A One Mann’s Movies review of “Paddington in Peru” (2024).
2018’s “Paddington 2” was not only one of the best children’s films of all time. It was also one of the best films of all time. An utterly charming and creative romp around London that was lit up by the inclusion of Hugh Grant as the hammy actor-cum-villain Phoenix Buchanan: a film that arguably began Grant’s acting purple-patch as he moved away from his more ‘traditional’ foppish rom-com roles. So the third film about our ursine hero – “Paddington in Peru” – had enormous grizzly-bear-sized shoes to fill. Sadly, for me, it stumbled early and kept on not quite meeting the bar at every stage.
Bob the Movie Man Rating:
“Paddington in Peru” Plot Summary:
Paddington (voiced by Ben Wishaw) has his own passport. Which is a good job because the Reverend Mother (Olivia Colman), who runs the Home For Retired Bears in the jungles of Peru, reports that Aunt Lucy (voiced by Imelda Staunton) is in decline after badly missing Paddington. Paddington and the Brown family head out to Lima to take stock of the situation.
Certification:
UK: PG; US: PG. (From the BBFC web site: “Mild threat.”).
Talent:
Starring: Ben Wishaw, Imelda Staunton, Hugh Bonneville, Emily Mortimer, Madeleine Harris, Samuel Joslin, Hayley Atwell, Julie Walters, Olivia Colman, Antonio Banderas, Carla Tous, Joel Fry, Robbie Gee, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Ben Miller, Jessica Hynes, Simon Farnaby.
Directed by: Dougal Wilson.
Written by: Mark Burton, Jon Foster & James Lamont. (From a screen story by Paul King, Simon Farnaby & Mark Burton.)
Running Time: 1h 46m.
“Paddington in Peru” Summary:
Positives:
- The usual mix of laughs and heartwarming meetings you would expect from the series.
- As always, the animation of Paddington is fabulous.
- Given (due to post-Covid budget cutbacks) the main cast never left the UK, the special effects are really very good indeed.
Negatives:
- It never quite hits any beats full on: the laughs are “OK”; the bear antics (for kids) are “OK”; the clever gags from adults are few and far between but “OK”.
- Some of the best gags are in the trailer.
- The film at time lacks comic timing.
Review of “Paddington in Peru”:
Yes, well, it’s “OK”.
That’s my general feeling after watching the film. I thought it was “OK”. The Illustrious Mrs Movie Man thought it was “OK”. When the IMMM asked me if I thought the grandkids would enjoy watching it I replied “Yes, maybe” (without a lot of conviction). It’s just “OK”. Which, after “Paddington 2” rocked my cinematic world, can be translated into “It’s a bit of a disappointment”.
“OK” for kids.
For kids, there is actually not all that much in it that I thought would really entertain them. There are the antics with the photo booth (spoiled by the trailer) but ending with a newspaper stall destruction that I thought was very tame. (Compare and contrast with that barber shop scene in “P2”?). There were a few kids in my early-evening screening, and only one prat-fall – Paddington wrestling with a hammock – got an audible roar of laughter from them.
“OK” for adults.
For adults, there are some movie parodies (“Raiders of the Lost Ark”, Buster Keaton’s “Stamboat Bill Jr.” falling-house-facade stunt, “The Sound of Music”) and some humourous situations. For example, Mr Brown (Hugh Bonneville), still works in insurance but a new broom in the office (Hayley Atwell) ironically demands everyone throw caution to the wind and embrace risk. None of these quite hit the hilarious beats of the first films.
Another major strength of the first films was the ability to really hit you in the ‘feels’. Here, in terms of teary-eyed meetings, there is an attempt at one through the inevitable reunion of Paddington with Aunt Lucy. But it doesn’t remotely come close to the doorstep meeting of Paddington and Aunt Lucy in “Paddington 2“, which for some reason still gives me a lump in the throat even on repeat viewings.
The Illustrious Mrs Movie Man also pointed out, by the way, that there is a clever little tribute to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth 2 in the film with the line “Thank-you, for everything”, which I’m afraid disappeared over my head.
The secret of good comedy is…. timing.
Another issue I had with the film is in the editing. There are some funny moments in the film which just don’t quite work because the comic timing in the edit is just a bit off. For example, there’s a gag with Simon Farnaby doing the airline safety walkthrough where Paddington DOES pull the red toggle! But it is all edited together so frenetically that there’s no anticipation for what he’s about to do. Then there’s no real reaction to the gag to generate the laugh. I noticed the same thing at different points throughout the film.
The cast do their best.
The strong British cast do their best with the material. I personally missed Sally Hawkins, not returning as Mrs Brown, but Emily Mortimer does her utmost to fill the void. Antonio Banderas hams it up as the boat captain Hunter Cabot (as well as his amusing array of past ancestors!) and I really liked Carla Tous’ performance as his daughter Gina (a role that, until the SAG strike, was heading for Rachel Zegler).
National Treasure Olivia Colman steals most of the scenes she’s in as the Reverend Mother, although the opening musical number, “Paddington in Peru”, felt a bit lame to me.
How wonderful too to have Julie Walters back on the big screen. I thought she had retired from acting, but thankfully no. From the trailer, I feared that she would have a tiny side-lined role, but I was pleased that she was given quite a lot to do.
It was also good to get a number of the old ‘London gang’ back on the screen including Joel Fry, Robbie Gee, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Ben Miller and Jessica Hynes.
Well-delivered.
I was listening to the interview with Hugh Bonneville on the Kermode and Mayo “Take” podcast and he commented that due to post-Covid budget cutbacks (you see – not going to the cinema DOES have an effect!) none of the cast actually went to South America. That being said, the special effects team at Framestore have really done a terrific job: not just in bringing to life the inanimate ball of titular fur but also in making you believe the cast were on the Amazon.
Also hats off to the British passport office. As reported in that “Take” podcast interview, the producers wrote to the UKPA to request permission to use a fascimile passport for Paddington. Instead, they issued him with a real one: “Distinguishing Features: Bear”. LOL.
How do you solve a problem like Olivia? The opening musical number with Olivia Colman. (Source: Columbia Pictures)
Monkeys?
There is a glorious mid-credit monkey that I was really delighted about. We get reintroduced to an old friend! The nostalgia continues with a very short post-credit scene featuring the same character.
Summary Thoughts on “Paddington in Peru”
It’s difficult to dislike this film. But I can’t deny that it’s a disappointment after the glories of the first two films.
Where to Watch it (Powered by Justwatch)
Trailer for “Paddington in Peru”:
The trailer is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTvudSGfHRI.
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