Mr. Magoriums Wunderladen (2007)

Mr. Magoriums Wunderladen: Directed by Zach Helm. With Ted Ludzik, Natalie Portman, Zach Mills, Dustin Hoffman. The young apprentice of a magical, eccentric toy store owner learns to believe in herself, and in her friends, upon learning some grave news about the future.

“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, itu0026#39;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.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eWhile 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.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAnd speaking as a husband and father of two, I was not bored at any point during this movie. And Iu0026#39;m a pretty typical red-blooded-sports-fanatic American male. I just havenu0026#39;t lost my ability to enjoy a flight of fantasy every once in a while.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eGive this movie a chance if youu0026#39;ve got any sense of magic left inside of you.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eOh, and to u0026quot;luckyunicornu0026quot; who took umbrage with the line u0026quot;You just have to believe in yourselfu0026quot;, questioning u0026quot;Who talks like this?u0026quot;, I would have you know that I say this to my girls all the time. Because itu0026#39;s the truth.”