Paddington

Starring: Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Ben Whishaw (voice), Julie Walters, Nicole Kidman, Jim Downie, Michael Gambon (voice), Madeleine Harris, Samuel Joslin, Matt Lucas, Peter Capaldi
Directed by: Paul King
Rating: PG
Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Family
2014

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A young bear travels from Darkest Peru to London in search of a home.

Review:

Tim: I thought Paddington was a solid adaptation. I've probably read a Paddington book at some point in my childhood, but it wasn't memorable enough for me to feel much of a connection with the character. So, I wasn't hit with any nostalgia vibes. What I saw, though, was an entertaining movie that maybe hints at some nice messages and mostly keeps the audience engaged. I wouldn't say this was close to a good movie, but it worked as a film and I'd consider it a success.

I do want to touch on the lack of message. I'm not sure it's entirely fair to say that, but it did feel like this movie prioritized entertainment above all else. Yes, there's probably some lessons about finding a family, about embracing who you are, things like that. The movie never leads with this, though. Some family fare really tries to cram their messages down the audience's throat. This movie took the opposite approach. I'm not sure my kids took much away from the movie other than, "That Paddington is a silly bear!" Movies like this don't always need to be message-driven, but I think it would have been slightly more effective had that played a bigger role. I think the movie could have done a better job of commenting on families and how they all look different. I think there could have been a stronger focus on being yourself and not caring what others think. Those are messages that would do my kids (and most kids) good to hear. There was the opportunity to do more of that here, but Paul King's film didn't focus on that. It's not necessarily bad and it doesn't actively hurt the movie, but it perhaps prevents its from being as effective as it could have been.

Instead, the movie focuses primarily on the antics that Paddington finds himself in. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it's very surface-level. My kids didn't walk away with any powerful lessons here, but they talked a lot about Paddington and the disgusting earwax toothbrush. The crazy antics really are the main driver of the film, other than the larger story of Paddington trying to find an explorer he met as a cub. This devolves into the film's main antagonistic force, which was never quite as compelling as the film seemed to think it was. Paddington's misadventures are indeed entertaining, I should stress.

I thought the visuals were quite good- Paddington looks excellent and he's almost believable. It seems a great deal of care was taken to bring this character to life and the movie is better for it.

The cast was solid. Hugh Bonneville does a good job as Mr. Brown, the crusty patriarch of the family. Sally Hawkins is warm and wonderful as Mrs. Brown and the kids are decent, too. Ben Whishaw does excellent work bringing Paddington to life. His voice felt perfect for this traveling bear. It was fun seeing Nicole Kidman in her villainous role. She did a good job- my kids were legitimately frightened of her. It showed her range as an actress and I thought she did well given that her role is fairly absurd. It was nice seeing Jim Broadbent, Peter Capaldi, and hearing Michael Gambon in smaller supporting roles.

I can't say that I loved Paddington, but it was absolutely a solid children's movie. My kids (almost 7, and 3) really liked it. I just asked them and my son replied that he really liked it and my daughter said it was "good but scary". Probably more of that is on me for letting a 3.5 year old watch this movie, but there it is. This film is a success, no doubt.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



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