DrewSA’s review published on Letterboxd:
Cameron Crowe returns after the dismal garbage that is "Elizabethtown." Here he is in a better light. Sure, it's sappy, cliche, predictable, and too family friendly at times. You get your typical Crowe cute little kid with funny lines. You get the two characters who are destined to fall in love even though they don't see it. You get the teenage son rebelling against his "I don't know what I am doing" father. You get the brother who is saying you're making the wrong decision but he turns to support you after all. All this set to a backdrop of a young family going through grief after losing a young wife/mother--so let's get over it by buying a zoo!
It's all cliche. Even the music is straight out of the Crowe library. There is nothing truly great here.
So why did I enjoy it? Damon is likeable, Johannson is the best she has been in years, and it's at a very likeable zoo---I love zoos so it can't miss! (even though Kevin James' Zookeeper did). For a family film, it's hard to find one entertaining enough for the whole family. Nothing great here, but still "likeable."
Plus, it's always great to see John Michael Higgins in comic relief.