Paddington
Director: Paul King
Starring: Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Julie Walters
95 mins; Class U;
Eden Cinemas Release
I have, of course, always known who Paddington bear is, but sadly I never really knew very much about the character in my childhood. My loss, clearly, as I thoroughly enjoyed finally making the acquaintance of this talking furry bear created by Michael Bond.
Paddington now gets his own full-length feature film, and it is a delightful confection.
An old-fashioned film reel introduces us to a member of the Geographers’ Guild who travels to darkest Peru on a dangerous expedition. There, he meets a couple of highly intelligent – and talking – bears, Pastuzo and Lucy (Michael Gambon and Imelda Staunton). Having introduced these extraordinary bears to some typically British delights – marmalade the foremost of them – the explorer returns home and Pastuzo and Lucy continue living an idyllic life in Peru with their young charge, a bear cub.
One day, however, disaster strikes and the young bear finds he has to travel across the world to London.
Part origin story, part madcap caper and wholly enjoyable family film, Paddington will win the minds and hearts of audiences from the get-go with its astonishing rendition of the bear, the constant dollops of quirky humour, and the genuine warmth it exudes throughout.
Captures the essence of the character
Screenwriter and director Paul King has captured the essence of what made Bond’s stories so popular around the world.
The filmmakers have adapted the character and stories perfectly for today’s audiences, for although the backdrop has been updated to the modern day from post-war London, the film still exudes a warm, nostalgic glow, while providing a marvellous sense of adventure and countless belly laughs as our hero comes to terms with items he has never encountered before. Bathrooms, for example.
It is testament to the film’s script that Paddington attracted such a great cast. The Browns are portrayed by Hugh Bonneville, shedding his Downton Abbey stuffiness for modern-day stuffiness as the uptight father who cannot help but succumb to the bear’s charms (and happily wear a dress in one sublime sequence); Sally Hawkins, bringing her trademark sunniness to her role as the quirky Mrs Brown; newcomers Samuel Joslin and Madeleine Harris as kids Jonathan and Judy, with Julie Walters adding extra eccentricity as their housekeeper.
Nicole Kidman has fun as the nefariously evil taxidermist Millicent and, on hand to complete the ensemble, are Jim Broadbent’s antique shop owner Mr Gruber and the superb voice work contributed by Gambon and Staunton as Paddington’s adoptive bear parents.
And last, but certainly not least, we have Ben Whishaw, whose winsome, funny and self-deprecating Paddington is the star of the show.