'Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium' a mixed bag of too many empty calories

This children’s film with some underlying adult themes is a mixed bag for parents and kids. Dustin Hoffman (“Meet the Fockers”) lights up his scenes as Mr. Magorium, another devilishly quirky character he’s pulled out of his acting hat. There is some drama for adults regarding Mr. Magorium’s possible retirement from the toy business, and humor from the introduction of a non-believing accountant into an otherwise cheerful fantasy world, but the laughter isn’t contagious from scene to scene and the emotional impact is modest. Kids may have some difficulty paying attention, since the momentum slows when the characters leave the toy shop, there is only one major child character to empathize with, and they’ve seen more spectacular magic in the “Harry Potter” films.

The main character is a girl named Molly Mahoney (Natalie Portman, “Star Wars I-III”), who is the manager of the Wonder Emporium and Mr. Magorium’s erstwhile apprentice. She was a child protégé piano player but has lost faith in her abilities. Mr. Magorium shakes the toy store up - literally and figuratively - by hiring an accountant to value the business prior to his departure. The accountant (Jason Bateman; “Juno”) does not believe in the magic of the toy store, despite the wondrous things that happen around him. It is up to Molly and her young, eccentric friend Eric to convince “the mutant” - as they call the accountant - that all he sees is real, changing themselves in the process.

The story rests squarely on the shoulders of Portman, but she has some difficulty carrying the load. Her character is the least interesting in comparison to Bateman’s straight man and Hoffman’s over-the-top kook. You can feel her emotion when she gets upset or angry, but you don’t feel her passion for the piano and rarely see any real excitement about her work at the store. Bateman gets to play the transformative role, as he has an interesting relationship with the store itself and bonds with the young clerk, Eric, while Portman has less far to go – and it seems to take her longer.

While there is some more impressive magic left for the end of the movie, it’s almost too late to capture an audience’s imagination. Ultimately, the story is like a piece of candy: sweet while you’re enjoying it, but with too many empty calories once you’re done.

Rated G