Watch Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium For Free

Sadly Over-hyped

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

From my favorite movies..

While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

I remember seeing this movie as a kid and liking this movie. Now that I am a teenager I still like this movie but I have newer thoughts on this movie. So let's discuss, shall we?So first off, the movie begins and already the musical score has shown itself to be really powerful and great. The opening credits scene is nicely done as well. When the movie actually starts is where I kinda start getting nit-picky. The movie is narrated by a kid, and just in my opinion, he is a little wooden and you can tell he probably hasn't voice acted much. His actual acting is a different situation.We get introduced into the main protagonist, Mahoney, portrayed by Natalie Portman, who is great in this movie. I am a musician and so is she in this story so I can really connect to her struggles and thoughts. I love people who I can connect to. I like all the actors in this movie but she stands out which is not a bad thing. When the Emporium, which is basically a character by itself, is introduced, there's a montage of the awesome magical things the store can do. My only problem with this montage is that some of the shots are awkward and a bit off in some places. And the CGI, and let's be honest in some places there had to be CGI, it's not the best and looks like a straight to DVD movie even though it was released in theaters. However, I love all the store has to offer us. It's like Toy Story but live action which I think is pretty cool. Now it's not just the main kid in this movie but all the kids in my opinion seem off. I felt like all they had to say was pretty cheesy and because they are just kids they don't act the best. Apart from that, the rest of the actors are actually really good and have really good lines. The comedic moments and dialogue is really good. The slapstick in this movie isn't the best and didn't always land with me. And in my opinion, because of the big picture of this movie, some of the slapstick is actually not needed. Another nit-pick, as the movie goes on, some of the editing in terms of putting together the shots don't always align and are sometimes painfully obvious. Also, each "chapter" is organized as if it was a book, which I don't mind. However, the chapter titles are pretty cheesy and in my opinion, strange. But maybe that's the genius of this movie. There are a couple really good scenes in this movie and one of my favorites is when Eric, the kid, shows Henry, or the "Mutant," his hat collection. They have such a nice playful banter and always makes my family and I crack up laughing. My only big flaw with this movie is the end or the last "chapter". I just don't get it. After Mahoney obviously made the block of wood fly because she believed and Henry passed out, Henry wakes up and Mahoney acts like it never happened. Then she believes again or whatever followed by surprisingly awkward dialogue. Then she starts to conduct the store back alive and the CGI here is definitely out dated and pretty bad actually. Also, there is like five seconds where the movie turns into like a computer animated film and it's completely useless. One of the last shots is of Mahoney conducting the store to life again but the problem is that almost nothing is happening and not to mention Mahoney's conducting is pretty awkward. And the very last shot is also pretty strange. There are just things I don't understand about this ending!Overall, the movie definitely isn't bad. Far from it. It just isn't great. There are for sure some great scenes, and definitely some awkward ones. Overall the special effects were mediocre which is disappointing. The sound editing and mixing are fine. The score is pretty good and overall the characters are good as well. Just the script and mainly towards the end just kind of gets a little ridiculous. This is a good movie and it is worth seeing.

Ahh what can you say about Dustin Hoffman he is Dustin Hoffman is about it Natalie Portman does well in her role and Jason Bateman is really good as the accountant who becomes more human after coming to work in the shop. Eric Applebaum plays the reclusive boy who believes in the store and brings people around to be kid's again. His mom is on him about finding a friend, he makes the accountant his friend but when they are playing in his room momma doesn't like it. Of course in today's climate who can blame her. It is a sad moment when Dustin decides to pass on but there are a ton of people who come to the grave site. Natalie inherits the store but doubts her self so the store goes dark. With Bateman's help she discovers that she does have the magic to run the store. The ending is a very happy one as the store accepts her and comes back to life.

I caught this movie on TV with my 8 year old son the other day.Molly Mahoney (Natalie Portman) is the manager of Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium, an awesome toy store owned by Mr. Edward Magorium. One of the regular costumers is the lonely boy called Eric, who has only Molly and Mr. Magorium for friends. Mr. Magorium hires the accountant, Henry Weston (Jason Bateman) to sort out the accounts of the Emporium. Furthermore, he asks Henry to transfer the Emporium to Molly's name upon his death. Hoffman seems to be having a lot of fun behind Mr. Magorium's hairdo, bushy eyebrows and lisping vocals. Natalie Portman (who learned to play the piano for her role) is lovely and has a permanent sparkle in her eye.Jason Bateman is Jason Bateman, much like Ben Stiller always plays the same type of Ben Stiller type characters, with the exception of Zoolander and Dodgeball. But Bateman doesn't have a Zoolander or Dodgeball character in his filmography, and the characters he plays all seem to blend in to one. I don't understand all the negative comments about this movie, as both me and my son enjoyed it. Portman and Hoffman are always worth watching, and I'm puzzled as to why it has taken me so long to watch it.

Not based on a book and written by the director, the plot is cute enough but seems quite familiar. A magical toy shop that seems to borrow from many other imperfect holiday/Christmas movies like "Santa Clause", "Willie Wonka" and "Santa Claus-the Movie". The first half is magical, as the wonders of the toy shop are revealed. (It's like "Duncan's Toy Chest" in "Home Alone 2", only even nicer.) Dustin Hoffman's fake "accent" seems borrowed from Ed Wynn. I guess the reason they didn't make him up to look 243 years old is because this isn't a horror movie. He looks about "90ish". So Mr. M is finally tired out and has "run out of shoes". He is moving on. (No actual mention of Heaven, but it's strongly implied.) Natale Portman is the cute waifish-looking shop manager who doesn't believe in her own magical abilities. The plot is quite obvious: she and her supporting cast are going to end up running the toy store when Mr. M. leaves. The movie is charming and often plays on both the Disney and Hallmark Channels. Is it a classic? No; but it will be thoroughly enjoyed by young children and it is totally without violence, and these days that's a rare treat in children's movies. The toy shop is truly magical, and it is as much a character in the film as any of the actors. There is even an uncredited cameo appearance by Kermit-The-Frog!