James portrays Griffin Keyes, whom we first see planning an elaborate proposal for his girlfriend, Stephanie (Bibb), who promptly dumps him due to his lack of ambition and status as a lowly zookeeper. After a five-year time jump during which Griffin rises to become head zookeeper at Boston's Franklin Park Zoo, he's offered a job by his brother, who owns a car dealership and tells him that leaving the zoo life behind is the only way to win Stephanie back.
The animals, of course, take issue. They love Griffin, and they hold a meeting to devise a plan to make him look like a hero so that he can rekindle his romance with Stephanie while still remaining at the zoo. Naturally, this plan goes awry, but during the botched operation, Griffin becomes aware that he can hear what the animals are saying.
The animals tell Griffin that they're going to help him get Stephanie back. Despite their efforts, however, Griffin finds himself becoming attracted to Kate (Dawson), the zoo's veterinarian. Nevertheless, Stephanie eventually comes back around, although she still feels that Griffin's job at the zoo is holding him back. Will he abandon his calling to sell cars? Will he turns his back on Kate, someone who appreciates him for who he is, to win the favor of the materialistic and superficial Stephanie? If you've ever seen a rom-com before, you probably know the answers to these questions, but Zookeeper is still a heck of a fun ride, thanks to its witty writing and that amazing cast.
