The holiday season is here, and that means Big Movie time—when major studios trot out their end-of-year blockbusters.  Inevitably, we see a few holiday titles on the marquees as well.  And inevitably, most of these are forgettable.  But if you are looking for a family film to enjoy as a break from the holiday mayhem, pack up your imagination and your sense of wonder and head for MR. MAGORIUM'S WONDER EMPORIUM. Although MR. MAGORIUM'S WONDER EMPORIUM is set in a magical toy store, it is not a Christmas film.  It’s set in the summer time, and there are no elves or sleighs or ho-ho-hos.  But this simple story tries very hard to embrace all the best of what the midwinter holidays mean to us, and in many ways it succeeds. The Wonder Emporium is more than a fabulous toy store.  It seems to have feelings, and it brings out the best in everyone who enters.  It is the purview of one Mr. Magorium (Dustin Hoffman), who claims to be a 243-year-old entrepreneur, inventor, and avid wearer of shoes.  His valet is a zebra.  We are introduced to Mr. Magorium by 9-year-old Eric (Zach Mills), who helps out at the Emporium and has no friends.  Eric is our narrator throughout the film.  The Emporium’s manager is Molly Mahoney (Natalie Portman).  Mahoney, as she is called, showed great promise as a pianist when she was a child, but feels that her job is holding her back from a musical career.  When Mr. Magorium decides that it is time for him to leave and for Mahoney to take over his mind-boggling business, he hires an accountant named Henry (Jason Bateman) to get his affairs in order.  When the math collides with the magic, things get a just little crazy.

The Wonder Emporium itself is a major character in this film, and it’s an amazing amalgam of real and fantastic toys.  Some of the toys seem sentient—expect the demand for sock monkeys to soar.  The special effects are delightful, but so are the scenes that feature children doing what they do best: playing.  There are no screaming brats. The joy and innocence of childhood takes over and the kids who visit the store share, cooperate, laugh and pretend without conflict.  The adults who accompany them are patient and thoughtful.  The Emporium is truly a wonderland.  There are plenty of bouncing balls with minds of their own, paints that choose their own colors, stuffed animals that hug back and doll houses that mimic real life.  Check your reality and your stress at the door and don’t look for a bad guy; this movie doesn’t have one. 

The star of this cast is the insightful Eric.  He is winsome and charming, and although he has no friends his own age, he is not lonely.  He embraces the magic around him and accepts it for what it is without exploiting it.  For Eric, magic is the quality that allows him to attempt any task with courage and enthusiasm.  This young actor delivers a delightful performance.  Unfortunately, Dustin Hoffman as Mr. Magorium isn’t quite up to this standard.  He speaks with a speech impediment that seems to have been designed to underscore his goofiness, but it is simply distracting.  Mr. Magorium is no fool, nor is he a jester, and Hoffman overplays the silliness just a bit.  Portman as Mahoney is witty and charming, and her frustration is the only dramatic tension in the film.  She accepts living in her magical world with a wink and a smile.  Jason Bateman as Henry the Mutant, is suitably staid, with his stick planted firmly in the mud.  The problem with the adult characters is that we have no reason to empathize with them at all.  They seem shallow and adrift, bumping into each other almost by chance.  While Mr. Magorium plays the clown, Mahoney and Henry circle around each other without a hint of friendship, let alone romance.  Except for young Eric, the characters simply do not develop into complex people that we can really care about.

Zach Helm is a creative story writer and director.  His first screenplay, STRANGER THAN FICTION, was also a story that demanded the viewer to suspend reality and see the world in a new way.  Once again, it’s refreshing to see one of his original stories written expressly for the screen.  From the opening credits, animated in a retro collage style reminiscent of the original Pink Panther films, to the final credits that really explain who did what to make the film, imagination abounds.  This is a writer to watch, and a director with room to grow.