Trama

Set in Southern California, a father moves his young family to the countryside to renovate and re-open a struggling zoo.

Benjamin Mee (Matt Damon) and his children struggle to move forward in life after the death of their dear wife and mother. Seeking a fresh start for him and his two mourning children, Benjamin buys and endeavors to save the life of a dying zoo, and in turn the life of his little family.—Kirby

Benjamin has lost his wife. In a bid to start his life over, he purchases a large house situated in the middle of a zoo. This is welcome news for his daughter, but his son is not happy about it. The zoo is in need of renovation and Benjamin sets about the work with the head keeper, Kelly, and the rest of the staff. But the zoo soon runs into financial trouble. The staff must get it back to its former glory, pass a zoo inspection, and get it open to the public again.—Kad

Recently widowed Benjamin Mee (Matt Damon), still grieving his loss. Benjamin has led a life of adventure as a journalist, traveled all over the world, interviewed dictators, flew into the center of hurricane Charlie a category 4 storm, and never backed away from a challenge. He can't stand the sympathy shown by his extremely caring boss Dilbert (Peter Riegert) & quits his job. Dilbert wanted to give Benjamin an online column and protect him from the vagaries of the print business. Benjamin did not even let Dilbert fire him, as that would have gotten him some benefits.

Benjamin realizes that the family's current situation is not working, they are all grieving, and everything around them reminds them of Katherine. His son Dylan is a troubled young man, missing his mother & gets expelled from school for his macabre artwork and theft of money from the kitchen counter. Benjamin decides to make a fresh start, starting with a new home.

He tours many homes with his 7-year-old daughter, Rosie, and their Realtor, Mr. Stevens (J. B. Smoove), but find none to their liking until Rosie sees a listing for a large old house. Mr. Stevens tries to dissuade them from considering it, but as they tour the grounds, Benjamin declares that "it's perfect". Stevens explains that if they want the house, then they must also buy the zoo on the property which closed 2 years before. The state has been maintaining the zoo for now, while looking for a buyer who will care and maintain the zoo. Benjamin, seeing Rosie playing happily with the peacocks, resolves to buy the zoo.

Although reluctant to take on a zoo and all of its animals, he decides to give it a try. His daughter, Rosie (Maggie Elizabeth Jones), loves the idea, but causes his 14-year-old son, Dylan, to unhappily retreat into his artwork (drawings and paintings which have grown more macabre since the death of his mother).

Benjamin's accountant brother, Duncan (Thomas Haden Church), tries to discourage him from the purchase, but he buys it anyway. Benjamin says that the zoo makes 75% of its money in summertime. He says that if he can get the inspection done in June, it will be open for business in July and will pay for itself. Dylan is livid since this is what Banjamin wants and not him.

The zoo staff, led by head keeper, Kelly (Scarlett Johansson), help Benjamin to start renovating the zoo. When Kelly asks Benjamin why he bought the zoo despite knowing nothing about zoo management, he simply responds, "Why not?". Kelly has a long list where the animals need expensive medical care, and Benjamin approves all of it. Kelly says that she has no social life, and the staff are not getting paid. So, they need someone who can really take charge and turn things around, else the staff and the animals will be gone.

Kelly & her crew think that Benjamin doesn't know what he has gotten into. Benjamin soon runs into financial trouble and gets into debt just paying the daily bills to keep the zoo running. The staff includes Robin Jones (Patrick Fugit) the zoo's craftsman and Crystal the Monkey's owner, Peter MacCreedy (Angus Macfadyen) the carpenter of the zoo who had made many innovative enclosures (like the moats and the waste canals) for the zoo, Rhonda Blair (Carla Gallo) the secretary and bookkeeper of the zoo and Nathan (Dustin Ybarra) who handles water and feeds for the animals.

One day Dylan is asked to turn off the lights in the garage where he opens a box of exotic snakes and gets scared and runs away. The next morning, the snakes are all over the zoo and Benjamin tries to counsel him. Dylan calls him patronizing and this plays out in front of Kelly.

The zoo inspector Walter Ferris (John Michael Higgins) pays a surprise visit before the official inspection. The inspector has had a history with the staff & nobody likes him. He gives Benjamin a tough time & lists 12 high priority items to fix which will cost him about $100,000 more. He doesn't have that kind of cash & thinks about quitting.

The workers' morale sinks, fearing the property will be sold. Meanwhile, Dylan befriends a young girl named Lily (Elle Fanning) who is also Kelly's cousin, who has a huge crush on him to which he is completely oblivious. When Lily tells Dylan that his family might be leaving, he is overjoyed, which hurts her feelings, and she stops talking to him.

Benjamin discovers that his late wife Katherine (Stephanie Szostak) has left him an investment account with instruction to use the money (amounting to $84,000) wisely while listening to his heart. Duncan advises him to walk away and start over with the money, but Benjamin decides to use the money for the repairs.

While this lifts the zoo workers' morale, Dylan is unhappy about having to stay. He confronts his father, and a heated argument ensues. They reconcile the next morning, and Dylan admits he misses Lily. Benjamin gives his son advice on reconciling with her. Benjamin realizes that instead of trying to start over by forgetting his wife, he should accept that she will always be a part of him.

Prior to the zoo's grand opening, the facility passes a very stringent inspection, and Dylan, following his father's advice, confesses to Lily that he loves her, and she forgives him. Then, Lily and Dylan go into a long and moving hug.

The worst rainstorm in over 100 years threatens to wash out the zoo's grand opening, and although the weather clears in time, they are disappointed when no visitors arrive. They soon discover that a fallen tree has blocked the access road. Scrambling over the tree, Benjamin discovers a huge crowd of waiting visitors. The staff help everyone climb over the tree, and the attendance is so high that they run out of tickets.

Eventually, the zoo is well received by the community. Kelly admits to Benjamin that she has a crush on him but, "can't get a handle on it." She kisses him, telling him maybe they can do that again on the New Year's eve. Benjamin replies by kissing her and telling her that he is looking forward to New Year's Eve.

At the end, Benjamin takes his children to the place where he met their mother, explaining that it was the point in both of their lives where they became a "possibility". He takes them through that day's encounter, where Benjamin worked up the nerve to talk to his future wife with "20 seconds of courage," asking her why such an amazing woman would talk to someone like him. His wife, back from the dead responds, "Why not?", echoing the reason why Benjamin bought the zoo in the first place.