We Bought a Zoo (2011 Cameron Crowe)

Written by Crowe and Aline Brosh McKenna (The Devil Wears Prada), it was a major relief to us that Cameron made another film after the disastrously received Elizabethtown (which, by the way, is fantastic), and that the public liked it (it's actually a bit more sentimental than the previous picture).

Matt Damon is trying his best to raise Colin Ford and the damned cute Maggie Elizabeth Jones after his wife has died, and despite the objections of brother Thomas Haden Church buys a zoo, complete with staff comprising Scarlett Johansson, Patrick Fugit (in an oddly almost silent part), Angus Macfadyen and Elle Fanning.

Maggie Elizabeth Jones. Q thinks a Julia Roberts in the making.

Also featuring John Michael Higgins (inspector), JB Smoove (pictured below), Michael Panes (principal), Kym Whitley (cashier) and Peter Riegert.

 

Wicked illustrations:

Rodrigo Prieto shot it, Mark Livolsi cut it (after working up from assistant on Almost Famous) and the music is by Jonsi.

And I don't know why this cropped up in my head, as it's got nothing to do with this film at all, but I'd guess that Bell Book and Candle was made before Vertigo, both released 1958 (July and December respectively) and both starring Stewart and Novak.