Voice
of: Ben Wishaw Sally
Hawkins Hugh
Bonneville Hugh
Grant
Julie Walters Jim Broadbent Brendan Gleeson Michael Gambon Imelda Staunton
This adventure centers around an antique book
about London which Paddington (Wishaw) discovers in Mr. Gruber’s (Broadbent)
shop, and wants to send to his Aunt Lucy, who has always longed to see
London. When Paddington learns
that it is valuable, and he’s going to need lots of money to buy it, he
immediately looks for work. The
barbershop doesn’t work out so well after the electric shears get the best of
him, but he discovers he is an excellent window cleaner and works diligently
with amazing acumen cleaning the windows of multi-story buildings. And he gets close to being able to buy
the book for his aunt. Wherever
Paddington goes, as we know from the earlier book and film, he charms everyone
with his Aunt Lucy-isms (e.g., “If you look for the good in people, you’ll find
it”) and helpfulness. But this is
a substantive kind of charm, illustrating so well how politeness, diligence,
and seeing the good in others changes them.
The story is not just about “nice” things,
however; there is a villain named Phoenix Buchanan (knavishly played by Grant)
who exploits what he hears from the innocent Paddington. Putting that information together with
what he already knows (that there is a valuable pop-up book that has been
missing for years), he concludes that it could solve all his financial and
professional problems. (His magic
acts have been failing and he is drowning in debts). We get to hear about the history of the book and how it came
to be, which is an interest heightening segue).
From here, the story transforms into more of a
thriller, with Paddington being accused of a crime, tried, and put in
prison. This takes all the
resources of his beloved Brown family (Sally Hawkins, Hugh Bonneville as
parents), as well as friends he has made in prison, such as the grumpy cook
Knuckles (Gleeson). (Paddington won him—and the other prisoners—over with his
marmalade sandwiches.) Along with
his family, these newly made friends promise to exonerate him. After seeing how well Paddington
navigates the prison system, things take a turn, after which, we have some
nail-biting scenes involving a prison break-out, trains, and near-drowning that
make the film into a thriller.
Paul King, director, and writer with Simon
Faraday, based on Michael Bond’s story, has scored again with a Paddington
story that interests and thrills viewers, along with providing thoughtful
observations about humans and how we function. They are optimally aided by musician Dario Marianelli and
cinematographer Erik Wilson, along with a plethora of artists in production
design, sets, costumes, and special effects. The actors (Sally Hawkins, Hugh Bonneville, Hugh Grant,
Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent, Brendan Gleeson, et al) bring it all to life in a
way that is entertaining and thought-provoking for children and adults.
It’s so rewarding to see a film with so much
humane, visual, aural, and technological artistry. Would that all so-called “children’s” films were of such
high quality.
Before the intense adventure, there is
warmth and loving connections.
What could go wrong?
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