We Bought a Zoo (2011) - full transcript

This is Benjamin Mee.

I am surrounded by hundreds,
probably thousands of killer bees.

If I wasn't wearing this suit,
I would be dead in an instant!

May I have
your attention, please?

He interviewed
dangerous dictators.

What's your favorite movie?

Segunda.

He even flew into
the center of Hurricane Charley.

It was a Category 4 storm.

How far are we from the eye?

About two minutes!



This hurricane, sir,

Charley, is really kneading us well, sir.

Tell me when it gets severe!

He knew the ins and outs
of strange and exotic adventure,

backwards and forwards.

But nothing prepared him for this one.

Come on, come on. We're late, guys.
Let's go. Come on.

Come on, come on. We're really late.

- Dad, can you get my hair?
- Yeah.

Dad, I'll just get waffles.

No, no, no, I want you to have eggs, man.

- We have time. You need the protein.
- We don't have time.

- Mama always gave me almond milk.
- Dad, you didn't read the label.

You didn't read the label.



- These aren't gluten free.
- Will you do that?

- I can't eat these!
- Did anybody even say good morning?

- Hello, Benjamin Mee.
- Take your thing.

- Look, Dad, the dog!
- Don't step on the...

- Hi, buddy.
- Hi, Sharon.

No, I can't... I can't go hiking.

It's just not a great time for me.

Okay. Okay.
Listen, I'm gonna call again tomorrow.

- Okay, thank you.
- Great!

Where's our lunches?

What is on your feet?

Reindeer slippers.

Look, I am the one
who gets the emails

about your lack of effort, man. Okay?

You either know where the book is
or you don't.

Dad, it's whatever.
Look, I'll know it when I get to school.

You know what?
"Whatever" is the laziest word

of the 20th century, all right?

I'm... I've had it with "whatever."

I don't want to hear it again
in this century ever again.

"Whatever" is over.

He says it all the time. He won't have
anything left to say in this century.

I'm not lettin' you out of the car
till I get a new word.

You know, you gotta focus, man.

If you focused as much on your homework

as you do on your artwork, you'd have it all.

- But as it is...
- Dad, I finished The Seventh Tower.

...you're gonna get an F.

Pernicious.

Thank you.

Good word.

Dad. Nobody's gonna give an F
to a kid whose mom died six months ago.

What does perni... pern...

pernicious mean?

It's causing insidious harm or ruin.

Causing damage.

Get out, get out, get out.

Keep goin', guys, come on.

Dad!

Man, all right.

I'll get you a new... I'll get you a new bag.

Come on, sweetie. Come on.
Okay, where did Mom get the backpacks?

- Mr. Mee?
- Just don't worry about it.

- Hi. Oh, okay.
- Benjamin, I thought maybe...

Here you go, guys.
Here's your bag, sweetheart. Here.

There's one, there's two, all right.
Goodbye.

- Bye, honey.
- Bye, Dad!

Bye, hon!

I thought, maybe...

It's lasagna. Dinner for three.

Great, thank you.

Or four.

You know, my brother is actually
coming for dinner tonight.

So that's perfect.

And I'll get the dish back to you
within the week.

In time. In time.

In time, then.

Thank you.

- Bye, Dad.
- Bye, sweetheart.

Benjamin, I've arrived at a thought.

Tell me, Dunc.

I believe you should court the girl
we met at Jamba Juice.

She's a stunner.

She keeps callin' me to go hiking.

Benjamin, hike her.

All right. Let's see.

Cerrado.

Yeah, looks like
Bernie's closed for renovations.

Which means Bernie's hung over.

Is she a stunner? I mean,
is that what they call a stunner now?

I mean, what do I know?
I was spoiled. I had the real thing.

Well, what else do we have around here?

Got Little Dom's.

No.

- Hey.
- Nope. No.

Look. The world is gonna get very small

if you don't go to any of the places
where you and Katherine used to go.

I met her there.

- Man, I'm sorry. That's right.
- It's all right, man.

You know, I gotta get back anyway.
Want to just do it next week?

Look.

You gotta let a little sunlight in. Okay?

Human interaction is a good thing.

Take it from a guy who spent six months
on a commercial fishing boat in Bali

trying to find himself.

Remember that?

Yeah. And you know what I found?

I missed people.

So just do me a favor.

Attempt to start over.

I shall try to start over.

- You're handsome!
- Hey-a, so are you!

All right.

- I love you, my brother.
- I love you, too, man.

You're a good guy.

Sunlight.

- Human interaction.
- Got it!

Joy.

All right, McGinty, so get this.

I go to the volcano eruption site.
And I take the kids.

And I write about the end of the world
from the point of view

of the generation that's gonna save it.

And we do a whole thing
about how life is elemental,

and all the software, and laptops,

and apps in the world
aren't gonna change that.

And we call it... You ready?

iPocalypse.

Wow. Just wow.

It's good, right?
I mean, I think it could be a series,

like the killer bees.

That is bold stuff.

You're not gonna say yes, are you?

No. Listen.

I think we should give you
an online column.

That way, you'll be protected.
This is the way we live now.

If the paper goes down or gets sold,
you'll still be safe.

You'll be viral.

Don't keep me around out of...

I am not!

Out of sympathy. I mean, I hate sympathy.

I'm sick of sympathy.

I know.

- You know what?
- Bad things happen. You just keep going.

I quit.

Benjamin. You lost your wife, man.

In some quarters, sympathy would be
considered the appropriate response.

No, I'm not gonna sit around here
and spin my wheels

and live in a state of sponsored pity.

Please! Let me lay you off
so you can get the benefits!

That's more sympathy! No!

I quit.

And I love you. And those patched elbows.

- You're killin' me.
- I'll miss you.

Text me.

Benjamin Mee.

Classy. Real classy.

They left the cashbox right on the counter.

It was kind of their fault
if you think about it.

That's three suspensions in one semester.

That's gotta be some kind of record.

Yeah, well, maybe I'll get a prize.

Could you possibly be
making a joke right now?

Jesus, that is annoying!

- Dad, stop.
- No, I can fix it.

Dad, here he come...

Frame's a little loose. I...

Just give me one second.

I'm fine with my squeaky window, Mr. Mee.

In fact, I rather enjoy it.

Besides today's theft,

there's a darkness here
that we need to deal with.

Mr. Devereaux, Dylan's art teacher,

wanted you to see his wall mural.

We encourage creativity at the school.

There's a nice treatment
of the word "love".

A whimsical portraiture of recycling.

A hard-hitting exposé about world peace.

Here is the great Bob Marley.

Though we don't endorse
all that he stood for.

Sunflowers.

And guess which one is your son's.

We're a three-strike school, Mr. Mee,
and today was his fourth strike.

I'm sorry. We have to expel Dylan.

But, as one parent to another, I...

I would examine his inner life.

Let's go.

It's like he was expelling me
for my artwork.

I can almost live with the artwork.

I mean, if Charles Manson needed
a personal muralist, you'd be the guy.

But no, he didn't expel you
because of the artwork.

He expelled you because you stole.

You stole!

It breaks my heart.

Always lasagna.

Dad, someday you're gonna
have to eat some of that lasagna.

Honey...

Or throw it away.

Hey, why didn't you go to Sadie's
for the play date, sweetie?

No reason. Lots to do here.

Hey, Rosie?

Am I doin' anything right?

You're handsomer than the other dads.

Lots of them don't have hair.
So that's good.

Awesome. I'm gonna take baldness
off my list of things to worry about.

Good.

Daddy, I can't sleep. The neighbors again.

Come on.

Their happy is too loud.

Hey!

It's a new day for you, Mr. B.

We have a full day
of house hunting planned

and I think you'll be very excited
at what's available.

We just want new. We want new...
New everything.

New opportunities, new schools, just new.

In the current economic environment,

you're gonna find that now,
the buyer is now the king.

But what I'm hopin' for
is like a big backyard.

Substantial, you know, just rolling hills.

It's gonna be very hard
to find rolling hills in the city.

- It just... It's just not available!
- Right, well...

I mean, stationary hills. We...

The hills don't have to roll, right, honey?

- Yeah?
- Just new.

Know what? It's all about new.
People love new.

I love new. Hell, I'm new!
Excuse my language, but I'm new.

- All right.
- Hell, I'm new.

I'm glad you're excited about it.

- You know? I'm excited about new stuff.
- Good.

- New is the new old.
- New.

- New, new, new.
- New.

- I like you.
- I like you, too, Rosie.

I wish Dylan had come with us. This is fun.

I wish Dylan were here, too.

The more, the merrier.
That's what I always say, right?

Our mommy died.

Oh, wow.

My condolences go out
to you and your family, Mr. Mee.

Uh... Wow.

Sweetheart, Mr. Stevens
is a stranger, honey.

- He didn't know Mommy.
- I know, but he should have.

Oh, oh, oh, oh...

Just knowing you, Rosie, right now,

I love your mom.

I love her. You know how I picture her?

I picture your face on a grown lady.

How long you been
doin' this job?

First day. It's my first day.

- Really?
- Hell, yeah. First day.

And so, our adventure begins.

Hmm. No.

Never.

Almost.

Not quite.

We are now running out of options.

Dad.

Listen, what...
I mean, what would we do with 18 acres?

I'm gonna be honest with you.

The Rosemoor property
has some challenges.

Well, what doesn't?

True, but this situation...
I want to offer the word "unique".

Wait a second. Is that it?

- Yes.
- Rosie.

- And...
- Look.

You don't have
to take a picture, Rosie.

Why not?

'Cause we're gonna live here.

Mr. Mee, we have to talk, okay?

Let's not rush into things. Let's not...

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa,
whoa, whoa. Mr. Mee, right now,

I think we're jumpin' the gun.

This is exactly what we've been looking for.

Well, let's not get ahead of ourselves.

Let's... Let's just take it all in first.

Don't take a gift that's not given
to you yet, now. All right?

This place is perfect.
Why didn't you mention it earlier?

Well, that's a bit complicated.

Well, complicated's okay.

Complicated can be great.
We love complicated, right?

- Mmm-hmm.
- What's so complicated about this place?

Well, you see, it's a...

It's a...

What is it?

It has
complications to it, Mr. Mee.

And...

It's a zoo.

A zoo?

It's a zoo.

Yay!

Yay.

It was a fully function...

Whoo!

- Okay.
- Man.

Totally scary.

This was a fully functioning zoo
until two years ago.

Then it was shut down.

The estate's been maintaining it
for now, you know, just to keep it up.

- Keep it goin', you know?
- Well, I mean, could I, you know,

buy the property
and then just relocate the animals?

Well, actually, the estate is sellin'
the property with the stipulation

that whoever comes on board
and buys the property

is going to care and maintain
these endangered animals.

Oh, come on.

And then there's the remaining staff
on board and, you know.

If no one buys this property soon,

these animals will probably have to be...

- Well.
- Well.

Thanks. I mean, I don't know
anything about animals and zoos.

- I mean, it's a...
- It is.

- It is what it is.
- It is what it is.

Sometimes you don't know what it is
until you see what it is.

You know? Once you see what it is,

then you can figure out, is it what it is?

You understand?

- No, but we can move on.
- Yeah.

It's just... It's just too bad.

Yeah.

- So we keep on lookin'. Right, Rosie?
- Yeah.

Oh, God.

Great, I keep her home from school
one day and she gets eaten!

Ring around the Rosie.

Hey, you want some food?

Are you hungry? I think so.

Boy, it's a shame we... We can't just...

You must like it.

I like your feathers.

I like yours on your head. And I like your...

Your... No?

I'm gonna live here. I'm gonna keep you.

You look like my brother Dylan.

They're gonna...
They're gonna get all your crackers.

I said "human" interaction.

This is what happens when people have
a you-know-what occur in their lives.

They wake up one day and they say,

"I'm gonna quit my job and try something
completely different with my life."

But then they wake up another day.

And they say to themselves, "Thank God

"my older brother didn't let me blow
Dad's inheritance

"by buying a broken-down zoo
in the country,

"nine miles from the nearest Target store."

But maybe my older brother
didn't see this place.

- Gracias, Lupe.
- Look.

This is... This is simple destiny.

The place makes 75 % of its revenue
in the summertime.

If I can get an inspection
set for the end of June, right?

I'll be open by July.

It's only February right now.

It's a lot of work, but I think I can do it.

Duncan, you should have seen Rosie.

Look, do... I'm beggin' you,
do what other people do. Go to Vegas.

Lose a little bit of money.

Or do what I did, when Sheila left me.

Start handicappin' horses?

Well, now, that was a little misguided.

Go into the commercial shrimping
business and call myself Captain Dunk.

Start cliff diving in Acapulco
at the age of 38.

I miss Sheila, man.

I know, man, I know.

All right, forget that.

Forget all that. Don't do what I did.
Travel the stages of grief.

Yet, stop just before zebras get involved.

It's only two zebras.

And a lion. And a jaguar.

And 47 other species,
seven of which are endangered.

And all of them are saved
the second we make this deal.

The kids are gonna be so psyched.

- Really? Psyched?
- Yeah.

Are they really gonna be psyched?

You're freakin' kidding me! It's a zoo!

Well, yeah.

Look, these animals need
somebody to rescue them.

The... The animals need to be...

Dad, my friends are here! Our life is here!

Whoa! Man, you got expelled! All right?

What am I gonna do?
What am I supposed to...

- What, I'm gonna home-school you?
- No.

Right. So what did we talk about?
A new place.

A new start.

This is what you want. It's not what I want!

What?

It's a zoo. I'm moving to a zoo.

We bought a zoo!

Yes, we did. We did buy a zoo.
Give me some fork.

All right,
let's let this shirt start over!

Okay, two more left.

A good one. Oldie but a goodie.
What do you think?

Mommy used to wear that sometimes.

She did. This was a...

It started out as mine,
but she kind of adopted it.

But it's got rips and everything
everywhere.

Tough to give some of these
things away, right?

- Keep it?
- It's time.

Let that sweatshirt start over.

Let it start over. Okay. This is it.

Last item.

- Never. That, we're keeping!
- Okay.

We're here!

Okay, look, the Jaguar Restaurant, guys!

How great is that?

Come on, guys.
Grab a box, man. Go, go get a box.

Hey, this stuff can go to the kitchen.

Got it, thank you. Hey, look happy. Smile.

Have you even been inside yet?

Okay, guys, this is the whole
storage side of the house!

And we got a back door to the kitchen.

Whoo!

That is a new smell! Wow!

What is that coming from?
Rosie! Come here, look! Dead rats!

See, this is all the snake food, right?

I miss our home.

And what we do... Dyl, check this out.

What we do...

They're frozen, I guess,
and you feed 'em to the snakes.

Hi. Kelly Foster, Head Zookeeper.

Right.

This is Robin Jones. Peter MacCready.

- Yep.
- Robin's our craftsman.

And that's Crystal, our capuchin.

And Peter is our visionary.

He built the enclosures
that set the standards

for modern zoos all across America.

And the world.

Yeah, and the world, yes.

And Peter and Robin do...
Well, they basically do everything.

Except for the books and the telephone.

That's Rhonda over there.

This is my cousin Lily. She's 13.
She can't legally work here,

so we pay her cash under the table
out of my salary.

- Hi, Lily.
- She's being home-schooled.

She lives on the property.

Works at the Jaguar. That's it.

It's just us, Mr. Mee.

Well, it's great to meet all of you.
I'm Benjamin.

This is Rosie, my daughter.

And my big boy, Dylan. And our dog, Leon.

And this is our zoo now, I guess.

And...

Love the house, smells and all. Right?

So I would like to declare us all
modern-day adventurers.

And sponsors of animal greatness.

Okay, terrific. Let's go.

- Dad?
- Yep, got it.

Can we see the otters?
I'd love to see the otters.

And the snakes, and the monkeys.

How old are you?

Fourteen, I guess.

So, when you get a second,
there's a couple things

I need to go over with you
about the upcoming inspection.

Yeah, the USDA inspector, Walt Ferris.

I'll kill him.

MacCready, stop.

This is Buster. He's our
650-pound North American grizzly.

He was 770, but...
But he's been stressed out.

You know, he's moody. We had him
on Paxil, but can't afford it.

So he's occasionally depressed.

He can still rip your arm off, though.

Hey, there, Buster.
Are you missin' the meds?

Whoa.

This is Nathan. He does our water and feed.

- Hey, good to meet you.
- Hi.

Talkin' to the animals has to be
done in a super specific way.

You know, he doesn't have it yet,
but he'll learn.

Where'd you get your shoes?

And how much did they cost?

You know, we have one Target
and it's nine...

Wait. Wait! Wait, wait!

I thought they would roar
like Solomon the Lion.

No, tigers and lions are very different.

Tigers don't growl or roar, they chuff.

Like...

Yeah.

When you chuff at them,
they chuff back, see?

Try, go on.

Oh, my God.

That guy there, that's Spar.

He's our eldest. He's 17.
He's a Bengal tiger.

You know, tigers have special sensors

in the front of their two-inch canines.

They can actually detect
the pulse in your aorta.

So when they attack, they bite you,

take your pulse with their teeth,

reposition those suckers and boom,
there goes your carotid.

Wow.

Yeah.

So there's a few decisions

you'll have to make straightaway, Ben.

Benjamin. Ben was my dad.

Spar, who you just met, the tiger?
He's gonna need some special care,

so we have a large animal vet
coming from San Diego.

It's just that he's a fortune
to get here and...

That's okay, I'll pay.

Well, no, he... He's also very old,

so the truth is, we don't really know
how much longer he's got and I...

Just set it up. What else do we have?

Rickety posts.

Beak rot in the tortoises.

A weak enclosure between
the jaguars and the tigers.

They don't get along. We've...

Okay, why don't we start with the posts.

- Okay, the posts.
- The posts in the cages?

The posts in what?

Look, they're not called cages,
they're called enclosures.

They haven't been called cages
in like a century.

My brief marriage, that was a cage.

Not mine.

I have a question for you.

You're some random guy from the city.

No one in the zoo community
has ever heard of you.

You know nothing about animals.

And you've moved into a dump.

I mean, what kind of regular person
just up and buys a place like this?

Especially somebody with kids. Why?

You have no idea
what we've been dealing with here.

We used to have three times the staff.

They all quit.

I'm 28. I never go out.

I'm here every day.

My girlfriends, they text me,

they're out livin' their lives,
meeting guys named Brett,

and I'm here shovellin' shit.

Bear shit!

I'm pathetic!

I had to move back in with my mother.

No one gets paid, Ben...

...jamin.

We need somebody who can
really take charge of this place

or else we and all these animals are gone.

So your question is?

Why did you buy this place?

Why not?

You comin'?

Oh, my God! This is so fun!

...would you sleep
with this man?

No! Kelly, would you sleep with this man?

Mermaid.
A green-with-envy mermaid.

He doesn't walk with lions.

He never cheated the Wall of Death!

- No, that's true.
- He...

Hey!

It's the most dangerous animal
in the forest.

The adult boomer male.

Well done!

Yah!

Walter Ferris. I'll kill him!

I will, I'll kill him.

I'll cut off his head with a sword.

I'll kill him without a thought.

And he stole $500 from me,

back in the 1980s!

He's a crook!

Hi, Benjamin!

Your chair, sir.

He stole all of my ideas.
And he gave them to the...

Sloane Animal Park.

Sloane Animal Park!

My visions! My waste canals!

My...

- Moats?
- My moats!

And they shut us down.

- Okay.
- These are the thieves

of the spirit.

Oh, MacCready.

MacCready's gettin' deep tonight!

Yeah! Deep!

Deep inside, too!

Here you go, boss.

Welcome to your zoo, Benjamin Mee.

Thank you.

He'll never last.

Hey, guys.

You are gonna love your new enclosure.

Whoa, okay, hey, hey. Hey, all right.

Whoa! Whoa!

Not bad. Actually, they're...
They're pretty docile.

Not at night.

You like to get a little wild at night, huh?

You get a little crazy.

A little crazy nighttime for the...

Oh, man!

- You all right, boss?
- Oh, man!

Listen, you're not
talkin' to 'em correctly, yet, boss.

You gotta be real with 'em.

I'm never talkin'
to you again, you little asshole!

Now you're talkin' to 'em.
There you go.

It's great. I get it.

This whole spiritual journey or whatever.

You know, we're all in cages, man.

I love it. But,

at the risk of stating the obvious,
you're insane. Okay?

You're drilling yourself into

insane debt!

You good?

Yeah, all good. Thanks.

Who's that?

That's Kelly.

Holy shit. Okay.

Here's the revised Duncan plan.

Dump the animals. Keep Kelly.

That's true joy.

It's about Rosie, man.

She is happy here.

Rosie is seven.

Just make her a nice zoo screensaver
and she'll be just as happy.

Look. I'm tryin' to give 'em
an authentic American experience.

And it ends with you authentically living

on my veloured couch
with your two children.

I see you working in a field, in Bolivia,

for angry men. With large mustaches.

Hey, back off.

What ya doin'?

You want a sandwich?

No. That's okay.

How'd you get the nosebleed?

I slipped on the roof and banged it.

It's a weird house.

Yeah.

I like your drawing.

Thanks.

It's a little dark.

Where's the sun?

There's no sun in the underworld.

That I'm aware of.

- I'm off at 4:00.
- Cool.

So I'll come back every day at 4:15
and bring you a sandwich.

Okay.

- Bye. Bye.
- Bye.

Mr. Mee? We've got the bill
from the feed company.

It's a little high, 'cause somebody
had them deliver on a Saturday.

Hi.

More bad news.

Sorry. And I'd go to the Target if you want.

I'm not sure if all Dwyer's clothes fit him.

Dylan. His name's Dylan.
His clothes are fine.

And I just have to say that I love this job.

But I keep getting calls on
the overdrafts on these checks.

You're three weeks overdue
on the purchase...

Hey, guys. I forgot to buy butter.

How important is butter
to this meal tonight?

We're gonna take a vote.

And remember,

it's nine miles each way
to the grocery store.

Nine miles.

Nine miles there. Nine miles back.

So I think the question we need to
ask ourselves as a family

is butter worth your dad driving 18 miles

right now to get it?

Let's vote.

Long day for you, Ben?

Long day for you.

You should go home.
We'll take over. We're good.

Corn's ready!

Eighteen miles for butter.

But I'm just tellin' Kelly here
that she's gotta...

She's gotta go have some time to herself.

So, just tell me what, you know,
just give me a list of what to do,

- and I'll do it.
- Are you sure?

Yeah, we got it.

Okay. Spar has a...

A new medication, so let me just...

Make sure that this gets in his food

- and that he eats it all.
- Okay.

Turn off the lights in the garage.

The garage.

There is a new shipment of exotic snakes,

so just leave them in the travel crates

and I'll put them in the exhibit
in the morning.

And the monkeys need fruit as well.

Go home.

Go out.

Go to the city. Go find your girlfriends.

I think I'll just find my pillow.

- All right, good night.
- Night.

Oh! That thing.

You wanted me to remember that thing,

- and I...
- Go home.

Okay.

Nine point two miles.

So, technically, that's 18.4 miles for butter.

You know I found some, right?

All right, so Rosie and I'll

go to the tiger enclosure
and give them some water.

Why don't you just go over to the garage

and make sure the lights are off
in the side room?

Dad, I have a sick amount
of homework tonight.

Dad!

Get it done!

Come on, Spar, you gotta take your meds.

He looks tired, Dad.

He's gonna be okay.

Isn't that right, buddy?

See that? He likes us.

Dylan really loves you, you know?

I know.

He's just mad that
his friends don't visit him here.

He thought they would all visit.
But nobody came.

Well, they will.

Ugh!

Ugh!

Could you possibly
point another fan at me?

You have three fans blowing on you.

I like it.

I can't even find you in there.
You're like a Chilean miner.

We're gonna have to go get

Kelly and maybe even get MacCready.

Dig you out. My goodness.
There, it's Miss...

- Nobody else.
- There's Rosie.

Was that a laugh?

What? Oh, no! Aha!

Don't... Don't look now.
You're happy. Ha ha!

Your happy is too loud?

Uh-oh! Whose happy is loud?

Now what do we have here?

It's our old friend.

I didn't think this one was gonna
make the trip.

Did Mama hurt a lot
before she had to leave us?

Well...

Well, do you remember

the night that we were tucking you in,

and you asked Mommy that?

- No?
- No.

Well, she said...

She said that it looked worse than it felt.

Remember? She said sometimes
people look really sick

but they don't feel really sick.

Do you feel like you can't see her?

Yeah.

And you feel like you can't hear her voice?

Uh-huh. But I know what to do.

Catch her spirit.

Catch her spirit. That's right.

- Here it comes.
- Okay, look for it.

There you go.

And put it in your heart.

It fell. Okay, get it.

Hold it there.

- Can you see her?
- Yeah.

Yeah?

She's never far away.

- Right there.
- That's right.

Mommy would always be
in your heart and my shoulder.

Are you ready to go to bed?

Do you want to... Do you want to keep this?

Okay.

Okay, sweetheart.

Good night.

Juice box. Yogurt and water.

Goldfish, I have.

Cereal bar for you. You're late, dude.

Did you even read that book? Man...

You're funny with everyone else,
but never with me, which I find funny.

Well, you know what I find funny?

I gotta drive you 40,000 miles to school.

Here you go, one, two. There you go.

And don't think I don't notice
you just changed the subject.

Dylan likes Lily.

Please, she's way younger than me.
She's 12.

It doesn't work like that.

She's about a foot taller.

Don't be a tiny person.

- I'm an idiot.
- Dude!

I'll call Kelly.

This one seems really not happy with me.

- You got a big guy there.
- Yeah.

We live on a snake farm!

Okay. That's a... Whoa. Come on.

Wow. Wow. Wow.

Yeah, I'm... Funny, funny.

Glad you guys are enjoyin' yourselves.

I mean, how could this even happen, man?
I don't even know how you did this!

Dad, there's nothin' you could say to me

that's more harsh than
what I'm sayin' to myself!

Well, I disagree!

I just want you to be happy, man.

Unless you don't want to be happy.

What is so great about being happy?

That you're happy.

I'm sorry I messed up the box of snakes.

Whatever!

You're not supposed
to say that in this century.

He's so patronizing to me!

- Nice word, hotshot!
- Yeah!

Whatever!

Now you'll notice here
that I am stringing this cable

right near the hock, right near the center.

So I'm gonna have you
string up this carcass in a tree.

It's good for the tigers to feel like
they're searching for their food

like they do in the wild.

Awesome.

Hey, I'm pretty sure
this is none of my business,

but I noticed that
your kid really pushes your buttons.

You give him a lot of rope.

I did not appreciate the way
he kicked that garter snake.

Hey, wait, I feel like I should be
helping you here.

It's all good.

Yeah, look, he's 14,
and he went through somethin'

that no kid should ever have to go through,

so I'm givin' him a little bit of leeway.

Look, honestly, I don't know.

I'm tryin' to figure it out.
There's no manual for what happened.

I mean, a minute ago,
he was into paper airplanes,

and now he's into
portraits of decapitations.

- And they're really good.
- Yeah, well,

what do I know? I still live with my mother.

I'm not good with people.

You're doing very well.

You know, I expected you to be
heading for the hills by now.

Well, we got through today.

Yeah, we got through today.

Mayday, mayday! Kelly, do you copy?

- Full alert!
- Copy, full alert.

Contain the dark lord.

It's Walter Ferris.

But no, no, no, no.
He's supposed to come

a week before we open for the inspection.

Well, it looks like he's decided to
pay a hello visit.

Yeah, but we're not even close to ready.

Look, just be yourself.

This is life or death, man.

Okay, got it.

Keep MacCready away from him.
We don't need any bloodshed today.

- Let me out of here!
- I'm sorry, MacCready!

The door seems to be stuck!

Benjamin Mee.

- Walter Ferris.
- Pleasure.

Our inspection happens

a week before we open,
according to my information.

So I've asked for June 30th, which would

get us open by July 7th. 7 /7.

I'm here for a pop by, Mr. Mee.

Great. Let's schedule a pop by.

We've only just
really arrived here, Mr. Ferris.

A pop by, Mr. Mee,
is, by its very definition, a surprise.

I'll be taking notes in preparation
for the actual inspection.

As will I.

Now, we're responsible for the upkeep,
not just the granting of licenses.

Welcome to the business of
live-animal maintenance, Mr. Mee.

It's a real fun party.

Where's your zookeeper?

That's me. Kelly.

Hello, Kelly.

I have you down as an assistant.

No formal training?

I moved up.

Oh!

Now why would you buy this place?

I just can't get

a handle on it.

Wow.

You know, actually,

quite a lot's been written about

the innovative design of these enclosures

built by Peter MacCready.

I know all about MacCready.

I've been coming here long before you.

And I know what's in the Jaguar, too.

You're eight inches short.

That's regulation.

New guidelines are being raised this year.

Raise the barrier heights, too.

I'd make that first priority, as well.

I see one of these tigers is 17 years of age?

Yeah, that's Spar, right here.
He had a recent bout

with kidney disease.
That's in remission now.

We're just dealin' with
a little bit of hip dysplasia.

Have you begun to
draw up an end-of-life plan?

Part of the humane care of an animal
is preparing for the inevitable...

He's fine.

We had the vet come out from San Diego,
took a look at him.

So we're all good there.

The endgame on a big cat
can be very costly.

I understand, but we're not there yet.

Thank you for your concern.

I guess I just don't understand
how you can call this place home.

You know what? Like this. It's our home.

Where is my old friend MacCready?

Where is Ferris?

Okay, he gave us 12 top-priority items,

two medium-priority. We have one month.

How much of this
can we get done in a month?

I'll kill him!

Ferris!

I mean, how much is this gonna cost?

I'm gonna have to go take a look around.

You know, go through it
in an itemized way, but,

I mean, you're gonna have to
put some more skin in the game, boss.

How much?

I'd say you're lookin' at
about a buck fifty here.

- Maybe a buck.
- Okay.

A dollar fifty?

I have that.

Good, go get it. We're gonna need it.

Good.

Okay.

Okay. Okay.

Okay.

I'm just gonna take a little walk
and wrap my brain around this one.

Well,

Ferris lusts you.

I'm not takin' one for the team,
if that's what you're gettin' after.

I'm not gettin' after anything like that.

No way.

It's a shame about the new boss, huh?

He just got here and he's
already thinkin' of quittin'.

Why are you saying that?

That is the posture of a quittin' man.

Ferris, that son of a bitch!

Wow.

It's the wrong day
for this to be happening, man.

I got your sister home sick from school.

And you, I mean...

How do they send someone home early
for moodiness?

I don't know. It's a sensitive school.

Buster?

Dyl, can you hand me my phone?

It is in the center console.

Got it.

Kelly. Benjamin.

Full and total lockdown! Buster!

We're comin' up the foothill.

He's off the street
and up in the woods!

Buster!

I'll take this side of the hill!

I called the vet from San Diego!

He'll be here with the big van,
but it'll be expensive!

I'll pay whatever it takes!

We can't handle the publicity
of an escape! It'll ruin us.

Buster! I know you're out there!
Buster!

Buster!

Hey, Buster.

Let's just hang out.

Pretend we're at the zoo.

Buster, this is a big gun
and I don't want to shoot you.

Holy shit.

- You got a shot?
- I've got one.

He's been hit by a powerful tranquillizer!

Don't move, Mr. Mee!
He might be faking it.

Way to go, Mr. Mee!

I got him.

That's how
you talk to him, Benjamin.

Yeah, Kelly Foster.

Ben contained him, so he's fine.

He was toyin' with you, my boy.

That's what they do
before you become chips and salsa.

I saw him up here on the hill
by himself. Utterly free.

You were blessed.

I want to make his enclosure bigger.

- Bigger?
- Bigger, we need it much bigger.

Well, you're the man.

You're the man who just stared down
a 750-pound North American grizzly.

It looks like Buster is gonna be okay.

I take Visa. I prefer MasterCard.

To Benjamin.

Our local hero.

- Benjamin! Yeah!
- Mr. Mee!

Stupidest thing I've ever done. Thank you.

I love that you were
named after Bob Dylan.

Bob Dylan.

You hear that sound?
Those are lemurs.

They're primates, they sound like
people laughing in the distance.

They freak me out.

You sound like a lemur.

What?

I'm worried Lily's gonna hurt Dylan.

No, it's gonna be the other way around.

Well, how do you figure that?

'Cause she's a farm girl, Ben... jamin.

And,

he's like this exotic creature from the city.

- Exotic? My son?
- Yes.

I was afraid you thought
he was a little bit of a jerk.

I'm guessing that Rosie was more like
your wife and Dylan's more like you

and that's why you're so hard on him.

I want you to know,
I think you're incredibly pretty.

Please, don't take offense
if I don't hit on you.

I'd be offended if you did.

Good.

I'm a big fan of people
being exactly who they are.

- Exactly.
- So we think alike.

We do.

And if I wanted to be kissed by you,
you wouldn't have a choice.

Thank you. I think.

I don't doubt that.

- What did we just say?
- I don't know.

Okay.

It's a lot to take on. All of us.

I'll see you tomorrow, right?

It hurts me to tell you this.

I've been checking his bills.

The zoo account is empty.

He has no more money.
He has no idea what he's doing.

He is going to end up selling
this place to somebody for cheap.

For the land alone.

That's right, Robin!

I am warning you now.

Behind that front is a front!

Benjamin Mee is a fraud!

- Hey.
- What else you got?

It's a bad idea. Let me call you back.

You gotta look at this.
She left a deposit slip.

And it led me to that.

Let's go.

Do you know what she did for you?

I think so.

She knew exactly what you would do.

You'd make a bad investment,
need to start over,

and have to have a cushion.

This is your cushion.

- $84,000, man.
- Oh, my God.

$84,000.

It's unbelievable.

She's still lookin' out for you, man.

She calls it your circus money.

Circus money, yeah.

- This next part's kind of hurtful.
- Yeah.

It says, "Listen to your heart,
not your brother."

I know, I read that. She loved you, man.

She used three exclamation marks.

She loved you.

Well, I can see why you still carry the torch.

Yeah, but with $84,000,
we'll cut a few corners,

but I know we can make the inspection.

No, Benji.

Here's what she's saying.

You're free. You realize that.

Listen.

Benji.

You did it, man. You went to the circus.

You changed Dylan and Rosie's lives.

They're gonna have
those memories forever.

But staying here and going down in flames,

that's not what Katherine wanted.
She wanted you to be free.

This money is your ticket out.

And if you won't listen to your brother,
the accountant,

then listen to your wife

who clearly planned
a financial future for you.

Okay.

Here.

Thanks.

I hear you may not be
staying here much longer.

Seriously?

Yeah.

But if you still want to be friends,
you know, I'll still be your friend.

I mean, there are still cars and all.

Well, yeah, of course,

but are you for real with this?

Oh, yes! This is fantastic.

I'm goin' home.

See my friends.

Hey, listen, I gotta go.

Don't tell anybody what I heard, okay?

Sure! Thanks!

You don't have to leave so fast.

I'm goin' home.

It's Rhonda.
She's leavin' for some job in Mexico

and she just turned everybody against you.

They're all in there. Says you don't
have any more money, man.

- She says you're a fraud.
- I got it.

Well...

I want to say it has been
an amazing experience here.

Each of you,
I've come to know in some small way.

But the financial climate being what it is,

I think none of us thought we'd...

Well...

I don't know how to say this.

I've been an adventure addict
my whole life.

With no big regard for cost.

With... Well, with no regard for cost.

Basically, I was just an observer
and a writer.

But this is my first real adventure.

And I just want to say that

it's been the best one of all
because it's personal.

And thanks to my Katherine,

the money came through.

So, I don't know what you've heard,

but I am able to say,
though I don't have a lot,

I do have enough to get us by.

And if you stick with me,
I will give this everything.

But I will need everything from you
and we are going to reopen this zoo.

It is the best job in the world.

And it's gonna take everything
to make it work.

So don't... Don't give up on our adventure.

Well, that's good enough for me.

- Me, too.
- Done, man.

- All right.
- Whoo!

Yeah!

Circus money, man.

Our adventure is just beginning.

That's not what I meant.

I know.

And Rhonda?

I wish you the best in Mexico.

I don't speak Spanish.

Adiós.

All right.

Cut!

- All right!
- Almost there, buddy!

You just get that hat?

So you woke up this morning
and you thought to yourself...

It's cold.

..."I'm gonna put on this hat."

Why? What do I look like in the hat?

I think Spar will like these.

All right, do we need anything else
while we're in the land of people?

Nope. I'm good.

Yeah?

How come you don't tell stories anymore?

Well, because we're livin' the story.

I wish we could tell Mom that.

You don't think Mom knows?

I know she knows.

Me, too.

Okay. $74.39.

I don't come up with the prices.

No, it's not the prices. It's me.

It's really well worn.

- It might not work.
- It'll work.

- It... It'll work.
- No, no, no.

It's just that it says
"Rosemoor Animal Park".

- That's the one.
- You work there?

I do, and I also own it.

Strange but true.

- We bought a zoo!
- Throttle down.

I love that zoo!

Really?

Oh, my... We used to go there all the time!

- Is it gonna open again soon?
- Yes.

We're gonna open in a few days.

We're goin' for the 7th, 7 /7.

7 /7. Well, you know what?
I'm gonna be there.

You reserve me nine tickets,
'cause I'm gonna bring the in-laws.

And maybe we could feed
a couple of 'em to the tigers.

Thank you so much.

I'm sorry. Mister! Your bulbs.

- Thank you.
- Thank you.

- 7 /7.
- 7 /7.

You want to hear somethin' crazy?
I think we're gonna be okay.

Come on, man, we talked about this.

You gotta eat that food to get all the meds.

You know, there's a major buzz
waitin' for you inside that meat.

Your neurotransmitters are gonna be firin'

all the way to the moon and back.

You'll be dating seven-year-olds.

Have every house cat from here to El Cajon.

Buddy, if you don't eat the food

and you don't get your medicine,

it all goes downhill very fast.

I'm tellin' you the truth.

Trust me.

Come on, man, we're almost there.

You gotta stick with me.

We got opening day comin' up.

He's fine. He's okay.

- Hey.
- He got up there and can't come down.

Well, can we use the ladder?

We tried luring him with food.

He's gotta come down from there.

He's gotta eat his food,
he's gotta drink water,

he's gotta take his medication.

He's dehydrated.

I mean, we've gotta
get him into the enclosure.

Are the other two inside?

- Benjamin!
- Look, if he moves to attack me,

at least he'll be moving, right?

- He's slow, I can outrun him.
- It's not a bullfight.

Benjamin!

I think it's time.

For what?

He's ready. Let's call the vet.

You're the owner. You have to okay this.

No, man.

Look, this doesn't feel right.

Benjamin, it never feels right.

- Stuck?
- Yeah, stuck. He's stuck.

- Anybody, ideas?
- Loud noises scare the big cats.

Loud noises scare the big cats.

Wait. Hold on.

We can scare him
into goin' back in.

That's a good idea. All right,

- when I give the signal...
- Hey, hold on a sec.

...you guys just yell, scream,
make as much noise as possible.

Spar's gonna hate it,
but maybe he'll come down.

I don't know. It's our only option.

- Hold on.
- So, guys, get pots, pans,

stuff like that, okay?

Nathan? Nathan, go to two.

Nathan? Nathan, wake up!

Come on, get off!

Get off of there, Spar!

We love you, Spar!

Come on! Come down, Spar!
Come on down!

Come on, honey, come down for us!

Come on, get down, Spar! Get down!

Come on, Spar! Come on, come on!

Get down off the rock, Spar!

Come on down!

Come on, hotshot, come on!

Would you just do what's good for you?
Will you listen and get off the rock?

Would you just listen sometimes
and do what's good for you?

- Come on, Spar! Come on!
- You're an animal! You can't do this to me!

Come on, baby!

That's it! That's it, that's it! Go, go there!

Get off the rocks!
Get off the rocks!

Do you think I want to do this by myself?

Do you think I want to come out here

and drag you out here?

I did it because I was desperate!

Benjamin?

Hey, look, I'm feelin'
a real lack of privacy right now.

Like, maybe we're all a bit
in each other's pockets.

Can't you see his legs? He's suffering, man.

He's in a lot of pain.
I can't stand to watch it.

- I know him. I see it.
- Yeah, I mean, I know him.

Hey! Hey.

He's in so much pain.

They can't tell you, but they show you.
You know, they show you.

Well, hang on.
What is all the cheering about, then?

- He's okay.
- It's going to happen.

He's better.

It's going to happen.

- Don't repeat it to me like I'm a kid.
- It's going to happen.

You've never done this before!
You don't know how this goes!

I know exactly how this goes.

And I invite you to
tell me about that sometime.

But this is a rookie mistake.

I've been with him for 13 years.

You can't see how selfish this is,

to extend this?
Come on, you're too smart not to.

I'm saying, we just let him live
for a couple more weeks.

Get him some medicine and
invest in a little bit of hope!

No, I can't stand by and watch this happen!

- I'm not gonna do it!
- Well, it's not up to you.

It's gonna happen.

Don't make me get angry.

'Cause that would just
be so terrible, if you got angry.

You know what the right thing to do is!

I'm so disappointed in you.

Well, you don't even
know me well enough to say that!

Hi, Lucy.
When are you gonna have those babies?

Hey, Rosie. Your dad around?

He said he was goin' to think.
He does that sometimes.

You guys makin' dinner?

- No.
- Well, let me help you.

- I'll order a pizza or something.
- No, look, it's fine.

Look, Dad'll be back soon.
He's just having a mood.

Yeah? How long do those last?

A couple of years.

Pizza. Pizza, pizza, pizza.

Smells good.

- Good job.
- Thank you.

- You miss Lily?
- Me?

- No.
- I bet you put all your feelings

- into your drawings?
- Nah, not really.

I guess I just can't talk to girls that well?

Well, talkin' to girls is easy.
They'll tell you everything.

The secret to talking is listening.

I thought if I came out here it would stop.

Back home, every place
reminded me of her.

Filippe's on Third Street. Balboa Park.

Little Dom's, the coffee shop,
that... That's a big one.

I mean, the air,
the way it smelled in May and August,

because those were the months that her

favorite bushes grew flowers
all over our neighborhood.

They're all triggers, man.

And it got better for a while.

I mean, it... It did, out here.

But the funny thing is that

it just turns out that she's here, too.

I mean, I go to Home Depot.
I go to the nine-miles-away Target.

We need a new store.

And seriously, I'm avoiding half the aisles.

Condiments.

Pastries, forget about it.

She loved red kites
and blueberry Pop-Tarts.

I mean, who doesn't, right?

Who doesn't?

If only I could talk to her
about getting over her.

Yeah.

And most of all, it's the kids.
They're the biggest triggers of all.

I mean, Dylan. His eyes.

You know, I've only seen
that expression in somebody's eyes

once in my life.

And the way he just drives me nuts,
he makes me crazy.

Denies me, frustrates me.

And all the time,
he's looking back at me with her eyes.

And none of her lightness.

What I've figured out is that
when you love somebody that much,

that hard, that long,

you can never get away from them,
no matter where you go.

And that only comes

once in a lifetime.

Just can't get a handle on it.

I cannot let go.

I can.

Sleep well, Benjamin. Sweet dreams.

I get it now, okay?
I get why you can't stand me!

Okay. All right.

No. At least now I know the real reason
why you hate me!

Look, I heard you admit it to her.

Like you were talking about cornflakes.

You hate me!

I hate you? Wait a second.

Okay, we've had some problems, man,
but we're figurin' it out, okay?

That is bullshit!

Admit it! You wish I wasn't here!

With that expression in my eyes?

I heard you!

Hold on! Enough with the drama! All right?

Knock it off! You misheard me!

I can't stand it here!
Look, can't you see that?

No, but thank you for telling me, again!

I keep forgetting! It's all about you!

Why don't I just pack us up?
We'll just go on the road together.

We could be hobos.

Because you wasted all our money!

Some of that belonged to me, Dad!

I didn't waste our money.
I thought you liked it here.

And I'm sorry, I thought your friends
would come out and visit you, man.

I called them all myself and I invited 'em.

And I'm sorry,
I thought you and Lily were friends.

I thought, I thought, I thought...

I thought this was...

I mean, I thought you liked me!

I thought this was
a dream come true for us!

It's your dream!

You can't force a dream
onto someone else, Dad!

Yes, I can!

- I can force a dream on you!
- Why are you yelling?

Because it's a good dream!

And it's got cool animals in it
and some pretty great people, too!

And because I'm your father
and I'm the only one you've got!

And the line of people in this world
who really care about you ends here!

So stop moping around this place, man!

And pick up a shovel and dig a hole!

Do something!

You just sit here
and feel sorry for yourself, man!

Help me with your sister!

- Help me, damn it!
- Help me, damn it! Help me!

I'm sorry that your mother
got sick when she did.

Believe me.

I'm sorry that you didn't get
more of a childhood, man.

That's just how that one went.

But we live with a seven-year-old girl
who still believes in the Easter Bunny.

What are we gonna do?

You never ask me how I'm doin'.

You never even taught me how to shave.

What, you want to know how to shave?

I would love to teach you how to shave!

Let's shave!

What about the Easter Bunny?

Is it time?

What happened with you and Lily?

I don't know.

I guess I didn't listen to something
she told me or somethin'?

I mean, I liked her.

It's like you embarrass yourself
if you say something,

and you embarrass yourself if you don't.

I like it when you talk.

You know, sometimes all you need
is 20 seconds of insane courage.

Just, literally 20 seconds
of just embarrassing bravery.

And I promise you,
something great will come of it.

I never know what to say to you.

I'm the same way.

Why don't we just tell each other
what we wish the other guy would say?

"I'm sorry I brought you out to the sticks."

"You're a great dad."

You did your best, Dad.

He knows that.

Okay.

Come on, Dad. Let's go home.

I got her!

Come on, let's go!

Here.

No tag backs! I know.

Whoo!

That looks good, buddy. You in your prime.

You would have done the same for me.

Why not?

Hey, I need you for a second. I gotta...

- Sure.
- ...borrow your artist's eye.

You gotta tell me what you think

about this.

Not bad? Huh?

Where are you putting this?

I don't know. I was thinkin' maybe

everywhere.

I'm your fan, man.
Don't you know that by now?

Dad? Dad, the peacocks are hatching!

Did you give 'em
all names, Rosie?

Mmm-hmm.

- Which one's that one right there?
- Lucy.

Wait, not Lucy. Peaches.

Peaches. How do you keep 'em all straight?
You have three named Peaches.

Would somebody
just get my tranq gun?

My brother can't take no for an answer.

Not why I'm here, bro.

I talked to MacCready. Hello, children.

I asked him if you guys needed any help.

In the trunk of this car is haddock.

Two hundred pounds' worth.

- For Bruno.
- Buster.

Whatever.

- Are you serious?
- No.

Serious is the smell in that car.

I started questioning my entire being
back there on the 405.

It was like Altered States.
I saw an iguana and a dwarf Indian.

Aw, Dunc.

All right. Come on.
Got an inspection tomorrow.

- So we do.
- So we do.

Duncan, Duncan, Duncan!
That defeats its own purpose!

What you got her painting there, Rosie?

Ladybugs.

Wait.

Behold, Mac. Our new logo.

- You got it?
- Yeah. It fits.

- Now it's official.
- Love our logo, she's a beaut.

- Did I look like that?
- Worse.

Wow. It's humiliating.
You seem really calm.

- Have you been drinking?
- All night long.

- Thanks for that.
- Any time.

Okay.

Well, this is it.

I want everyone to stay off their walkies.

If anybody has any problem,
I don't want to hear about it

until after Walter Ferris is gone. Got it?

All right, here we go.

Here's to us.

Mr. Ferris. Welcome back to
the Rosemoor Animal Park Adventure.

It's an adventure now?

Well, to be precise, sir,

it always was.

- Hello, MacCready.
- Hello.

- How are you?
- On my best behavior.

I like the jumpsuit.

- Love the tie.
- Thank you.

Wait for me, Dad.

Well, that's one way to do it.

Moist.

Oh, God.

MacCready, I would love it
if you could come and meet me

by Solomon's enclosure. Bye.

Let's go see Solomon's enclosure.

We're sunk. We're doomed.

Come, MacCready, please come, please.

Thank God you're here.

I asked you so politely,
I didn't think you'd come.

And that's why I came.
You're never that polite. What's up?

The lock is broken
and I feel like the only way...

Oh, God, the only way to fix it
is to jimmy it from the inside.

I made this lock.

- We're going to fail this inspection.
- We're not gonna fail it.

- You're going to calm down.
- Yes, I am.

What are you gonna do to help?

I'm gonna distract him
from the other side of this enclosure

and you're gonna not get eaten!

All right, it's gonna be fine.

Okay.

Hey, hey, Solomon!
Who's a handsome boy?

Come on, Solomon. Come on, baby!
Over here.

Ooh! Hey!

Solomon! Can you hear me?

Come on, Solomon, come on, baby!

- Hey, do you want somethin' to drink?
- I don't drink.

Well, not even water?

Do you have any idea
what they put in water?

Over here.

Hey, good boy, good Solomon!
Good Solomon! Good boy! Good boy!

Who's a good boy? Who's a good boy?

Who's a handsome boy? Keep working!
Hurry up! Would you hurry up?

I can only keep his attention for so long!

Hi, boy! Hi, boy! Fix it, fix it, would you?

I like to work in silence!

Sheep farts in aspic!

Cocktails!

I... No, no, no, no! Wait! Solomon!

Solomon! Come here! Come here!
Come here!

Come here! Oh, God! Don't turn around.

Don't turn around!
Turn around. Turn around!

You don't want me!

I am filled with Scotch and bitterness
and impure thoughts!

I can hear Ferris right now! MacCready!

Got it!

Okay.

Afternoon, Solomon!

Hey, mister.

Everybody says you're a dick.

I don't know what that means,
but I don't believe it.

I don't think it's gonna work.

But good luck.

- Yes!
- Yes!

Hey, listen.

I want to see you here opening day.

I don't fraternize, Mr. Mee.

I'm sure I'll have plenty of reports.

We did it!

- We win!
- Yeah!

- Kelly!
- Way to go, Benji!

I told you...

Whoo!

So, Ernesto and his friends
are plastering posters everywhere

within a 20-mile radius.

- What happens if nobody comes?
- What?

What happens if literally
we did this whole thing for nothing?

Come on, give me a break.
You've come this far. Huh?

We walk

with lions.

Good aim.

I'm gonna say this one more time, buddy.

I like the animals, but I love the humans.

You do somethin' for the right reasons,

nothing can stop you.

Twenty seconds of courage.
20 seconds of courage.

Okay. Okay.

- Hi.
- Hi.

Look, am I nuts to say that
I missed you like crazy a lot? A lot.

Plus, I wasn't named after Bob Dylan.

I was named after a dog named Dylan.

I don't even care. Who cares?

- Sorry about the rain.
- No, I love it.

I love your hair.
I loved your sign, Lily. I love you.

The precipitation tonight

is just a hint of what's yet to come!

I would definitely put this
on your summer to-do list.;

get an umbrella.

Or better yet, just stay indoors.

Look, my cameraman
just handed me his umbrella.

Betsy, we're told that this is gonna be
the wettest summer in over 100 years!

Back to you guys in your cozy little studio.

A hundred years.

Nathan, we're running out of yams
and monkey chow.

Can you check on the invoice order?

Yeah. Take it all.

Just like Sheila did.

On this July 6th, 2010,

reports of power lines down
as this record storm continues.

Very heavy rain and plenty of lightning
continue throughout the week.

Dylan?

- Dylan! Dad!
- Dyl?

- I see it.
- Okay. Get ready.

Whoa!

Wait a minute, turn around. Let me see.

What? The hair, what happened to the hair?

French braids. Big in the '90s.

Nice, very nice.

They're gonna be here today, Benjamin.
I know it.

10:00, this place'll be packed.

Okay, well, we all know that I stink
at speeches, so I won't even try.

If Katherine were here,
she would have come up with

somethin' really funny
and clever for me to say,

and I'd have taken full credit.

It's not about where an adventure ends,

'cause that's not
what an adventure's about.

So anything that happens
from here on out is a bonus.

And I love you guys.

Okay! Let's open the gates!

It's a zoo!

Yes, it is!

- What time is it?
- 10:02.

They should be here.

Patience, my son. Patience.

No, he's right. They should be here.

Look, maybe it's supposed
to be this way. I don't know.

- Maybe it's supposed to take a while.
- Dad, something's wrong.

- Dylan?
- No, something's wrong!

Dyl!

The tree fell down in the rain last night!

They couldn't have gotten through
even if they were here.

Look!

Welcome! Come on, come on, we're open!

Hi, there. Good morning.
Welcome, welcome.

Come on, hi. Watch your step.

I'm so glad you're open.

Thank you for coming.

Come on.

Easy.

- Good morning.
- Let me help you there. I gotcha!

There you go. I got ya.

Of course, we have lions, man.

Hey, man, how are ya?

Kelly, how's it looking
for the giraffes?

- How's your family?
- Great to see you.

Welcome to Rosemoor Animal Park.

Would you like a brochure?

Hey, guys, thanks for coming out
and welcome to your zoo.

As you can see,
the tigers know that you're here,

so they're showing off today.

A couple of interesting facts
about the tigers.

Peafowl are very resilient animals.

This is Lucy and Wesley, and Peaches.

And this is Solomon.

Hi, Solomon!

- Hey, brother, you need a map?
- Sure. Thanks.

It's all right. It doesn't hurt that bad.

- Good job.
- Thank you.

Thanks for saving the animals.

- Thank you. Thanks.
- Good job.

Home Depot.

Well done.

- We're out of tickets.
- Yeah, I know, I know, I know.

I ordered early for August.

I have 'em. Yeah, got 'em. Got 'em.

Great.

I got a big crush on you,
and I just can't get a handle on it, so.

Congratulations.

Congratulations to you.

And if we're standing
near each other on New Year's,

we'll do this again sometime.

I look forward to New Year's.

Look over here, guys.

Just be yourself. This one's for Spar.

Say, "Peaches."

Peaches.

All right.
Give me that camera. Say, "Spar."

Spar.

And one more of me
just throwing her over.

- Dump me there inside the fence.
- Ready, one, two, three.

Ready? One, two, three!

If you had to choose between
people and animals, really quick,

how would you choose?

I want to get a shot of that.

I'll get a close-up on your nose.

Me, too.

People!

You goofball.

- We bought a zoo.
- We did that.

Do you remember
what you told me when I was a kid?

You only have to be courageous
for 20 seconds.

It has guided me my entire life.

- All right. Ladies first.
- Where are we going?

Now, hang on. So, okay. Stop.

She was

right there.

This is the moment where both of you
became a possibility.

I love that you're telling stories again.

This is the story before the story.

This is where you and you begin.

Because this is where I met your mom.

She was sitting right there in that chair.

Hang on.

Hey, hey. So,

I was walkin' by.

And I saw her and I literally stopped,
like this, just stopped.

And went, "Oh, my God.

"That is the most beautiful woman
I have ever seen in my entire life."

But I've never done anything like this.

I'd never gone and talked
to a total stranger before.

But she was right there.

And so I thought to myself,
"20 seconds." Right?

Go.

Now I'm in the restaurant. And I'm terrified.

Thinkin' about leaving.

I can actually touch her. She's right there.

She still hasn't seen me.

And I still have 15 seconds of courage left.

I'm goin' for it.

Bravery.

Here's what I said.

What?

I said,

"Excuse me."

Hi, Mom.

Hi, Mommy.

"Why would an amazing woman like you

"even talk to someone like me?"

Why not?