Paddington

A geographic explorer goes to the darkest Peru and encounters two ingenious bears. He names them Pastuzo and Lucy wondering what will come of them. They learn English, admire London and love marmalade. Many years later, they are joined by their young nephew. After a storm devastates their home, the young bear goes to London with Aunt Lucy promising a welcoming place. Instead he is alone and only taken in by Mary Brown (Sally Hawkins) although her husband Henry (Hugh Bonneville) is very risk-adverse. She names him Paddington after the train station. There is also Millicent (Nicole Kidman) who wants to stuff the bear.

This honors the children series with a bear that is charming and delightful. It's a lot fun comedy without too many pop culture references. That gives it a timeless quality. The family is terrific and Nicole Kidman is interesting as the villain with a real story of her own. This is a perfect little family film.

I saw "Paddington" with my granddaughter (almost four) and it's hard to be sure who enjoyed it most since this is such an utterly charming and entertaining movie.

Visually it is a delightful CGI representation of the eponymous bear (politely voiced by Ben Wishaw) and deploys some neat cinematic devices; script-wise it combines humour, word play, and sharp allusions to the plight of the immigrant; while acting- wise we have a slew of marvellous British performers including Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins and Julie Walters as the adults in Paddington's new family and Nicole Kidman who has other plans for our furry friend.

In a movie full of delights, the bathroom scene is a classic. A sequel or even a series is inevitable and would be most welcome.

I confess that I was never taken with the marketing for "Paddington". MOstly, the CG in the bear himself. But that tends to be absorbed into the movie's overall sweetness and playful visual style. At the heart of this is a wholesome message about human decency and belonging, and it's populated with likable Brits (Hugh Bonneville, in particular). Some good laughs, too; like seeing a trying to figure out a toothbrush or negotiate scotch tape.

It's a good-natured movie, and what makes it a cut (or two or three) above modern family fare is that there's very little in the way of pop culture references and hipness.

Just warmth.

7/10

I loved it. It didn't matter to me that myself and my husband were watching it without the cover of escorting children, family movies are probably one of the most satisfying things out there to watch when done as well as this one was.

Cute is an understatement to describe Paddington Bear: he is simply warm and cuddly and I fell for him wholeheartedly. I may even add PB to my Christmas list of wants, even at my great old age.

Adult comedies can engender one or two laughs, if you're lucky, but this family fun trip had me and the audience laughing throughout (apart from the odd serious moments where it wouldn't have been right to do so).

Everything was right: the colours, the cast (except I'm not a fan of Nicole Kidman: her pert nose, pert bum or whispered speech), and again...I was entranced by the great warmth of the entire piece.

Folks, go see this one, whatever your age, with kids or without. You'll all love it, I'm sure.

My hubby hadn't wanted to see it, but he thoroughly enjoyed it. Highly recommended. I'm sure it will grace many TV screens at many Christmases for many years to come.

One of the things I resent the most in modern children's film and stories and in modern animation is that they can be visually enthralling but have not magic, no soul or no charm. I also dislike the fact that too many fables and old-books stories are brought to the screen with no soul and respect for the original characters and stories.

To my delight, this is not Paddington's case.

Paddington is a brilliant exception to the dullness, soulless bunch of animated movies for kids out there. This is so mostly so because the original story is there, Paddington and the the Brown's family's souls and personalities are there, they feel modern and contemporary, but not too far removed from the original. Pablo Grillo's animation is fantastic per se, but there are many amazing animators out there; what sets this film animation apart is the magic infused into it, so we come to see Paddington as Paddington, not as a puppet, not as a CGI character, not as a fictional. Paddington feels real in this movie, as real as any of the actors.

The ambiance of the film is whimsical, it mixes elements that are very modern but also capturing a bit of the old London where the original story is set. The film has a great tempo, is full of fancy and fun, innocence and naughtiness, havoc and tenderness, action and stillness, happiness and sadness, adventure, laughter and family love.

The cast in this film is great, per se, but that not always guarantees a good movie in the end. However, all the actors are great and believable in this film. I especially liked Nicole Kidman in her evil sassy ruthless manipulative and sweet villain role.

The music is also fantastic with plenty of Latin rhythms throughout the film. Paddington is Peruvian, after all.

Paddington is not only a very sweet, fun an enjoyable film. It also has a great message about accepting those who are different and welcoming those who need of our care because have nowhere to go; two things that we should be reminded of in these troubled times when refugees are sometimes treated as an "it" not as Paddington. There should be more Brown families in the world.

I was expecting another dumb movie for kids. To my delight, Paddington is a a tender fun-filled magical film that made me feel a kid again.