Review of Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium (2007) by Mloy X — 22 Aug 2016

Mr. Edward Magorium: [to Molly, about dying] When King Lear dies in Act V, do you know what Shakespeare has written? He's written "He dies." That's all, nothing more. No fanfare, no metaphor, no brilliant final words. The culmination of the most influential work of dramatic literature is "He dies." It takes Shakespeare, a genius, to come up with "He dies." And yet every time I read those two words, I find myself overwhelmed with dysphoria. And I know it's only natural to be sad, but not because of the words "He dies." but because of the life we saw prior to the words.

I've lived all five of my acts, Mahoney, and I am not asking you to be happy that I must go. I'm only asking that you turn the page, continue reading... and let the next story begin. And if anyone asks what became of me, you relate my life in all its wonder, and end it with a simple and modest "He died.".

This film tried so very desperately to recapture the true meaning of the word "magic".....but alas not everything can be Harry Potter. I wondered if it was because I'm a bit more cynical and perhaps that's the reason I didn't appreciate the effort the film made; but in all honesty, why would it need that much effort- it either is, or isn't. Unfortunately, it wasn't. The whole film came across as disingenuous and overly sappy. Dustin Hoffman (Mr. Magorium) and Natalie Portman (Maggie Mahoney), albeit a pair of the most gifted actors in our lifetime, gave rather phony, wooden performances. Jason Bateman (Henry Weston, a.k.a. "Mutant") and Zac Mills (Eric Applebaum) had the most endearing story arc, far more charming than Mr. Magorium and Maggie's. Although, there was one honest moment in the film which felt real- and that was Mr. Magorium's speech about King Lear- that was actually moving. Overall, this movie didn't have the gravitas it could have, especially having the talented cast it did....it was a bit disappointing actually.