Paddington: A Cute Comical Caper

Paddington was yet another movie I wanted to watch in theaters but ended up catching on the plane. Based on the books by Michael Bond, this is a quintessentially British movie that will appeal to children and adult Anglophiles. As a member of the latter group (though some might argue I have the the mentality of the former), I thought this was an utterly charming and well-constructed movie that made me immediately long for my teddy bear.

The movie opens in "darkest Peru." An explorer meets two intelligent bears and teaches them how to speak English, drink tea, and appreciate the sticky sweet joys of marmalade. He leaves them with records about common British customs, and promises to take care of them if they ever choose to visit England. Those two bears are Pastuzo and Lucy who end up raising their orphaned nephew, Paddington. When his home is destroyed in an earthquake, Paddington stows away on a boat bound for London and arrives at Paddington Station with a note around his neck asking someone to please give this bear a home. Of course, it is a markedly different time from the Blitz when the English were ready to take care of any strangers they met and the poor bear's prospects look dim. Thankfully, he catches the eye of Mrs. Brown, who insists on taking him home for the night.

The Brown family is comprised of the patriarch, Henry (Hugh Bonneville), his wife, Mary (Sally Hawkins), and their children, Judy (Madeleine Harris) and Jonathan (Samuel Joslin). Mary is an adventurous book illustrator, and she is the one who opens her heart to Paddington and insists on taking care of him. Henry is a cynical risk analyst, whose first action after bringing Paddington home is to adjust his insurance policy for bear-related damages (a move that proves cannily prescient). Judy is your typical mopey teenage girl, embarrassed by her mother and now this bear, and just desperate to ignore it all. While Jonathan is a typical young boy, who is frustrated by his father's inability to sanction any childhood activity that could result in injury (i.e. every childhood activity), and is therefore delighted at the prospect of the mayhem and madness that Paddington will introduce into the household. 

The main plot of the movie revolves around the dastardly taxidermist, Millicent (played marvelously by an ice-cold Nicole Kidman), who has a Cruella de Vil-esque plan to capture Paddington and stuff him. Interestingly, she has an actual back story and motivations that make her villainy much more understandable (though still not acceptable) as the movie progresses. And throughout we are treated to some very typical British humor, featuring wry sarcasm, outrageous slapstick gags, and general hapless frustration that can only be solved with a cup of tea and a marmalade sandwich.

I've neglected to mention that while Paddington is rendered through a combination of CGI and animatronics, he is voiced by the brilliant Ben Whishaw, who manages to imbue the bear with a weary innocence and resignation that is dreadfully entertaining and pathetic all at once. The script by Paul King and Hamich McColl is never dull,  and the production design is colorful and fantastic, steeping you in pure Englishness for a solid hour and a half. Director Paul King has created an entertaining and intricate family film that will satisfy fans of the books but also people who have never heard of Paddington before. It is simply impossible not to love this bear and the wacky family that has taken him in. So grab some marmalade and settle in for this charming tale.