brissybee

I was excited by the prospect of going to see "We bought a Zoo", as it was based on the true story of a UK journalist who chucked it all in to move to a zoo in the English countryside.

I liked the idea of that kind of beautiful, radicalism... and it even had Matt Damon in the lead role.

Then, I find out the movie was re-jigged to have the story located in the United States...

What's with that? Why couldn't the producers have left it in England?

Dorothy

Um, because it was an American production company? Starring American actors?

In Exile

well you could argue semantics and say that in its current guise, it is technically based on the true story of a UK journalist who chucked it all in to move to a zoo in the English countryside. The've just changed it to America, but its still based on the original.

See U571 for a complete based upon history re-write. And we all know that hollywood taught history must be taken on by the great unwashed as facts.

brissybee

moneypenny20

Oh be fair, Matt Damon is quite good (and obviously extremely hot). Obviously Scarlett whatsit is a very crap actor but again, apparently, is hot.

brissybee

Yes, but they could do an English accent and they could have shot in the UK.

Imagine if they'd put Erin Brokovitch in Bulgaria or All the Presidents Men in Tuvalu.

Based on a true story... only the cultural identity and the location has been changed.

Whats that smell...

Is it too much to ask for Matt Damon to age a little?

brissybee

He can hit 50. Then stop.

iamthecreaturefromuranus

U571 was a complete shocker for that. I wonder how many Yanks now believe that they really did capture Engima?

moneypenny20

If you want to complain, find the journalist who sold the rights to his book to an American company and allowed them to Americanise it. JK Rowling was adamant when Warner Bros approached her for HP, that it stayed true to the books and remained English throughout. Maybe the journalist was greedy or maybe he didn't care?

Dorothy

My point exactly. If the story was sold to an American production company, cast with American actors and shot to appeal to an American audience then it only makes sense that it would be Americanised. No?

brissybee

You're right...

I wish he had got a UK deal but maybe there wasn't one to be had.

Oh well, I hope he made shedloads of money for his kids.