Mr. Popper's Penguins

Starring: Jim Carrey, Carla Gugino, Angela Lansbury, Ophelia Lovibond, Clark Gregg, Jeffrey Tambor, Philip Baker Hall
Directed by: Mark Waters
Rating: PG
Genre: Comedy
2011

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A businessman (Jim Carrey) has his life turned upside down when he inherits six penguins.

Review:

Tim: I was not a fan of Mr. Popper's Penguins. I understand that it's a children's movie and so should appeal to kids, but I think it missed out in some key areas. This isn't the most entertaining movie for adults. I couldn't really get into the story and did not have a very fun time watching the film. It's not a terrible movie, but it's certainly not a good one, either.

The story might have worked in children's book form (apparently it was a book, I never read it), but it doesn't have enough substance to make a very good movie. There's some side story about Jim Carrey's dad being an explorer or something. It all felt forced and ridiculous and like a convenient excuse to get the penguins into his life. I wasn't clear on that aspect of the film and I didn't enjoy it very much. I also felt like the film was trying to capture some elements of past Carrey movies. The role felt like it was all too similar to Liar Liar (divorced dad, career focused, wants to win back his wife and family). I just felt like I'd seen this all before, and it was better the last time I saw it. The movie just felt too redundant.

I wasn't particularly impressed with the penguins, either. It felt like this movie was trying to capitalize on the penguin craze, which was huge 4-5 years ago. It felt like a movie that came far too late for it's own good. The penguins seemed silly and I didn't love how they had their own unique personalities. It just seemed a bit too conventional and silly. I'm sure the kids loved it- that Bitey is so hilarious! Ugh.

The movie does have a legitimate message that was pretty good. I'm not sure exactly what it was- something around believing in yourself, or putting family first, or something like that. I felt like I was supposed to take something away from the movie, but the message came across a bit muddled.

Jim Carrey seemed like he was just way, way past his prime in this film. I remember when he was the funniest guy in Hollywood- it felt like decades ago. It was a bit sad to me, to see Carrey doing this kind of movie. He did have a few very funny vintage-Carry moments, but these were far too spread out. Carla Gugino was fine, but didn't have a very meaty role. I like Clark Gregg, but felt like his role was far too cheesy and over-the-top to be any good. I loved seeing Angela Lansbury. The cast as a whole wasn't very good at all.

I really don't have a whole lot to say about this movie. It's a movie that young kids will likely enjoy. However, it's an empty, mostly unenjoyable movie. I didn't have a very fun time at this movie at all.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 5.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Liar Liar