PADDINGTON (2015 - FAMILY / ADVENTURE) ***1/2 out of ***** or 7 out of 10
(Talk about marmalade overload...)
CAST: Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Nicole Kidman, Peter Capaldi, Madeleine Harris, Samuel Joslin, Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent, Michael Gambone.
DIRECTOR: Paul King
(WARNING: Some SPOILERS and lots of examples of Country Bear abuse - straight ahead....
IT'S LIKE THIS: If there was ever an organization promoting the virtues of orange marmalade, they would cream their jeans over our next review. It's called PADDINGTON, and - yes - it's the first big-budget Hollywood adaptation of the beloved British children's book character: a talking bear who is sweet, cuddly, and has major jones for orange marmalade. And I mean MAJOR.
By the way, if you also want to know the difference between the United Kingdom and the United States, all you have to do is look at the "Talking Bear" characters that each of them have unleashed on the world. The Brits, being cultured, mannered, tasteful people, gave us the aforementioned adorable and innocent Paddington who loves marmalade. We Americans, on the other hand, being, um, Americans, gave the world... TED. In case you forgot who that is, he was the horny, foul-mouthed, crazy-wild party animal from Boston who hung out with Mark Wahlberg and loves muff-diving whose sequel (called, uh, TED 2) also comes out this summer. Enough said.
Anyhow, PADDINGTON gets started with the kindly London anthropologist Montgomery Clyde (Tim Downie), arriving in the deep jungles of Peru. There, he meets an equally-kindly family of talking bears whose trust he wins by offering them some.... good ol' British marmalade. And let's just say our talking bears take to that shit like a Hollywood boulevard junkie with Grade A meth. Unfortunately, Montgomery's visit must come to an end, so he bids adieu to our talking bear family - and tells them that he will always think of them. For their part, the talking bears assume that everyone from London is as nice as Montgomery.
Silly, silly bears...
Flash forward many years and one major Peruvian earthquake later, and the youngest member of the Talking Bear Clan finds himself on an impromptu pilgrimage to London, England (dispatched by his grandparents) to find Mr. Clyde. And that's when he finds out first-hand that not all Londoners are as kind and gracious as Montgomery Clyde.
Fortunately, though, some of them actually are: our bear hero finds himself adopted by the Brown family when they find him wandering lost at Paddington station. This leads to our bear hero being christened as... Paddington. But let's backtrack a beat and meet the Brown family. They are comprised of: (1) Henry (Hugh Bonneville), cranky papa; (2) Mary (Sally), sweet mama; (3) Judy (Madeleine Brown), whiny daughter; and (4) Jonathan (Samuel Joslin), dorky son.
Unfortunately, someone else in London gets wind of the talking bear walking its streets. She is Millicent Clyde (Nicole Kidman), the curator of the British museum whose great hobby is... stuffing things. By the way, if you're one the sharper knives in the drawer, you will notice Millicent's surname is similar to Montgomery and assume the two are related. How correct you are. Sadly, whereas Montgomery was kind and gracious, Millicent is ruthless and villainous. You see, Montgomery was Millicent's grandfather and when he got back from Peru he regaled her with stories of "Talking Bears." Ever since then, Millicent has been obsessed with bagging and tagging one. And now, it would seem her time has come. Ruh-roh, Shaggy. Er, Paddy.
So... will the Brown family be able to protect Paddington from the maniacal Millicent? Or will they get mowed over in the process? Will Millicent finally get the trophy she has been looking for all these years? Who can save Paddington?
Sounds like a job for Paddy's American cousin... Ted. Watch out, England...
BUT SERIOUSLY: While there have been many animated TV iterations of the much-beloved British cartoon character Paddington, this is the first Hollywood big-screen live-action interpretation. As these things go, it's pretty solid. Much of that credit must go to its stellar cast and their talents, particularly Ben Whishaw's charming voicing of Paddington. Just like the movie version of GARFIELD from 2004 which divided audiences, PADDINGTON's success depended on how effectively its lead character was brought to life. Just as Bill Murray's voice perfectly captured the wickedly funny fat cat Garfield's personality, so too does Whishaw convey Paddington's sweet and naive personality.
Kudos also goes to the rest of the cast. Sally Hawkins, Hugh Bonneville, Madeleine Harris, and Samuel Joslin all nail their roles as the various members of the Brown family that takes in Paddington. Bonneville is especially good as Henry, the father who starts out suspicious of Paddington but gradually comes to accept him. The gradual melting of Henry's formidable facade is made compelling by Bonneville, and is a treat to watch.
As for the villains, the obligatory "assistant baddie" Mr. Curry is vividly played by Peter Capaldi. But the real standout is the main baddie herself, Millicent Clyde as wonderfully essayed by the talented Nicole Kidman. Kidman has always been a favorite of mine, with her ability to be an emotional chameleon. She can appear frosty and distant in one role, but then be very open and accessible in another - and be convincing in each.
The fact is, I met Nicole Kidman years ago when she was still married to Tom Cruise - and they were the sweetest, most down-to-Earth couple. Very kind and unaffected, which is pretty rare for people of their stature. In interviews, Kidman similarly comes across as real and accessible, despite her statuesquely perfect beauty and fame. Which is why when she plays formidable "ice princesses" in movies like MALICE, TO DIE FOR, THE OTHERS, and here, it's remarkable because of how convincing she is. The plus in PADDINGTON is that it allows Kidman to leaven Millicent's intimidating air with some humor. I would love to see Kidman do more comedies and family-oriented films. It would surely tap into her naturally sweet disposition.
All in all, PADDINGTON is a good example of big-budget Hollywood version of a beloved cartoon character. One that the entire family should enjoy, without having to know the history of Paddington the bear.
