Family Films: Paddington

I told my wife on my way out of this movie that it seems like all of the romantic comedies and children's movies that I have liked best in the recent past seem to be British films.  This movie stays faithful to that trend.  I love this movie for the same reason that I find almost every Disney, Pixar, Dreamworks movie aimed at children lacking.  All of those movies often find it necessary to supplement their story by using hip, timely inside jokes that adults can appreciate.  This movie tells a simple story very well.  We recently showed our children a movie that was and is a family film, but the themes and the action of the movie deeply upset them.  This movie was a welcome change of tone for them.  It is fanciful, gentle, funny, beautifully shot, well acted and adorable.  

In the rain forests of Dark Peru, a British explorer comes upon a family of talking bears.  He becomes friends with them, and tells them that if they are ever in London, they can expect a warm welcome.  Many years later, after the Uncle Bear has been tragically killed in an earthquake, the Aunt bear sends her nephew bear to London, as she has decided to take up residence in a retirement home for old bears.  She remembers the kind offer of the explorer, and decides to send her nephew to London.  The as yet unnamed bear makes it to London on a cargo ship and finds his way to Paddington station.  There, the Mr. Brown (Hugh Bonneville) and family discover the poor bear, and while Mr. Brown is initially reluctant, they take the bear in and see what they can do to find out who the explorer was who invited him to London.  The Brown family name the bear Paddington after the station where they found him, and the name suits him wonderfully.  Unbeknownst to the Brown family, a local taxidermist (Nicole Kidman) has spotted the unusual bear, and wants very much to incorporate the little bear into her display at the Natural History Museum.

Three things stuck out to me about this movie.  First, the power of keeping the story simple is hard to overstate.  Paddington is a talking bear, but that is simply accepted without reservation by everyone in the story.  This movie (or the stories they are based upon for that matter) could have dissolved into some sort of Mr. Ed territory, but it doesn't.  It accepts the characters as they are in the story.  Second, I was struck by the movie's profound sense of color.  The colors in the film are all very bright.  They seem to be a living children's book.  Also, anyone who has been to the sections of London wherein this film is set can attest to the vivid colors of many of the houses and buildings in this section of the city.  And third, the performances by all the actors allowed this movie to rise above being a simple fairy tale to being genuinely funny and touching.  This movie reminded me in style and color of "Hugo".  Though the movies are very different, the driving force of initial tragedy followed by heartfelt hope and belonging worked very well.  It is remarkable how much tragedy informs so many classic stories, and this story is no exception.  This movie should be a classic, because it will be able to be watched by families for years to come.  It isn't often that we can say that.