DVD of the week: We Bought A Zoo

Whilst relenting to demands for a pet rabbit or puppy may leave many a parent feeling like they live in a wild house, not a lot of us can claim to have dealt with a grizzly bear or Bengal tiger in the back garden. Based on the real-life story of Benjamin Mee, We Built A Zoo tells the tale of a widower (played by a dashingly dishevelled Matt Damon), his son Dylan and impossibly cute daughter Rosie, who go looking for greener pastures and find them covered in animal dung. After rashly buying a dilapidated zoo, Mee inherits not only a menagerie of animals, but a motley crew of staff including feisty Kelly (Scarlett Johansson) and her teenage cousin Lily – perfect for a little puppy-love with the young Master Mee. Predictably, life as a zookeeper ain’t easy, particularly when the grand reopening relies on an assessment from a pernickety tape measure-toting inspector. While this may sound like typical feel-good fare, deft direction from Cameron Crowe and a colourful cast of characters, both man and beast, save this film from cloying sentimentality – by a whisker. Tissues are still strongly advised...

We Bought a Zoo is available on Blu-ray Triple Play and DVD on July 16, from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment