Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium (2007)

This is a great movie for any child or for any adult still in touch with his or her inner child. If you have lost touch, please do not see this movie or rate it here, dragging down the magic for everyone else. I was instantly interested in seeing this movie the first time I saw its trailer, but I became wary after recent TV commercials began taking all the "magical" special-effects shots out of context and stacking them into 30 seconds, making the movie seem cheesy and vapid. On actually seeing it, regrettably as a skeptical viewer, I was won over and well pleased. It is a magical movie with a soft and tender feel to Mr. Magorium (Dustin Hoffman) and his special, loving relationship with employee Molly Mahoney (Natalie Portman) and store patron Eric Applebaum (Zach Mills). Dustin is almost flawless; Natalie was mostly fine but needed better direction; and Zach was like a gem. I would have liked more interaction and oomph from the accountant (Jason Bateman) and Bellini (Ted Ludzik), since they clearly had greater potential to the story. I particularly appreciated Mr. Magorium's attitude about living in the moment and finding the wonder in 37 seconds well-spent, not "waiting" but fully living. He also tells Mahoney (as she is known), "Your life is an occasion. Rise to it." For all the newness of its wonder, then, the story still felt a little light, and lacked a more satisfying ending. I will gladly see it again. One whimsical thing done with the closing credits (and IMDB listing) is to use common-sense language to list all the characters by their first name and activity (such as Andy, the Boy Who Likes to Color) and most of the crew by what they do. The toy company list was in small print and took a full screen! If you love toys, this is the movie to see. 4.5 stars.