It’s hard not to like Paddington. He’s already an unassuming, polite, and comparatively small fuzzy friend. He wears a delightful jacket and hat combo that makes him look like an elderly spinster. The crowning touch for me, however, is the fact that he always keeps a fresh marmalade sandwich under his hat at all times in case of hunger.
If you can’t relate to that, you have no business even reading a review for a children’s film, let alone seeing one.
I count this as Paddington’s third big screen adventure. So far, the little bear has endured the Underground, incarceration, and Hugh Grant. As the UK has finally adjusted to this humble, hirsute abomination, it is clearly time to ship him back to Peru.
Paddington (voice of Ben Wishaw) begins his newest journey by receiving a letter from Peru. This should be a puzzle by itself as we’ve assumed Paddington to be an orphan and the letter comes from “Aunt Lucy” who lives in a home for retired bears.
On a side note, the bear home is run entirely by nuns, begging the question: “Are bears Catholic?” My question will likely go unanswered until I find evidence of Pope Francis crapping in the woods.
The bears at the home are all docile and English-speaking, which doesn’t make sense, but this is at least two movies past the time to ask that particular question. Now Aunt Lucy is missing, so it’s time for the Brown family to search the jungle for 
her. Unfortunately, the guy they hired (Antonio Banderas) is a schizophrenic gold-digger. Maybe they can rely on the eccentric Reverend Mother (Olivia Colman).
When it comes down to it, you’ve got very, very English people by themselves and lost in a South American jungle looking for a bear they have never met. What could go wrong?
The first half of this film you have to remind yourself that you [read: me] is not the audience. (“Cheesy”, “silly”,”cheesy”,”silly” … etc.) There isn’t a whole lot of meat on this particular bone; the point seems to be getting a bunch of stuffy Londonites lost in a jungle. Speaking of which, what happened to Sally Hawkins? Wasn’t she part of the Paddington fam? For me, Olivia Colman made this film; she seems the one actor who truly understands exactly the combination of goofy serious required for this role. I also enjoyed the message of the film, which is ideal for kids with treasure-hunting aspirations. I won’t give it away, but parents who believe there is more to life than money will be pleased. I’m not a huge fan of Paddington in Peru, but … you can do worse.
There once was a bear from Peru
Adored by the English speakers, it’s true
For family and play
There’s adventure all day
Hey wait. Is this Winnie the Pooh?
Rated PG, 106 Minutes
Director: Dougal Wilson
Writer: Mark Burton, Jon Foster, James Lamont
Genre: Vacation!
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: Paddington fans
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: Reality fans
