Review of Paddington 2 (2017) by Glenn G — 28 Jan 2018

LADDY MARMALADE - My Review of PADDINGTON 2 (5 Stars).

Trust me, this comes as much of a surprise to me as it probably does to you, but PADDINGTON 2 is a masterpiece. A sequel to the 2014 film, based on the famous characters created by Michael Bond, it's a film made for children by a major studio, two usual strikes in my book, and not only surpasses the original, but reaches emotional and artistic peaks I didn't think was possible in these cynical, quick buck, "movies are product" times.

I'm late to the Paddington universe. I never read the books when I was younger and only caught the original film this past week on Netflix. I loved it, with its popping Wes Anderson-meets-Jeunet/Caro stylized aesthetic and its ability to ooze empathy out of a CGI creation. Mainly, it's great storytelling with great care paid to its marmalade-living title character's feelings. As a comedy, its Rube Goldberg contraption style of slapstick and beautifully written setups and payoffs proved endlessly entertaining, especially every time Paddington would create sheer chaos out of the simplest of situations. I couldn't wait for him to mess up the Brown home again in the sequel.

Little did I know that I would experience a true gem of filmmaking craft with genuine laugh out loud moments and a flood of uncontrollable tears. This is movie heaven for people with no guile and big hearts, a rare sequel that will easily rank among the best films of 2018. At its core, PADDINGTON 2, directed by Paul King, who helmed the original and co-wrote with Simon Farnaby, tells the story of an immigrant Peruvian bear who, through sheer goodness, brightens up the lives of his London friends and neighbors, many of them immigrants themselves. Whereas an evil Nicole Kidman provided the drama in the first by wanting to make taxidermy out of our cute little hero, Hugh Grant steps in here as the villainous down-on-his-luck yet still narcissistic actor who hears of a valuable pop-up book from Paddington which he intends to steal. It's just silly enough to not scare the kids, yet it speaks to adults who recognize Grant's level of entitlement as a curse on civilization. Paddington just wants everyone to love life and Grant's Phoenix Buchanan stands in the way.

Paddington still lives with the Browns, all of whom get wonderfully fulfilling story arcs here, all with sly setups you can trust will again pay off astutely and at surprising times. Sally Hawkins, who again ends up in the water two films in a row (!), brings so much quirky charm to Mary Brown, and is matched well with Hugh Bonneville's dead-end job Henry and their teen kids Judy, an aspiring journalist, and Jonathan, a closet model train lover who fronts with his new Hip Hop persona.

The engine that drives the plot is that pop-up book of London, which Paddington wants to buy for his beloved, aging Aunt Lucy (Imelda Staunton). To earn money to make his purchase, he disastrously tries his hand working at a Barber Shop before moving on to a window washing career. When Phoenix steals the book, the chase begins.

All of this is swoopingly shot, exciting and just plain fun to watch. Whether Paddington is struggling with a set of clippers or cleaning windows with his furry butt, he wins your over. It helps that Ben Wishaw voices Paddington with a quiet, sweet dignity, and has the ability to bring people together. Could this be the "kinder, gentler nation" George W. Bush spoke of? If so, I'm in.

I don't want to spoil any more of the story, because it's so airtight and so fully satisfying, but I do want to point out a simply stunning sequence in which Paddington fantasizes about taking his Aunt through London via the pop-up book. As they traverse page after page, with transitions so gorgeously realized, traveling from a subway station to Piccadilly Circus, you'll get lost in the glory of discovery. If this section were a short film, it would be immensely satisfying just on its own.

King also use space perfectly, giving us a hair-raising scene where Aunt Lucy and Uncle Pastuzo try to save Paddington from the certain death of a waterfall or a breathless underwater scene in which drowning feels like a real possibility. I haven't been this excited by a character trapped in a submerged car since John Travolta saved Nancy Allen in BLOW OUT! King's use of wide shots and close-ups infused with an unexpected depth of feeling truly blew me away. Paddington is one of the most lovable heroes in cinema history. Period.

What should appear to be a low stakes entertainment, feels revolutionary in these "shithole" times. PADDINGTON 2 is that rare, big studio film that gets everything right.

Minor quibble: I could have done without the gay-baiting musical number in the end credits, which rivals "The French Mistake" scene in BLAZING SADDLES for kinda-sorta making fun of a certain gay stereotype while also kinda-sorta celebrating it. Let's just say it's pink, crazy, and funny, but shouldn't be in a children's film sending the message that gay people are the party clowns you get to laugh at...but I won't deduct any points, because I think its heart is in the right place.