[These articles were originally written around 2014-15 for a separate
outlet whose redesign has resulted in several of my pieces being lost.
I'm republishing a number of my favourites on this blog for posterity.]
FILM REVIEW
Review Scoring Chart - 10: Masterpiece; 9: Outstanding; 8: Very Good;
7: Good; 6: Above Average; 5: Average; 4: Below Average; 3: Bad; 2:
Awful; 1: Reprehensible; 0: Non-Functional.
PADDINGTON
Dir: Paul KingPADDINGTON
Stars: Ben Whishaw, Hugh Bonneville, Nicole Kidman, Sally Hawkins
Running Time: 95 mins
If you’ve heard of Paddington, it’s probably thanks to the ‘creepy Paddington’ meme which popped up following the movie’s ill-received first trailer. There’s no denying that Paddington looks a bit uncanny valley thanks to CGI which isn’t always up to the expected modern standard, but it would be a great shame were it to put people off seeing the movie, which unexpectedly proves one of the funniest and most charming family releases in some time.
Big screen adaptations of beloved childhood stories and characters have not traditionally gone well outside a few happy exceptions, and those familiar with Michael Bond’s sweet but slight series of books and the 1975 series of 5-minute shorts (easily found on YouTube) would have good reason for doubing whether the material was a suitable fit for extending to feature length. Those doubts are quickly dispelled by the movie getting its first big laugh within a minute of starting, riffing on the Victorian trope of the gentleman explorer in an opening which amounts to a sort of reverse Up!. It establishes the tone neatly and concisely, allowing the gags and set-pieces to build on each other and create a nicely balanced comic rhythm that gives the best jokes enough time to stand out and discarding weaker material before it can become a problem.
Big screen adaptations of beloved childhood stories and characters have not traditionally gone well outside a few happy exceptions, and those familiar with Michael Bond’s sweet but slight series of books and the 1975 series of 5-minute shorts (easily found on YouTube) would have good reason for doubing whether the material was a suitable fit for extending to feature length. Those doubts are quickly dispelled by the movie getting its first big laugh within a minute of starting, riffing on the Victorian trope of the gentleman explorer in an opening which amounts to a sort of reverse Up!. It establishes the tone neatly and concisely, allowing the gags and set-pieces to build on each other and create a nicely balanced comic rhythm that gives the best jokes enough time to stand out and discarding weaker material before it can become a problem.
King puts to good use his previous experience as director on cult surrealist comedy The Mighty Boosh to good use in creating a London at once familar but fantastical, enlivened by bold colour contrasts and a keen eye for bringing out the character of each area of the city. As the story of a young bear who travels to the big city in search of a new home, Paddington wears its themes about immigration and integration on its sleeve, revelling in the flavours and textures of an urban melting pot of cultures and ethnicities bound by a very English affection for the eccentric. It’s a wonderfully inclusive portrayal which doesn’t preach, but instead offers an arresting vision of the best possible version of what such a city could look like. It is just about the most English thing you’ll ever see, right down to an entirely positive delight at cross-dressing humour, which inexplicably earnt the movie a higher age rating and proved the censors less open-minded than the movie they were assessing.
That eternal positivity is what defines Paddington more than anything else. Despite one early misstep, caving to the misconception that children’s movies are seemingly obligated to have at least one sad thing happen, the movie’s refusal to surrender itself to cynicism or sneering irony is a welcome relief. Pop culture references are few and far between, with the only really prominent one a visual gag played to absolute perfection in the final act, and even the threat of Nicole Kidman’s villainous taxidermist is played almost entirely for laughs, right down to her receiving a beautifully humiliating comeuppance.
Paddington himself is a perfect translation of Michael Bond’s creation, curious and clumsy but polite and well-intentioned to a fault. The CGI may be a bit wonky at times – a frankly terrifying CGI chihuahua turns up halfway through – but does good work visually conveying the character’s personality, matched by Ben Whishaw’s immediately winning vocal work.
On the human side, anyone who has seen Happy Go Lucky will know Sally Hawkins’ ability to radiate pure wide-eyed joy, put to wonderfully sweet and funny use as the free-spirited matriarch of the Brown family. Hugh Bonneville of Downton Abbey plays her officious husband - graceful writing makes it clear why and how much they love each other, despite the gulf in personalities - and gets no shortage of opportunities to put his gift for straight-faced humour to excellent use. Even the Brown family children are sufficiently well-drawn to be ingratiating rather than grating, and while Julie Walters and Peter Capaldi are not given enough to do despite their valiant efforts, there are memorable cameos from Matt King (Super Hans from Peep Show) and Jim Broadbent in particular as a kindly antique shop owner with a love of train sets and afternoon tea.
Paddington is one of those rare movies which comes out of nowhere to prove a complete delight. From its boundless enthusiasm for a perfectly timed bear pun – including a sat-nav joke which makes me laugh just remembering it – and relentless optimism in people’s essential good natures and ability to form bonds with even the unlikeliest of strangers, it is childish in all the best ways and sufficiently confident in its tone not to need to segregate its humour between younger and older viewers. 2015 got off to a bleak start in the real world, making Paddington a welcome infusion of unapologetic joy and silliness in dark times. [8]
Paddington is one of those rare movies which comes out of nowhere to prove a complete delight. From its boundless enthusiasm for a perfectly timed bear pun – including a sat-nav joke which makes me laugh just remembering it – and relentless optimism in people’s essential good natures and ability to form bonds with even the unlikeliest of strangers, it is childish in all the best ways and sufficiently confident in its tone not to need to segregate its humour between younger and older viewers. 2015 got off to a bleak start in the real world, making Paddington a welcome infusion of unapologetic joy and silliness in dark times. [8]
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