Paddington - Review
This review of Paddington is spoiler-free!
I'd be lying if I said Hollywood in this day and age isn't obsessed with gore and violence. We have a population that loves to go to the movies, sit on their couch, or plays video games based on death and killing. Whether we realize it in our daily lives we have almost become desensitized to these darker subjects, and often don't consider the truly sinister nature of them. Once in a while though, something fantastic that doesn't focus on these darker areas comes down the tunnel. For me, those films included things like The Lego Movie and The Disaster Artist. But now, there's one film that I watched that made an impression on me, and as you can tell by the title, that film is Paddington! This is a children's story come to life, and while some people may think I'm a bit of a weirdo for watching a movie focused towards children, I say shame on you! Paddington is a lighthearted film that breaks the usual Hollywood narrative and I'm really excited to talk about it.
Paddington's story begins with an explorer happening upon a group of bears who can speak short English phrases and love marmalade. Moving forward in time, we meet the bear so to be known by the titular name, and he's struck with tragedy. An earthquake in his home has him forced to head to London in search of the explorer his family met so many years ago. You see, Paddington doesn't really know that there are necessarily bad people in the world and that some things aren't just handed to you. He just wants a home and seeing that pure emotional response from him upon meeting the Brown family was great, whether it was intended to be or not. Quickly Paddington is up to the misadventures you would expect and comes up against a taxidermist with a mysterious past who has it out for Paddington. Honestly, I had such a great time with this story! Sure it's not anything that will break ground in Hollywood or show the future of animated/CG filmmaking, but it manages to keep you laughing and smiling through, even though the humor is aimed toward a younger generation.
If you go by the title, you'll know this is truly Paddington's story. And man does Ben Whishaw bring everything to the table with this cuddly little bear. He's lovable, caring, and just so unsure about the new world he's in that you just hope for the best for him like he's a child of your own. Kudos to Whishaw for helping to create such a lovable character that I can't wait to see more of. Outside of our friendly bear though, I think the second most important character in the film is Mrs. Brown (Sally Hawkins). She is a woman of pure heart who sees young Paddington is in need and wants the best for him. When her husband suggests getting rid of him quickly she says no and vows to help him find a home in London after the disaster that befell him. Hawkins is a great actress as can be seen in recent Oscar front-runner The Shape of Water, and she brings some of her great charm and joy to this role. Sure there's nothing particularly challenging for her here, but she does great with what she is given!
For me though, when I think of Paddington I think there are two things that I really want to mention for anyone out there that is interested in this movie. Firstly, this movie completely sidesteps the confusion of having a bear in a human area. The people are accepting and normal, they treat it like a daily happening and I loved this decision. Being a kid's movie, it would have been a bad idea to bog the film down with the politics of it all and I'm so glad they just rolled with it and chose not to take themselves so seriously. Finally, this movie just looks great. There's a scene in the film involving a... how do I say this... "filled" bathtub and Paddington, and it just looked great. Paddington may not be the best looking CG character of all time, but boy does he look great and I'm sure in the sequel he will look even better. Great work for the design team of this film!
Reflecting on the fun adventure that was Paddington, I couldn't believe just how much I enjoyed this film. I was curious going in just how this film managed to maintain such a stellar rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and after seeing it I understand why. I won't call it the best-animated film of all time, nor a hallmark of filmmaking, but in a Hollywood and media enterprise so focused on violence, Paddington stands out. It makes a statement that sometimes the best way to enjoy the world is with a peaceful and joyful resolve and I think that's absolutely fantastic. After watching this movie, I found myself smiling for quite a bit just enjoying what I saw. And for a 90-minute movie, I can't ask for much more.
