By Brian Landa
@BrainLandaLawyer
Marmalade! It’s always about the marmalade. Specifically orange marmalade. And so much more. It has been eight years since Paddington 2 (2017), and it is amazingly and actually still holding strong at 99% on Rotten Tomatoes. That is no fluke. These movies really are as good as they say. The best children’s film series tend to offer things that will delight adults as well. And this one certainly does.
Paddington was first introduced in October 1958 in a book called “Paddington” by British author Michael Bond. I believe my first introduction to Paddington was one of those awesome Scholastic Book Fairs.
I’ve had a book a bit deeper into the series called “Paddington Takes To TV” on my shelf for decades. I never read the entire series, but did read that one, where he wreaks havoc on the sets at the BBC.
The crux of the plot here is that Paddington (voiced by Ben Whishaw through all three feature films) can move between his original family in Peru and his newer “family” in the UK. The plot kicks off when beloved Aunt Lucy disappears from a rural convent-like retreat deep in the Amazon known as a “Home for Retired Bears.”
Antonio Banderas (The Mask of Zorro, Desperado) shows up as a South American tour guide boat owner who the Brown family hire to assist with the search, and who is much more than he seems. He gets to chew the scenery more than many, in multiple roles.
Olivia Colman (The Favourite, The Lobster), as a nun who may also be more or less than she seems, is always a delight. She’s already won an Oscar or two, but she rips into the scenery with gusto and glee. This may very well go down as one of her most fun roles. She’s in the MCU now as well and not afraid to go “genre.” Or weird. Yorgos Lanthimos, the director who earned her Oscar gold, fits that bill, as does that role.
Emily Mortimer, who we’ve known from independent films and the great HBO Aaron Sorkin show “The Newsroom” is definitely leaning into the motherhood roles these days. Her temperament is good for that. Hugh Bonneville, of course, will always be Downton Abbey’s Lord Crawley to us, even while chasing a marmalade-covered bear.
Director Dougal Wilson (Previously Known for Commercial Advertising) may be new to fictional narratives on the big screen, but he certainly knows his deep cinema history. The plot also revolves around a search for El Dorado, The Lost City of Gold. Greed (1924). The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948). Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981). Aguirre, the Wrath of God (1972). Even some of The African Queen (1951) is referenced for good measure. Also The Emperor’s New Groove (2000). And now we have Paddington in Peru.
With Harry Potter’s complicated past and path, the Paddington franchise is now a much safer landing spot for Britain’s finest actors. And beyond. While these movies really are as good as they say, they are perhaps not as great as they say. A little too much reliance on slapstick, slips and falls across all three installments of the franchise. Puddles of marmalade and such are slippery, but after the third or fourth time, we get it.
Part of the Paddington legend is that extraordinarily high Rotten Tomatoes score holding at 99%. It became a running joke both in Brendan Gleeson‘s SNL hosting appearance in 2022 and the recent Nic Cage/Pedro Pascal meta-Comedy “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent” (Also 2022). It’s the gift that keeps on giving and it is worthy. If only he wouldn’t slip on the marmalade so much.
Not a single “gold & greed” stone is unturned as far as the cinematic references. And you will see Banderas as never before as he plays both male and female family members haunting him, cursed with a lust for the riches.
Banderas is free to rip and chew the scenery as he pleases, but he gets some sensitive scenes with his daughter (newcomer Carla Tous). It’s also great to see the evolution of the Brown children over the years. They definitely get their emotional scenes as well. Everybody gets to shine.
Visuals are spectacular and colorful. One particular color definitely dominates, as Paddington’s beloved marmalade is never far away. Always keep a sandwich in your hat for emergencies, they say! As part of the run up to the premiere, there was a special event at the Dallas Zoo, a jewel in the crown of the city, where the staff truly cares about the animals and the public. I didn’t have time to explore, but intend to go back. They even gave us red hats like the one he wears.
