The Loveable Bear that the World Needs
Paddington, having found his place in London, is starting to acclimate to his new life. It’s almost his mom’s birthday, and the perfect present he finds costs a lot of money. While saving up money and establishing a relationship with the shopkeep who houses the present, Paddington gets framed for a robbery. Now it’s up to him and his new family to clear his name.
To start, you don’t need to watch the first one if you are jumping in now. The movie is pretty self contained and fills you in on what you need to know from the first. Other than that, this is a delightful movie, that changes the pace of all of these action and drama movies in theaters. Like Paddington, the movie tells its story at its own pace.
The comedy also reflects the main character. If British comedy is a genre, this movie is that. A lot of the humor is on the nose and literal, differing from a lot of the kind that we’re used to in the States. It takes a while to get used to, but it once you’re settled in, the jokes are pretty funny. Whether it’s showing prisoners the wonder of marmalade, or navigating obstacles with a crank-powered ladder, there are some fun things going on in this adventure.
***Warning: Spoilers***
The whole story is just a delight and is so uplifting. No matter what situation Paddington found himself in, he was able to make the most of it. Need to buy a gift for your Mom’s Birthday? Diligently perform random day jobs. Need to catch the guy who framed you while in jail? Believe in your family to catch the perp and befriend all the scary prisoners. It’s hard to dislike this bear that brings smiles to everyone’s faces.
And then we get to the big climax of the movie. After a harrowing high speed train chase, Paddington finds himself in a life or death scenario. After one of the train cars derails with him in it, his adopted mother-of-sorts rushes to save him as it sinks into the lake. It goes Toy Story 3 on us and tugs at our heart strings. This did feel out of left field, but it showed us its multiple sides.
This is a great movie that makes you feel good, no matter what’s happening in the real world. It has a different pace compared to what american audiences are used to and a different sense of humor, but that fuzzy little bear sure can grow on you. I may even want to go out of my way to watch the first one now.