Dustin Hoffman stars as Mr. Magorium – a 243-year old maker of magical toys.  He has the greatest store in the world (one that seems to be alive!), but the elderly man realizes he’s not getting any younger, and it’s time to find someone new to own the place.  Mr. Magorium hires an accountant, Henry (Jason Bateman), to determine the emporium’s worth, but they face a major crisis when the store starts to get depressed over Mr. Magorium’s impending departure, and the next owner’s initial reluctance.

Will the store manager, Mahoney (Natalie Portman), be able to help?  Can Mahoney and Henry avoid fighting the whole time? Will the store get out of its funk?

Even with Dustin Hoffman trying to do his best Johnny Depp impression, Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium needs more amazement and excitement.  It’s a movie that is eye catching, but not inspiring. 

Young kids probably will love the wildly imaginative and magical toy antics, but Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium is at its best as it tenderly handles the more serious aspects of Mr. Magorium’s preparation for his possible “departure”, which might be a tough plot element to explain to your young munchkin in the middle of the movie theater.  Writer/director Zach Helm does a wonderful job delivering these scenes with a loving and caring touch so as not to scare children too much, but you will have to explain to your tiny angel what our hero means by departure. 

This plotline also brings out the best in Hoffman, who is still one of the best actors in the history of Hollywood.  He’s not so great with the silly stuff, as it feels forced and like he wants our approval a bit too much, but you can see a massive difference in his body language and tone of voice when diving headfirst into the serious parts of the film.  The confidence you expect to see from him clearly goes on display when called upon to add some credibility and solemnity.    

Sadly, Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium loses some points for constant, in your face product placement.  It’s fun and expected to see some well known toys involved in the plot and playing around the store, but we also get stuck with some longing looks at corporate logos as if they were beautiful ladies in bikinis or Brad Pitt walking around without a shirt on.  At this point, the audience is keenly aware of corporate sponsorship and product placement in movies, so much so that we can pick them out instantaneously, so the studio might have been better served with a more subtle approach.    

Helm provides some good dialogue, but gets weighed down by trying to include a kid who doesn’t serve much purpose in the story, has to go for too much filler to get Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium to feature length, and delivers a story that feels a bit too much like Willy Wonka or Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to be very original.  Take the young ones, enjoy their laughter and call it a night.     

2 Waffles (Out of 4)

Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium is rated G. 

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