Paddingtonby Patti MartinsonReviews may contain information that could be considered 'spoilers'. Readers should proceed at their own risk. Studio
Credits Grade: 8 Based off the popular books by the same name, the movie is about a young, intelligent, talking bear living in Darkest Peru with his aunt and uncle. When their home is destroyed by a storm, the young bear's aunt sends him to London and tells him to find a home with the explorer who first discovered them. The young bear arrives in London, and winds up living with the Browns, a typical English family, who name him Paddington. Paddington is also pursued by a taxidermist, bent on stuffing a most unusual bear.I have never read any of the Paddington books, but I was aware of the popular children's character with the funny red hat. Paddington comes across as an extremely well-meaning and well-mannered bear who just seems to unintentionally cause chaos wherever he goes. I was very much sympathetic to his initial plight, a stranger in a strange country. The theme of an immigrant adapting to a new culture is present, but not overbearing and is something that I think children can understand. The family Paddington stays with are also well-meaning, and very mildly odd: the overly cautious father, the artsy mother, the sullen teenager daughter, and the rambunctious son. Paddington first annoys the Brown family, particularly the father, but then they come to love him as one of their own. The antagonist of the movie is Millicent, a taxidermist who really wants to stuff Paddington for her collection. Like the Browns, she is a slightly outsized character, but never a caricature. It's a subtle difference that makes this movie as steadily good as it is. Only at the end do we get something of the typical American over-the-top chase and escape. The minor characters are brief, but memorable and neither detract nor add a great deal to the movie. I hate to call this a family-friendly movie, because I feel that phrase is overused, but I think given the strong theme of family, I would find it hard to find a movie that better epitomizes it. Written: November 3, 2015
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