Paddington Bear; he's just so funny!!

Mega Sized Movie Poster Image for Paddington Bear

I think this might be the US poster for Paddington, but it suits my needs. we went to see Paddington as a family just before Christmas and this has been my first chance to write it up since.
Now regular readers will know that I have three (almost) teenage children; DP is 16 going on 17 and almost tired of hearing that song, JW is 14 and the Princess is a precocious 12. We watch all the superhero movies, love playing computer games and have a cool attitude to life in general. So when we were thinking about a family movie to see before Christmas you might have thought along the lines of The Hobbit, or a decent spy and action film.
Oh no. Not us. We knew from watching the trailer that we really wanted to see Paddington. I am a long-term Paddington fan, having read the books and watched the TV series countless times before the 6 o clock news as a child. I love the stories of the bear from Darkest Peru and his adopted family. I loved the whole duffle coat/hat look he rocked and everything connected to him. I had the bear (a thrifty copy, not an original) and the image of the bear on tins, bedding, allsorts. It's fair to say I'm a fangirl.
Most surprisingly  my family turned out to be fans as well. We were the only family there without a child younger than 6 and we sat, surrounded by the sound of whispers and sweets being eaten. In a spy movie this might have been off putting but, accompanied as it was by lots of giggles and children's commentaries on the movie just made it more fun.
The film is beautifully made. I have to say that changing the voice from Colin Firth to Ben Whishaw is a winner; Ben has just the right tone of plaintive but not incapability to be a bear who would rather make things right by himself some days than ask for help. And the family are a lovely bunch. The way that Paddington works on them to get them to function together as a family (without actually trying to) is well portrayed, while the characters are well-presented as uptight father, boho mother, cool and distant daughter and too-wild-for-his-Dad son. The plot (a taxidermist wanting to 'get' Paddington as a specimen of a rare bear) runs along and there is just enough mild peril to keep children (and me!) on the edge of my seat. It was the little hints at immigration that I found touching. The soundtrack features a calypso band who appear on screen every so often, Mr Gruber is (of course) a jewish immigrant who came to the UK to find safety and other elements highlight the good that immigration has brought to Britain. I don't know how Paddington votes, but I'm prepared to think it's probably not Ukip. 
And I love the visual images in the movie. The Brown's house is just what I want to live in. I WILL buy the video to watch again as soon as possible and jot down ideas to use this year and next in a house revamp I am planning. I could just imagine my crochet blankets and cosies fitting in just fine. Love it. Just love it.
(I wanted to put a still from the film here, but can't find the one I want. Will keep looking)
Would I recommend it to others? If you like London. or Paddington, or films that need no rudeness or nastiness (apart from the nasty Taxidermist) or you have children aged 12 or below then I'd say yes. And if you're in or near London, you can do a Paddington Trail. Next time we go, it's high on my list!

Comments

  1. I loved Paddington when I was a child, both the books and the tv series. My two never really got in to it and I'm not sure it would be their thing now either. Glad you enjoyed it though, it's the sign of a good film when all members of the family are entertained by it.

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  2. I really want to see the film! My daughter went to see it with her friend and came back hooting with laughter. I expect we'll go see it as a family in January. Glad to hear that you all enjoyed the film!

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    1. I'm asking for the dvd for my birthday as well!

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  3. My husband was a huge PB fan as a child and we said we would like to go and see this, after your review it's a must.
    Lisa x

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  4. I wasn't too keen on going to see the film because Paddington doesn't look like the bear from the TV programmes I used to watch (in 1975 - can it really be so long ago?!) but my family went and absolutely loved it , and after your post I think I might be persuaded to go too! xx

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    1. I was a huge Paddington fan back then, and I know the cgi bear has been mocked up to fit in a load of scary movie posters, but he really is cute. Go! I know you'll enjoy it!

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  5. I have been mulling around going to see this, but your review has made me really want to go now! I am glad that you enjoyed it so very much. I hope you have a great new year! xx

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    1. Go! And drink a cup of cocoa afterwards and remember me!

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  6. HAD to leave another comment (please don't get freaked out by my stalk-y-seeming-ness [Hah, autocorrector, eat your heart out with that one!]!!). I love Paddington, too....total fangirl....and, yep, I was pretty much more excited to go see it than my two littles (8.5 and nearly 5).....was a little bit worried that it'd be an Americanised version of Paddington (and some bits were, but not too much so)...but we all LOVED it....as you say, it was so quaint, enhanced the experience so much, seeing it in the cinema with the giggles and guffaws all around (many of which, actually, thinking about it, were mine!)...we loved it...so much so that there are requests for us to go and see it again in the cinema....! I *really* hope they'll make a sequel....and, yep, we'll be buying it on DVD too (although I'm not sure it'll get as many replays as the DVDs of the original series, which come out at least once a week!)

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    1. Stalk-y-seeming-ness? Love the word! No, not at all freaked! I don't mind if you read my archives all the way back to the beginning and comment on each post (I have been known to do something similar once or twice) but I'm pleased to meet another Paddington fan!

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