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Movie Review: “Paddington” Is The First Feel-Good Movie Of 2015

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A young Peruvian bear travels to London in search of a home. Finding himself lost and alone at Paddington Station, he meets the kindly Brown family, who offer him a temporary haven.

I grew up in Dublin, Ireland in the 70s and the 80s and I remember watching “Paddington Bear” on TV when I was a kid. It was fun keeping up with his weekly adventures and although they reincarnated him in 1989 for one season, it didn’t have the magic the original series possessed. With the worldwide success of the Harry Potter movies having come to an end in 2011, producer David Heyman had his pick of movie projects but he chose “Paddington” and he brings with it, the same magic and excitement he brought to the Harry Potter movies. The film draws inspiration from the whole series and begins in deepest, darkest Peru where an English explorer, Montgomery Clyde (Tim Downie), discovers two adult bears, Aunt Lucy (Imelda Staunton) and Uncle Pastuzo (Michael Gambon) and their young nephew. After teaching them about British culture and refinement, he heads back home but before leaving, he tells them they are welcome to London any time.

Many years later, an earthquake destroys the home in which the bears live and Aunt Lucy implores the young bear to go to London to try and find Mr. Clyde. He reluctantly leaves, not knowing anything outside of the sanctuary he has lived in his whole life but once he makes it to Paddington Station, he meets the Brown family where the mother, Mary (Sally Hawkins), quickly takes a liking to him and decides upon his now famous name. After telling them the story about Montgomery Clyde, they set out to track him down, unaware that Clyde’s daughter, the wicked and nefarious Millicent (Nicole Kidman), has her own agenda that will result in Paddington being stuffed and mounted on display in the British History Museum. “Paddington” is that rare movie that both children and adults will enjoy with enough jokes and sight gags to please both. Thankfully it never panders to its audience, instead, it sets out to tell the story and does so successfully.

While there are moments of peril throughout, for both Paddington and his newly-adopted family, it is never on the scale of Indiana Jones or James Bond style endangerment. Naturally, Paddington is all CGI but he is so impressive and lifelike that after you first meet him, you forget you are watching a computer character and he blends in seamlessly with the rest of the human characters. Producer David Heyman brings many actors from his Harry Potter franchise along including Imelda Staunton (Dolores Umbridge), Michael Gambon (Dumbledore), Julie Walters (Molly Weasley) and Jim Broadbent (Horace Slughorn) and they all appear to be having fun. When we first meet the Browns, they are a dysfunctional family who are disconnected from each other but after meeting Paddington and reluctantly welcoming him into their home, they begin to bond and when Paddington is kidnapped by Millicent, they band together and will stop at nothing to get him back.

The whole idea of going to the movies, is to have fun. I brought my mother along with me and we both laughed out loud and shed an occasional tear and everything about the movie just worked. There was a big possibility that they could have botched the story and indeed the character of Paddington himself but fear not Paddington lovers, your favorite Peruvian bear has been brought to life on the big screen in the most capable hands. There are references to Indiana Jones, Mary Poppins and even Mission: Impossible and the end of the movie leaves it wide open for another story which I would personally welcome. “Paddington” is an absolute joy to behold and listening to a theater full of children laughing and crying in the appropriate places, is what going to the movies is all about. Very highly recommended.

In theaters January 16th

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James McDonald

Originally from Dublin, Ireland, James is a Movie Critic with 40 years of experience in the film industry as an Award-Winning Filmmaker. He is also a member of the Critics Choice Association and the Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association.