Paddington 2: Here to Entertain All Ages. Mostly Kids.

Originally written 2/11/2018.

Confession time: I, a grown man who has studied film and holds a college degree, unironically love the first 'Paddington' movie. It was a deceptively complex film stuffed with more delightful charm than George Clooney and wore its dry British wit on its sleeve. The story of a talking bear cub raised on 20th century British sensibilities who leaves his home in Darkest Peru to live in London with the Browns, a quintessential upper-middle class English family with individual characterizations, was not only an enjoyable family romp in theaters, it was also a subtly delivered pro-immigration and tolerance allegory. Include Nicole Kidman acting so over the top she could have cleared skyscrapers, animation integration on par with 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit,' and impressively creative use of British cinematography, and you have yourself a great way to kill a rainy afternoon. Its sequel promised to be more of the same and mostly delivered. Mostly.

The plot is a direct continuation of the first film. Paddington, voiced by Ben Whishaw, is still living with the Browns and their whole racially diverse neighborhood is facing life with a more positive outlook thanks to Paddington’s optimistic influence. The plot kicks off when Paddington decides that an antique pop-up book would be the perfect birthday gift for his elderly ursine aunt, but the book is stolen by disgraced actor Phoenix Buchanan (Hugh Grant) and Paddington is framed for the theft. With Paddington now in prison, it’s up to the Brown family to find the true criminal, uncover a larger conspiracy at play, and try to clear their adopted bears’s good name. Will Paddington’s polite nature aide in reforming his fellow prisoners? Will the Brown’s unique quirks come into play to help them save their friend? Will everything come together in a surprisingly suspenseful climax resolved with the hilarious use of colorful British confectionery? Well it’s a kids’ movie so you tell me.

But a film can be as simple or convoluted as it wants so long as its execution delivers and packages the material in the correct way. In this field, 'Paddington 2' does not disappoint. Everything from the prison to the streets of London to even some gorgeous scenes in South American jungles are framed, colored, and shot with such surgical precision that not once does the tone or aesthetic of the film drift away from the saccharine carnival ride that it aims for. The visual effects of the film, one of the more creative and enjoyable aspects of its predecessor, are still used well but are intentionally downplayed to make room for 'Paddington 2’s new trick: time-lapse cinematography.

Another notable technical achievement of the film is its continued use of CGI/live action blending. It’s been years since I’ve seen such convincing interaction between actors and cartoons and if such effects ever belonged in a film, they belong in these ones. There’s one scene in particular where an intimidating prison cook played by Brendan Gleeson threatens Paddington for criticizing his food. The animation is so well integrated and Gleeson is such a good performer that even he looks like he believes the talking bear he’s speaking to is actually there.

It’s almost pointless to critique the acting in this film. British actors are some of the finest in the world, to the point where even their child actors consistently give amazing performances. Sally Hawkins, fresh off her Oscar nod, is clearly having the time of her life playing the investigative Mrs. Brown while Hugh Bonneville enjoys himself as her perfect comedy foil in Mr. Brown. Their kids, Judy and Jonathan played by Madeleine Harris and Samuel Joslin respectively, take a decided back seat from their previous roles, but are still enjoyable comic actors with promising careers ahead of them.

Brendan Gleeson gets to polish his comedy chops while still showing off his range as the defacto leader of the prison hierarchy. Other side actors, including the returns of Peter Capaldi as a Scrooge-like neighborhood watchman and Jim Broadbent as a kindly German antique store owner, all lay it out on the screen and delight in the small roles they have, seemingly content with the idea that they’re making someone smile whenever they show up. Ben Whishaw, with his youthful connotations and palpable conviction, sounds like he was born to play as upright and genuine a character as Paddington.

However, all hats go off to Hugh Grant as the villain of the piece. It seriously feels like he saw Kidman’s turn as the antagonist in the first film, scoffed, and said, “You think that’s overacting? Somebody hold my beer.” Every single frame he’s in is positively rank with a hilarious amount of ham which might have felt disrespectful if the film didn’t expertly contort itself to fit him in. It’s amazing that this film had any set at all because Grant must have chewed his way not just through the scenery, but through the entire production shop as well. And frankly, the film is all the better for it. He provides a wonderful contrast to Paddington’s unwavering etiquette and gives the film its comedy center.

My only real complaint in the movie lies in what it’s actually trying to say. I walked out of the first one delighted to see a 21st century adaptation of a classic immigrant story told through both modern and antiquated lenses. 'Paddington 2,' however, wants to be less of a clever fable for kids to take to heart and more of a standard adventure film with passing critiques of current British culture. Mr. Brown, for example, is now obsessed with making himself younger because he got passed up for a promotion at work. Because kids definitely are aware of and care about office politics. Another subplot is about Jonathan adopting the ‘Chav’ lifestyle and everyone around him finding his new attitude to be insufferable and phony until he finally drops the charade. Because…kids shouldn’t grow up to be chav? I guess that’s a good enough message, but it feels not only like a waste of screen time in an otherwise carefully crafted film.

The only other discernible message the film is trying to convey is merely about the prejudice struggles facing immigrants today. Paddington, a veritable Peruvian refugee, works admirably to earn his prize only to have it stolen away and be framed for a crime he didn’t commit. While this demonstrates the fallibility of the justice system for immigrants, the film doesn’t do much with this information other than present it on a very pretty platter. Other parts of the film feel like they’re supposed to say something, but it’s hard to make out what.

For instance, it’s made very visible that the wealthy neighborhood of the Browns and the prison of hardened criminals are both very diverse places, home to a variety of people, races, and backgrounds. Is this trying to find a common ground between the two groups? Or make some kind of insinuation about the fragility of law? Maybe it’s to show how an avatar of upstanding British sensibilities like Paddington can only be a true force for good if in a mixed environment? Any one of those theories and more could potentially be correct because the film doesn’t allow itself enough time to really explore that, it has to speed along and get to the train chase already.

Overall, everything that I genuinely loved about the first 'Paddington' movie is still here and I still love it. British comedy is enjoyably witty and fast, the camera work is still brilliant, and the actors have come to do their part to make you like them and the film. But perhaps 'Paddington 2' is where it begins to get a little overexposed. It doesn’t quite do enough new things to really differentiate it from the first one and the few things it does do differently aren’t quite as good. The pacing is a little off and the script a bit more simplified, but neither take away from the film’s overall enjoyability. The best way to look at these movies is as cinematic candy. At first taste is sweet and guilt-free, but now you’ve noticed the FDA label and there’s a bit more calories in it that you thought. It doesn’t mean you don’t still like the candy, there’s just a nagging bit of shame in the back of your mind. Still, I liked this movie and I bet you will too. Your kids will definitely like it more, but you’ll get enough laughs to make it worth your while. 3/5.

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