Paddington (2014) - Film Review

Starring: Ben Whishaw, Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins & Nicole Kidman

Screenplay: Paul King

Directed By: Paul King

Certificate: PG

 

Along with many other things, Paddington Bear is one of the most recognisable and loved figures of British culture. Created by Michael Bond and first appearing in 1958, the friendly bear from Peru has appeared in countless children's books over the past 50+ years. Even those like me who cannot remember reading anything to do with Paddington Bear since a very young age will at least know his trademarks including the blue coat and love of marmalade. But now, the young Peruvian bear has his sights set on the big screen, so how does this film adaptation fare?

 

After losing his Uncle Pastuzo in an earthquake in Peru, a young bear travels to London in search of a home and to find solace. Arriving in London, he finds it difficult to find a home until he is taken in for the night by the Brown family, and named Paddington. The Browns promise to look after Paddington and to help him find a geographer who visited Peru long ago and promised him a proper home. Whilst on their search, they are unaware that Millicent, a taxidermist from the Natural History Museum, is intent on capturing Paddington and stuffing him for her collection...

 

For me, the most surprising thing about Paddington is its strong heavy-hitting political themes and subtext, particularly to do with immigration. Trust me, I didn't expect to be starting off talking about politics with Paddington, but lets get it out of the way. In the years leading up to 2014, the UK has developed an increasingly hostile attitude towards immigration. In the year this film was released alone, anti-immigration party UKIP won the majority vote in the European Parliament elections, and are now a major player in UK politics. As depressing and disappointing as that is for me personally, Paddington comes at the right time as when you look at it in the right way, it has a lot to say on our attitudes towards immigration. Before coming to London, Paddington's Aunt Lucy even tells him “They will not have forgotten how to treat a stranger”. Yet when Paddington arrives and a family passes him, Mr Brown shuns him saying “Keep your eyes down, there's some sort of bear over there. Probably selling something”.

 

While I can't say if this will affect everyone as much as it did me, moments like this certainly hit home and struck a chord as far as I was concerned. I should also point out that I'm not perfect in this area either, and when I think back, I too have been guilty of attitudes like this. Paddington honestly opened my eyes and made me feel bad for how horrible it must feel when I walk past someone in need of help and don't show them any kind of attention. Like me, I'm fairly sure that you reading this have done the same as me too. Paddington's messages about immigration don't stop there either, and later on when museum taxidermist Millicent is trying to capture Paddington, she even gets Mr Curry on her side by telling him “It always starts with just one, soon the whole street will be crawling with them”. The film doesn't just mindlessly tell us that sustainable immigration is something good – it actually shows us just why we need it. Just as in real life we rely on immigrants to sustain things such as the NHS, in order to be a proper family, the Brown family need Paddington just as much as he needs them. Even one of the film's recurring motifs is an African band playing cheerful and catchy music on street corners. Without them, the streets wouldn't be anywhere near as bright and upbeat.

 

Now that I've got the politics out the way, let's look towards the more specific stuff around the film. For one thing, there's some exceptional casting work on show. Originally supposed to be voiced by Colin Firth, Ben Whishaw does a fantastic job voicing Paddington. He brings such a youthful, naïve yet charming edge to the character, and you can tell he definitely understands the role. Paddington himself also remains mostly faithful to the original source material, keeping the blue coat, red hat as well as his love of marmalade. Although the moments where he ends up flooding the bathroom and recklessly chasing a man through the London streets may be slightly at odds with what's established about the character, such as his polite nature, I'd be lying if I said they didn't at least make me smile. Hugh Bonneville turns in a great performance as Mr Brown, the overly cautious risk analyst. As far as the film's share of laughs go, Mr Brown almost ends up upstaging Paddington, largely thanks to his cynicism about inviting a bear into the house and some very deadpan lines. Sally Hawkins is also well-suited to the caring and to some extent innocent Mrs Brown, and their children share an immensely likeable relationship with Paddington, particularly Lucy. Nicole Kidman also does an excellent job as Millicent Clyde, the sadistic museum taxidermist. She's clearly enjoying herself in the role and brings real menace and threat to the character, particularly towards the last act of the film.

 

Even the supporting characters in Paddington are cast-iron in strength. Peter Capaldi proves once again how much of an underrated dramatic and comedic actor he is, and gets a very funny and memorable stint as next door neighbour Mr Curry. He gets one of the biggest laughs of the film when he gives Millicent some dead flowers, saying “I found these tied to a lamppost and thought 'Waste not, want not'”. It's great to see Peter Capaldi try and pull off a cockney accent too. Julie Walters gets a likeable and funny character to play as Mrs Bird, the Brown family's housekeeper, as does Jim Broadbent as Samuel Gruber. By this point it's not unreasonable to say that there are some big names in Paddington, with even Imelda Staunton and Michael Gambon showing up as Paddington's Aunt Lucy and Uncle Pastuzo, Matt Lucas as a taxi driver and even Geoffrey Palmer as a member of the Geographer's Guild. While few of these characters may be essential to the plot, their presence is still very welcome.

 

The decision to make Paddington Bear look like a realistic actual bear could have ended up being a serious criticism of the film, not to mention difficult to achieve. However, CGI Paddington is greatly realized – the fur looks convincing and real, and even in his eyes, you can see and detect a genuine warmth and wonder at seeing his new world. Set in the capital of the UK, I also loved the stylized depiction of London and there's a very charming old British feel to Paddington. London itself may be completely exaggerated (there is absolutely no way Mr and Mrs Brown would be able to afford a house that big in London, as well as a housekeeper, without literally being millionaires), but I still love it. It's almost old-fashioned in style, especially with sets like Gruber's antique shop. Some of the production team working on Paddington also worked on the Harry Potter series and it certainly shows. One of the most beautiful visual moments of the film is a blossom tree design painted on the spiral staircase of the Browns' home, and as the film goes on, the colours of the leaves change to reflect the mood. The aforementioned antiques shop even has a model train set that delivers tea everyday.

 

In conclusion, Paddington's latest venture onto the big screen, while risky, definitely paid off. As far as live action family films go, few radiate charm and warmth such as this. Even whilst writing this review, the amount of times I had to go back and resist using the word “charming” was just silly. Not only is it huge fun for all the family, it has its heart in the right place and as I've said, it has a surprising amount to say about our current attitudes, so lets hope we take its messages onboard.

Paddington



9/10