37/28
Paddington returns to Peru to visit his beloved aunt Lucy, who is currently living at the Bear Retirement Home. The Brown family embarks on an exciting adventure when a mystery takes them on an unexpected journey. The director of the previous two films, Paul King, has decided not to direct this installment. However, he came up with the idea for this third film and is an executive producer. He appeared on The Graham Norton Show: Billy Crystal/Emily Mortimer/Hugh Bonneville/Pharrell Williams/Michael Kiwanuka (2024). If you agree, like me, that the first two Paddington films are among the best films ever made, this will be both enjoyable and disappointing. Because it’s not about Paddington adjusting to living with a family in London, or How a Normal Family Adjusts to Living with a Bear, which loses its original charm and, of course, humor. It’s just another jungle adventure film…but with a bear. It has a different feel – more sentimental and noticeably less funny. While the first two were funny to a jaded old Marx Brothers fan like me, this is definitely more of a family film, clearly aimed at kids. I could say we need more of the Brown family and their neighbors… you could also say we need Sally Hawkins, but what’s the point. The first two had it all, and since they were… dare I say it, perfect, there’s no point in copying them. So yeah, this is different, terribly over-sentimental. at times and not at all funny, but it’s still Paddington. More routine family entertainment than hilarious, quirky cuteness.
