After the surprisingly funny “Paul Blart: Mall Cop” (2009), Kevin James showed promise in the world of comedic cinema. That promise was bent by “The Dilemma” (2011), but “Zookeeper,” a real dilemma, may have broken it completely.
“Zookeeper,” pieced together by five screenwriters and director Frank Coraci, features the same kind of underdog vindication found in “Paul Blart.” This time, the movie’s hook is pitting James with talking animals — a strategy not as ingenious as it sounds. The result is a painfully clumsy comedy filled with cartoonish slapstick humor.
The movie begins with Griffin Keyes (Kevin James) depressed after materialistic supermodel Stephanie (Leslie Bibb) rejected his marriage proposal five years earlier. When opportunity knocks for Griffin to win her back from her current tool Gale (former “Fear Factor” host Joe Rogan), he decides that it would be better for him to leave the zoo and find a more glamorous job. Desperate to keep their favorite zookeeper around, the animals “break their vow of silence,” confront Griffin and offer him advice on love.
Once the animals start to talk, the movie begins to unveil its clichéd story and humorless attempts at slapstick comedy. The animals advise Griffin to approach with tactics like showing aggression, marking his territory and other embarrassing methods. However, the clumsy script focuses less on the wacky zoo animal antics and more on the love triangle among Griffin, Stephanie and veterinarian Kate (Rosario Dawson), whose only reason for not accepting a job in Kenya was her baffling attraction to Griffin. In the end, Griffin discovers that Kate, not Stephanie, is the love of his life. (Due to the obvious, clichéd story, this is not a spoiler.)
While a majority of the film relies on “Pink Panther”-style slapstick (Griffin hitting his head on a metal pole, decimating an ice sculpture, etc.), some of the comedy proved to be inappropriate for children. It could have been the most misguided attempt to make a kid-friendly film since “Kangaroo Jack” (2003). While the slapstick comedy and juvenile storyline may still entertain the kiddies, they may not get a kick out of the puns about mating, like when Griffin acts all alpha-like in front of Stephanie.
The movie features some celebrity voice acting so recognizable that it’s completely distracting. The voice cast includes Sylvester Stallone as the Aslan-like lion while Cher voices his lioness. Adam Sandler voices a chattering monkey, Jon Favreau and Faizon Love voice the bickering bears, Maya Rudolph voices the giraffe, and Judd Apatow voices the elephant. Front and center is Nick Nolte as the gorilla who goes out on the town with Griffin (which would be funnier if it wasn’t a giant piece of product placement for T.G.I. Friday’s).
I’m not going to dwell much on anything else because the movie really has no redeeming qualities, unless you think that Kevin James’s likability is enough to keep viewers interested. James is a funny man, but the screenplay’s lack of witty material pushes his comedic talent over the edge. To the man’s credit, however, the former “King of Queens” star does know his strengths and isn’t afraid of acting ridiculous on screen.