Andrew Jenson | rawr reviews
Standing in a long line at the theater, I hoped someone besides me would say, “One for ‘Paddington.’”
Instead, everyone else was buying tickets for “American Sniper” and I, a 21-year- old male, was the only one among them going to see a film about a little talking bear with a penchant for marmalade. There were some children who attended the movie with their moms, but that didn’t help much.
“Paddington” tells the story of a bear named Paddington, who, after his uncle’s death, moves from his home in the forest to London. Paddington has no bear parents, but it’s possible he might have a human godfather, an explorer named Montgomery Clyde, who befriended Paddington’s uncle a long time ago and taught them both how to speak English. Before Clyde left, he told the bears they would always be welcome in London.
However, London is less than welcoming. Not only do Londoners ignore Paddington, there’s even a crazy taxidermist (played by Nicole Kidman) out to get Paddington and stuff him for her collection. It seems the only kind souls in the city are the Browns, a family who offers to help him in his quest. So the search is on for Paddington and the London family to locate the explorer before Kidman can get her hands on him.
The film is harmless. Odd, but harmless. What’s really strange is that no one treats Paddington like they should. Instead of screaming or marveling at the miracle of an intelligent, talking bear, everyone treats him like an unwanted bum – you know, because he’s just a freaking talking bear. But, the young children in the theater had a good time with it, and that’s important. They were invested in the characters and the story – some even cried “No!” when they realized Kidman’s plan to stuff Paddington. If a film can engage young children like that, then it’s doing something right.
However, the movie fails to be compelling for adults. The best children’s films are able to appeal to both children and adults, as with “E.T.,” “The Secret of Nimh” and any number of Disney features. “Paddington” simply acts as a pleasant 90-minute distraction for kids. It’s silly and fun without being terribly thoughtful.
The only joke for adults is one that parodies “Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol” and the original series, “Mission: Impossible” episode “The Bunker.” Maybe the film’s hinting Paddington is the newest member of Ethan Hunt’s Impossible Missions Force in “MI:5.” Otherwise, there’s no reason for the reference.
Surprisingly, “Paddington” features many big-name celebrities, including Hugh Bonneville, Jim Broadbent, Peter Capaldi and of course Kidman. They seem to have fun with their roles – it’s just hard to imagine any of them signing on for this film, especially Kidman. None of their characters were fleshed out very well, but it was good to see some familiar faces.
“Paddington” isn’t very unique. There are far better talking bear movies to see, like “The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh” or even “Brother Bear.” These films are more worthy of children’s attention. As it stands, “Paddington” is cute, but as with anything, cuteness can only go so far.
Andrew Jenson can be reached at [email protected]