Los pingüinos de papá

I can't believe more adults didn't defend this movie. I'm 35 and I love it. It's fun, funny, cute and sweet. It's not ground breaking or overly deep but it's entertaining. People suck ;p

Loosely based on the 1938 novel of the same name by Richard and Florence Atwater, this is a family movie that does not ask to be taken seriously.

As a kid, Popper never really knew his father, an explorer who was always away on some adventure or another. As an adult, he is a successful New York realtor, but divorced and lives away from his two kids. Mr. Popper's (Jim Carrey) latest assignment is to acquire a landmark restaurant owned by entrepreneur Selma Van Gundy (Angela Lansbury). Despite Popper's gift of the gab, Van Gundy will not sell the "Tavern on the Green" unless the buyer is a person of true value. After a not so convincing attempt at buying the tavern, Popper receives a strange inheritance from his late father— half a dozen penguins. At first Popper is annoyed and irritated with these frosty creatures but they start to grow on him. His children then fall in love with the penguins and soon enough, he starts to date his ex-wife (Carla Gugino) again. Soon enough, Popper converts his plush New York condo into a winter wonderland to accommodate his winged friends; much to the dismay of his neighbors and a pesky animal protection zoologist. Eventually, Popper is on the verge of getting his family back but his bosses fire him for ignoring his job. Popper must now decide between being a lovable family man or revert back to being a cold business man that he was.

Adults will find this movie filled with predictable moments, some of which are cliché ridden. Still, there is a lot of charm and feel-good moments if viewed as a family movie. Kids will find the penguins adorable, funny and mischievous, all at the same time. Having said that, there are few recurring jokes for adults as well, only thing is they are more potty than witty. Jim Carrey fans will find his rubber-face moments dwindled down to barely a handful of scenes. Although Carrey still has it in him, it is evidently clear that his on-screen magic has diminished over the years since "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective". As a woman caught between dating her ex-husband and a new prospect, Gugino's scenes are subtle but do not really add as much in terms of comic moments. There is however, a bit of feisty raunchiness in her eyes, and if this was manifested into deeds it would have really added an extra depth to the movie. As a guest appearance, I was delighted to see Ms Lansbury in this movie. Most noted as a TV icon in "Murder She Wrote", Lansbury's addition to the casting is well placed in a role as the regale New York entrepreneur. They could have added anyone from Glenn Close to Meryl Streep, but Lansbury is perfectly cast and commands respect in the very few scenes she appears in. Another standout appearance comes from the lovely Ophelia Lovibond as Popper's personal assistant, Ms Peppy. If you think the title of the movie is a bit of a tongue twister, wait till you hear Peppy; a person with precise paranoia in punctuating phrases with ample amounts of Ps. Pretty perky! With just ten titles to his credit, this is a decent effort from director Mark Waters. Although a far cry from "Happy Feet", Waters' depiction of six cute penguins, albeit CGI assisted, adds amusement and heart felt warmth to scenes of icy New York. As a result, this is a pleasant movie for families with young kids and is a preferred alternative to a trip to the zoo.

Mr Popper's Penguins is a good movie with a reasonably well developed storyline and a talented cast. It's an enjoyable family film that had many funny moments and is also quite sweet, it easily could have been a disaster, but I think Jim Carrey did a great job of making it watchable, he may have only done this for a pay check but he looked like he was having fun and really became this character. However, It certainly has many flaws, it throws far too much conflict and issues at Mr. Popper, a divorce, a difficult job and kids who hate him, they seemed like too much problems to give its audience for a ninety minute film, and adding the penguins didn't feel as significant because of the real life struggles that faced him. I found Ophelia Lovibond's performance unbearable, Pippi was a very annoying character, her constant use of words beginning with p wasn't funny to begin with, and they just kept it coming. It has its flaws, but Mr. Popper's Penguins is still a fun film that I would recommend to a family if you ever see it on television and have some time to kill.

Mr Popper gets sent six penguins, which makes the man's life a lot more difficult, although he starts to grow fond of them when he discovers the joy it brings his children.

On our way to an "adult" film (the theater turned out to be inaccessible), we ended up at "Mr. Popper's Penguins," which my friend remembered as a book that her now-29-year-old daughter had enjoyed. I can't remember an evening of more unadulterated, good-hearted laughs in ages.

Viewers should be cautioned to abandon any need for verisimilitude. This is not "March of the Penguin," although Jim Carrey does reference Morgan Freeman in one line. The human children, however, are delightfully true-to-life, in their enthusiasms and frustrations. The penguins, however, manage to exhibit a charming mixture of human-child mischief appropriate to their penguin natures -- sliding on any slippery surface, splashing wherever possible, finding refuge in any icy habitat available in a Manhattan apartment.

The dialogue is very well written and well paced. Jim Carrey is at his best -- annoyingly over- the-top as a slick sales executive, genuinely bonding with his surrogate children as time goes on -- a virtual "Marty Poppins." Angela Lansbury displays her mastery of her craft as a wealthy dowager quite unlike the charming "Jessica Fletcher" persona.

Me and my wife took our 3 kids to this one, we wanted to enjoy a nice Saturday afternoon together watching a cute family flick, and this movie delivered what we were expecting. our kids laughed and had a lot of fun, and i found myself enjoying most parts of it.

Story is very familiar, about a business man " Carrey " who is always busy and away from his kids, then suddenly he inherits penguins that changes him and his life,..i guess you sort of know from here where the story is headed. a very simple, and might sound silly story, but executed in a very good manner, that made it better than your average family movie. Carrey was funny as always, and added a lot to the over all enjoyment of the film.

It is a family movie, starring Jim Carrey with penguins and is rated PG, what really are you expecting ? it is exactly what you would expect from this type of film. Just grab your loved ones, head to the theaters, and enjoy this movie for what it is, don't take it seriously, and you will have a great time !!