‘Paddington in Peru’ Review: Third Time’s a Bit Less Charming for Cinema’s Most Lovable Bear [B-]
In terms of its status amongst critics and film lovers, Paddington has got to be one of the most unlikely film franchises ever to gain the lofty level of appreciation that it has. The first film is a delightful romp and Paddington 2 has such a vaunted reputation that it’s almost surprising it didn’t rank on the latest Sight and Sound poll. With the second film in particular, director Paul King builds a finely-tuned, exaggerated version of our own world in which his characters play, leading to some set pieces that reach a Buster Keatonesque level of ingenuity. The third film in the franchise, Paddington in Peru, comes to US theaters over seven years after the previous one and with a different director: Dougal Wilson, making his feature film debut. So, Paddington fans, there’s good news and bad news. The good news is, Paddington in Peru” is fun, clever, and a generally enjoyable adventure aimed at children but with delights for audiences of any age. The bad news is, by default, it’s the least successful film of the trilogy.
The title says it all – this movie takes audiences along with their favorite British bear (who now has an official UK passport) to Peru, Paddington’s birthplace. But this is far from a holiday. Paddington (voiced by Ben Whishaw), along with his adopted family the Browns, venture to South America to come to the aid of Paddington’s Aunt Lucy (voiced by Imelda Staunton). She’s been spending her later years at a home for retired bears, and the home’s Reverend Mother (a typically delightful Olivia Colman) has written to Paddington to express concerns about Aunt Lucy’s behavior. It seems that she’s been acting strangely, very likely because she misses Paddington. Upon arriving at the compound, the Browns and Paddington discover that Aunt Lucy has gone missing, and they must head into the dense jungle to find her.
From the start, it’s very clear that Wilson is doing his best to approximate Paul King’s vision. The new characters are all attuned to the story’s fantastical world (it’s always funny when the humans have absolutely no reaction to a walking, talking bear). And the humor is intact, with the film finding laughs in Paddington’s charmingly befuddled manner of dealing with situations both commonplace (like many of us have, he struggles to get into a hammock) and completely absurd – the latter portion of the film sees him being chased through ruins in a sequence that would be right at home in an Indiana Jones romp. But there’s a level of revelatory creativity that’s missing. The film’s climactic set piece features all the ingredients for a delightfully wacky conclusion typical of a Paddington movie, including a wayward plane, a huge rolling boulder, and a nefarious nun. But it doesn’t all blend together in the hoped-for seamless way that leads to the type of cinematic nirvana that Paddington 2 achieves. Instead of fabulously structured chaos, it’s mostly just chaos.
But as to be expected with this series, every cast member shows up to work ready to give it their all. Hugh Bonneville plays the Brown family patriarch as hilariously inept as ever, and Emily Mortimer (replacing Sally Hawkins) is appropriately sympathetic and lovely as his companion Mrs. Brown. Antonio Banderas plays not only the devilish river boat captain Hunter Cabot, but as with Hugh Grant in the previous film, he’s given the chance to bring to life a veritable mini-ensemble of characters, thanks to a smart decision to have Hunter haunted by departed members of his extended family. Banderas fully invests in the role, and all the silly, over-the-top choices that it requires. And of course, Olivia Colman is a hoot. She deploys her huge trademark smile to undercut some of her character’s more suspicious statements. Although she’s a silly character in a silly movie, Colman doesn’t water down any of her more unseemly moments, making her feel like a real threat to the Brown family while remaining eminently enjoyable to watch. The film misses her when she’s not around. Not to mention, she nails the title song – a bouncy little ditty that’s been stuck in this critic’s head for days.
Paddington has always been one of the more impressive CGI creations in modern film, not only because he’s impressively animated, but also because those around him are consistently directed in a way that fully sells his existence. Paddington in Peru is no different. There’s hardly a moment when it’s not completely believable that the flesh and blood humans on screen are interacting with Paddington. Unlike some films featuring a central character brought to life by ones-and-zeroes, Paddington never feels like a tennis ball on a stick. Ben Whishaw’s winning performance helps further sell this. His reactionary line readings feel truthful, and he has a lovable quality to his voice that helps excuse him from any of the messes he inadvertently causes.
Paddington in Peru makes for a respectable third entry in the beloved series, even if it lacks the breathtaking achievements of the previous film. Still, that’s a tall order for any film to fill, and the fact that this series still manages to find new ways to delight its audience is impressive in its own right. It’s a colorful, energetic adventure – the cinematic equivalent of a marmalade sandwich: comforting, but not entirely substantial.
Grade: B-
Sony Pictures will release Paddington in Peru, already out internationally, in the U.S. on February 14.
He currently resides in Chicago and is a proud member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics. He also writes and podcasts for Next Best Picture and co-hosts his own podcast “Halloweeners: A Horror Movie Podcast.” You can follow him on Twitter, Letterboxd, and Bluesky @codymonster91
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