Zookeeper

In Boston, Griffin Keyes asks Stephanie to marry him, but she rejects him, blaming his career as a zookeeper. The heartbreak leaves him devastated and sets up his quest to find happiness beyond the proposal. This moment kicks off the film's central romance arc.

Five years after the rejection, Griffin is the head zookeeper at Franklin Park Zoo. He hosts an engagement party for his brother Dave at the zoo to celebrate his family while his own relationship remains unresolved. The animals decide to help him win back Stephanie.

That evening, the zoo animals hold a secret meeting to assist Griffin in winning Stephanie. Jerome the bear suggests teaching Griffin their mating rituals, while Joe the lion protests following the animal code. Donald the monkey proposes making Griffin look like a hero when Stephanie visits.

The plan begins to unravel when Donald lets Joe out to confront Stephanie and Dave's fiancée Robin. Griffin bungles by failing to jump into the lion enclosure, and Kate the zoo veterinarian captures Joe. Griffin misreads the situation and grows paranoid about the animals' motives.

Griffin goes home to clear his mind, but the mounting confusion over the plan weighs on him. He tries to find peace, but the situation at the zoo continues to press on his thoughts.

The next day at the zoo, the animals break their code of silence and pledge to teach Griffin how to win back Stephanie. He starts learning their mating rituals, but the process is awkward and humiliating during a public party.

Griffin meets Bernie, a long-suffering gorilla who was kept in isolation after a zookeeper's abuse. Bernie explains his past and mistrust of humans. Moved, Griffin decides to take Bernie out on the town, and they form an unlikely friendship.

Griffin learns Stephanie is dating another ex, Gale. Joe's mate Janet suggests that being seen with another woman helps attract a woman, so Griffin asks Kate to accompany him to Dave and Robin's wedding. He uses Kate's presence to catch Stephanie's eye and later stands up to Gale.

After a fashion show with Stephanie, she convinces Griffin to quit his zoo job because it holds him back. He accepts Dave's offer to work at the family car dealership, which upsets Kate and worries Bernie about trusting humans.

Griffin becomes a star employee at the dealership, but he realizes he misses animal work. When Stephanie proposes, he refuses and ends the relationship, recognizing that her love was conditional. He returns to the zoo to comfort Bernie after Shane has beaten him.

Griffin learns that Kate is heading to the airport to depart for Nairobi. He goes to Shane's house to address his abuse of Bernie, and then, with Bernie's help, intercepts Kate on a city bridge. He confesses he was wrong to change himself to win happiness and proclaims his love for Kate, and they kiss.

Griffin and Kate are happily together back at the zoo. Bernie has a new enclosure with a great view of the city, reflecting Griffin's renewed bond with the animals. The film ends with a sense of hopeful harmony at the Franklin Park Zoo.