'Paddington' a kids' movie you can't bear to miss
What a joy!
What a surprise!
The surprisingly joyful "Paddington" is a fun and frolicking family movie that celebrates families at the same time it pumps some much-needed fresh air into the increasingly stale and saggy genre of children's movies.
Purists might have issues with how director/co-writer Paul King has adapted Michael Bond's classic literary ursine character into a de facto action hero, but the result makes for a wonderfully engaging merger of live-action people and computer-animated bears.
The secret: King treats talking bears as he would regular humans in the movie. And the characters treat talking bears as they would any regular humans in the movie. Very Paddington, indeed.
Then, Nicole Kidman plays what must be the most diabolical villainess to appear in a kids' movie since Cruella de Vil tried to skin 101 Dalmatians to make a spotty fur coat.
In "Paddington," we see an official van driven by Kidman's Millicent Clyde. On the door reads the word "Taxi." Whew!
But when the van door slides shut, we see the full text: "Taxidermist."
Yep, Millicent Clyde intends to add lovable Paddington bear to her museum collection of stuffed animals.
But wait! We're way ahead of the plot.
The back story of "Paddington" begins in Darkest Peru where young Paddington (voiced by Ben Whishaw, replacing Colin Firth after his line readings sounded too mature) enjoys a happy childhood with elderly uncle Pastuzo (Michael Gambon) and aunt Lucy (Imelda Staunton).
After his uncle dies in a terrible earthquake and his aunt relocates at the local Bear Retirement Home, Paddington stows away on a ship headed for London where he hopes he can find the mysterious Explorer who discovered them many years earlier and introduced them to their favorite food, marmalade.
Upon arrival at the Paddington Station, the poor bear becomes a homeless statistic until found by a veddy British family who winds up taking him in just for the night.
Right.
Bean-counter Dad, Henry ("Downton Abbey" star Hugh Bonneville), wants nothing to do with the bear, because of perceived insurance risks. But his impulsive, expressive wife Mary (an endearing Sally Hawkins) loves the bear and thinks he would be good for their kids, Judy and Jonathan (Madeleine Harris and Samuel Joslin).
With the plot set up and ready to go, "Paddington" unleashes a series of charming action set pieces involving the lovably bumbling bear and his attempted acclimation to rainy London and the flesh-and-blood Brits.
We get street chases, an improbable bathtub sleigh ride down a winding staircase and loads of marmalade as plentiful as honey in a Winnie the Pooh story.
"Paddington" comes burdened with a few deadheaded clichés. (Do we really need to hear the "Mission Impossible" theme during a daring museum break-in? Do we really need to hear the overused song "I Feel Good" to express when Paddington feels good?)
Kids, of course, will care nothing about these critical quibbles. But they will love this bear as he searches for a place to call home.
More mature viewers will appreciate the polished visual imagination put into the Crayola colors, clever set designs and Erik Wilson's constantly moving, superbly framed cinematography that lets us know we're not watching some cheap TV production that wandered on to the silver screen.
This is a sweet, magical and fantastical little comedy with lots of heart and silly sight gags.
You might even call "Paddington" the "Anti-Ted."
“Paddington”
★ ★ ★
Starring: Hugh Bonneville, Nicole Kidman, Sally Hawkins, Jim Broadbent, Ben Whishaw, Madeleine Harris and Samuel Joslin
Directed by: Paul King
Other: A Weinstein Company release. Rated PG. 97 minutes