Paddington (2014)

Director: Paul King

Starring: Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Julie Walters, Nicole Kidman

A young Peruvian bear travels to London in search of a home. Finding himself lost and alone at Paddington Station, he meets the kindly Brown family, who offer him a temporary haven.

I must be honest, ‘Paddington’ was never on my list of movies I wanted to see, so it was by chance I decided to watch it. I always thought ‘Paddington’ was this silly, slapstick comedy film with a ridiculous plot. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Fair enough, the plot involving a family taking a bear home is not exactly ordinary story telling, let alone the fact that no-one seems to be surprised by the fact that it is indeed a bear and a talking bear at that. But maybe I enjoyed it more because a talking bear was apparently considered normal instead of the usual “oh, you can talk” crap.

Yes, the film had a few slapstick moments, but in general this was really funny and Paddington is just the cutest, cuddliest and most adorable creature. There were even a few emotional moments and the film also has a much bigger underlying theme. Director Paul King did a styling job creating a film that is exquisitely photographed and has fantastic visuals. It is a funny, full-on adventure fantasy comedy film that delivers on every level.

There are a few plot flaws and incidents that made me raise an eyebrow or two – especially in the final act – but I’ll disregard these due to the film’s huge entertainment value.

‘Paddington’ won awards for Best Screenplay, Best Comedy, Best British Feature Film Writing, and received several other nominations, including Best Fantasy Film. It was also a huge box office success, earning $268 million on a $55 million budget.