhabiting a character and making you believe that he *is* that person. Portman was less than captivating, strangely, and Bateman was a bit wooden. The performance from Zach Mills was terrific, however. And the store was a place I would have spent a lot of time in as a boy.

And speaking as a husband and father of two, I was not bored at any point during this movie. And I'm a pretty typical red-blooded-sports-fanatic American male. I just haven't lost my ability to enjoy a flight of fantasy every once in a while.

Give this movie a chance if you've got any sense of magic left inside of you.

Oh, and to "luckyunicorn" who took umbrage with the line "You just have to believe in yourself", questioning "Who talks like this?", I would have you know that I say this to my girls all the time. Because it's the truth.

We all really enjoyed Mr Magorium.

It has a wonderful sense of magic about it and very good solid performances from the leads.

Most of all it is the Emporium, the toy store that provides much of the wonder: real care, thought, and a real sense of wonder pervade the set.

The story is lovingly done, and never too schmaltzy.

We came away talking about our favorite bits the kids remembered lots of small details: a sure sign they really did lose themselves in the movies.

Overall I would say one of the better films for kids that doesn't try to be anything other than it is: it reminded me of 1970s Disney, simple, innocent, magic.

I've watched this so many times I can't count. I don't know why people don't like it. All the tiny little details that bring the toy store to life are what makes it joyful. Hoffman is perfect, Portman is perfect, Bateman is perfect, and Mills is a perfect young actor for the role of Eric. Why would anyone hate the whimsy and joy of this film? I love it. And I have for more than ten years. I watch it at any opportunity.

I read that some critics say the storyline is bland but I have never thought that. It allows for the magic and whimsy which is why I watch it, and why anyone should watch it. It's a great family movie. Except I don't even have kids and I adore it!

This film is about a magical toy store that can make anything and everything happen.

This film is really magical. Right from the beginning, the amazing toys brings viewers into all the sweet memories of childhood! The vibrant colours and the plentiful magical toys are captivating to say the least. The characters are lively and engaging, particularly Eric (the weird one out) and Henry (the non believer). The plot is innovative, as I could never have imagined a toy store that could throw temper! Apart from the fantasy elements, the emotional subplot is also engaging and touching. It is a great family film. It entertains people of all ages, and it also reminds us to believe in ourselves.

Toy store manager and one-time piano prodigy--unhappy with the direction of her life and seemingly blocked artistically--is willed ownership of the store by her boss, the magically feckless Mr. Magorium, who knows the exact day and time he will pass on to another world. Writer-director Zach Helm has obviously seen a lot of movies and knows many card tricks, but he doesn't write characters--only occupations. There's the store owner (Dustin Hoffman, channeling Ed Wynn from "Babes in Toyland"), his beautiful-yet-unmarried assistant (Natalie Portman, all doe-eyed smiles and half-laughs), the humorless accountant who learns to loosen up (Jason Bateman, pulling a Jason Bateman), and the wizened youngster (Zach Mills) who helps out in the store and knows all its incredible secrets. Turns out the Emporium really is magical, with dolls that come to life and rooms that change completely with the turn of a knob. How far did Helm want to take this scenario before it became utter nonsense? The filmmaker is so concentrated on the visual accoutrements (and bowling his audience over with sparkly eye-candy) that he fails to develop the story. The movie opens on a sleepy bookmaker who lives down in the basement, but we rarely see him again. As for Hoffman, he doesn't really get into the personage of the happy-go-lucky toy specialist; worse, the irresponsible nature of Mr. Magorium--whose business office is awash with unpaid bills--lingers over the upbeat finale like a dark shadow. There are good moments, particularly in the budding friendship between Bateman and Mills, but if Helm was hoping for a romantic subplot between the man and the woman, it got lost somewhere in the shuffle. In fact, "Magorium" is all shuffle and show, and its heart is hard to find. ** from ****

Let's get something straight. This - Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium - is my realm. Some guys make movies, but not me. No! I am the one who watches. Upon recently viewing this movie upwards of 250 times in the past month, I can say this is a 100 percent perfect film that will not make you blue, but rather cheer you up even if you are cold and alone. Though I wish I could watch this with my family, I know that is unlikely even if I take full measures. Alright, let's talk about Mr. Edward Magorium. He was a good man and a good toy store owner. He didn't deserve what happened to him. He didn't deserve it at all. But I'd watch him again and tomorrow and the next day and the day after that. When you make it Edward versus Bellini, or Edward versus Molly, Edward loses! Simple as that. This is on Mr. Magorium, not Eric, not Molly. I mean really, what'd you expect me to do? Just simply roll over and not watch this on repeat? That I wouldn't take the time – extreme amounts of time – to watch this myself? Wrong! Think again.

If you don't agree with me, then I'm sorry you feel that way - but know this: If you've already read this far, I won.

Tread lightly, Mr Lambert

Seeing the trailer, I imagined a dreamy, whimsical story where I could lose myself in the lost days of my childhood. Director Zach Helm certainly aspires to create something like that, but it doesn't quite work.

This is undoubtedly a kids' movie. Watching this movie with anything else in mind will ruin it for you. It's simple, with a little moral, but it has some great visuals.

Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium is a magical toy store, run by an eccentric old man named Mr. Magorium (Dustin Hoffman). Its manager is Molly Mahoney (Natalie Portman) who was a piano prodigy as a child but is too nervous to take it any further. Eric (Zach Mills) is a lonely kid who has trouble making friends (except for Molly and Mr. Magorium). There's also Henry Weston (aka The Mutant) who is hired to take care of the financial business, but he has no imagination and no sense of fun. These are the central characters in the movie. When Mr. Magorium suddenly says he's leaving and is giving Molly the store, Molly doesn't know what to do.

I think Zach Helm wanted to make a whimsy adventure like "Toys," only better. The effects and visuals work...to a point (the potential for magic in Hot Wheels cars only goes so far). There's a lot of color and feeling, but it all leaves something to be desired.

The acting is not spectacular, but the actors do what is called for. The only actor who really sticks out in my mind is Jason Bateman, who displays a wide range of acting ability.

"Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium" is a solid effort, but won't go down in history as a classic family movie.

99 words or less:

Well-intentioned, but the writer/director Zach Helm has no faith in the audience, nor in film as a visual medium. There is no wonder here, only great swells of music where it says in the script. What little he has to say is spoon fed to you by the dialog and the voice-overs. Colorful SFX can't compensate for the walking clichés that replace real characters: Magical Guy. Blocked Artist. Lonely Child. Boring Accountant. Yeah, it's a Kid's Movie. Cap'n Krunch is Kid's Cereal. Does that make it good?

I feel better now.

I am amazed by the unbelievably DENSE comments and reviews I've read, apparently written by folks who have completely missed the point. These people did not have the courage for 90 short minutes to suspend their cynicism, disbelief, and cowardly need for proof or substantiation of every little thing. (Big ol' raspberry to them!)

A kid's movie? "Just" for children? Heck no. Rather, this movie is "just" for those, regardless of physical age, who have been fortunate enough to retain any portion of their own childlike -- notice, I did not say childISH -- appreciation and pure unclouded understanding of wonder, simplicity, love, and of magic found in the everyday.

If your heart was not touched, even in some intangible microscopic way, by this movie - are you sure you still have one?

Dustin Hoffman doesn't really quite marquee a movie now, doesn't he? I still remember one of his earlier classics as The Graduate which still remains one of my favourite films ("Do you want me to seduce you?"), and his award winners like Rain Man, Tootsie, Kramer vs Kramer, or even commercial movies like Hero, Hook and Sphere. Lately though I felt he's relegated to support status and bit roles within ensembles, and even though he's the titular character of Edward Magorium, his screen time is still limited, mirroring Magorium's passing of the baton to Natalie Portman's Molly Mahoney the store manager.

Written and directed by Zach Helm, who wrote the strangely surreal Stranger Than Fiction, I'd come to expect that while Mr. Magorium's Wonderful Emporium is like a nicer, friendlier version of The Little Shop of Horrors, it still in essence retains a modern fairy tale like narrative, with chapters unfolding between episodic scenes. The emporium is a magical toy store where toys come alive, like in other movies like Jumanji, Small Soldiers or even Toy Story, but no talking toys please, that'll stretch it a little too much.

But the fantastical element here belongs to Hoffman's Magorium himself. While we know he's capable of feats, after all, the toy shop and its toys are alive, but the background of the character is deliberately left a little vague, only letting it on that he had lived way, way past retirement, and has decided to expire. In looks, he's like a cross between Albert Einstein with his frizzy hair, and an aging Willy Wonka in his Chocolate Factory, welcoming children everyday to make his place their playground, speaks with a lisp, and is an avid shoe-wearer. In character, cross Hoffman's mannerisms in Rain Man and comedic angle in Meet the Fockers, and you have Magorium.

So what of Portman? Her Molly is a piano child prodigy who got stuck, and finds herself working for Magorium in the magical shop. What she's lacking is the belief in herself, and one of Magorium's intention through implicit training is to impart some lessons in self- belief. Which means throwing her into the deep end of the pool, and therein this changing of the guard. Molly can whine, protest, and soon finds herself with enormous shoes to fill, but has her hands full in trying to convince a skeptic, Henry (Jason Bateman) the accountant brought in to do the books and company valuation, that the store is alive.

Basically, it's a story about friendship, with new ties that bind, when old ties fade away, the never ending cycle of knowing new folk, while others sometimes unfortunately slip behind. The focus is strongly affixed to this theme, while those enticed by the Technicolor and expected a visual effects extravaganza as seen in the trailers, will be slightly disappointed. Sure, the effects were necessary to bring the Emporium to life, but not seen as primary, and definitely nothing truly groundbreaking.

It's also suitable for those who grew up with lots of toys and spend time in make pretend and even talking to them, well, this movie is definitely for you. Sit tight during the end credits too, as the production crew get described in really child like terms, and is education for those who do not know what those technical terms normally mean. Sit through to the end, and get yourself rewarded with a small scene as well.

Molly Mahoney (Natalie Portman) is the manager of Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium, the awesome toy store owned by Mr. Edward Magorium (Dustin Hoffman). Molly was a promising composer and piano player when she was a girl, and now she is a twenty-three year-old insecure woman that feels stuck in her job. Among the costumers of the Emporium is the lonely hat collector Eric Applebaum (Zach Mills), who has only Molly and Mr. Magorium as friends. When the last pair of shoes that Mr. Magorium bought in Toscana is worn, he hires the accountant Henry Weston (Jason Bateman) that he calls Mutant to adjust the accounts of the Emporium. Further, he claims that he is two hundred and forty-three year old and his time to go has come; he gives a block of wood called Congreve cube to Molly and asks Henry to transfer the Emporium to her name. Molly tries to convince Mr. Magorium to stay in his magical toy store instead of "going".

"Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium" is a pleasant fantasy with a positive message that anything can happen, even magic, when you believe in yourself. The ambiguous story told by Eric may be metaphorically interpreted by the adults or just be seen as a magical toy store by the kids and the result is equally good. The sweet Natalie Portman is perfectly cast in the role of Molly, but Dustin Hoffman plays a quite boring Mr. Magorium. The special effects are amazing. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "A Loja Mágica de Brinquedos" ("The Magical Toy Store")

I watched this movie based on the recommendation of a friend and boy is that the last time I listen to her. Five minutes after the introduction of Dustin Hoffman's character and seeing he had pulled Rainman out of the closet for this, well I knew I was in for a bumpy ride. I am embarrassed for him and for anyone related to him for that matter. I think a lesser established Hollywood star would have worked much better here but his overreaching for this role goes along so well with the rest of the movie's theme...OVERDONE! This movie was completely overproduced. It had no fluidity at all. For the people who claim that those of us who don't like it are dense and "don't get it", we get it, we get it! I have a concussion from how beat over the head I was with the messages of the movie. It's not that hard people. It's the "you are more special than you thought you were" theme and we saw it in everything from Dumbo to Frodo Baggins in Lord of the Rings. The only difference is that those movies credited us with having more than two brain cells to rub together. The scenes with Natalie Portman and Dustin Hoffman jumping on the bed and dancing on bubble packaging were so kitsch that I had to turn my head. By the end of the movie I most related to the little stuffed monkey who seemed to be pleading to be taken out of this monstrosity.

I watched this with my wife and daughter. We loved it. We thought that the casting was perfect. Hoffman was perfect in the role and brought it to life. Portman was equally perfect for the role. And the kid who played Eric was wonderful. I don't understand the many negative critics of the acting. I thought that the casting couldn't have been better.

The set was incredible. As was the CGI. The Emporium was truly magical. Made you wish it actually existed.

The writing was great. Thoroughly enjoyable story, characters, and humor.

Really don't know why this movie didn't get a higher rating.

I'm a little late to the party on this one, but it just didn't excite me from the Trailer back in 2007 and to be honest, the movie didn't either. That said, it wasn't terrible, but it was far from flawless.

I won't get into the story too much, partly to avoid spoilers, but also because there was so many different sub-plots, which distracted from the main storyline and to be honest, that was one of my main negatives of this movie, because i actually preferred all those sub-plots to the actual main one. I think i would have enjoyed a movie which focussed on any of those more than the movie we got.

The other negative i have is, how come everyone, including the Adults are just accepting magic happening around them. I mean i get it's a magic shop, but if there was magic happening like that in reality, i think the whole world would be there, with camera crews and high security. Or am i missing something here?

Next lets get to the acting. Natalie Portman is great in this and proves she has real range when it comes to acting. The kid is great too, showing more emotion and poise than a lot of adults. Unfortunately, for me, Dustin Hoffman was not so good. I see where he was going with it, but his fake accent was annoying at times and isn't really a demonstration of eccentricity. I couldn't help but think the whole movie through, that Jim Carrey would have been a better choice of character for the lead.

On the upside, the VFX and music departments did a magnificent job, transporting me back to my childhood at times.

To summarise, i did enjoy the film, i just wasn't blown away by it and i think i could have done a better job myself at the screenplay, so overall, i give this a generous 7 stars out of 10.