Paddington

I confess that I was never taken with the marketing for "Paddington". MOstly, the CG in the bear himself. But that tends to be absorbed into the movie's overall sweetness and playful visual style. At the heart of this is a wholesome message about human decency and belonging, and it's populated with likable Brits (Hugh Bonneville, in particular). Some good laughs, too; like seeing a trying to figure out a toothbrush or negotiate scotch tape.

It's a good-natured movie, and what makes it a cut (or two or three) above modern family fare is that there's very little in the way of pop culture references and hipness.

Just warmth.

7/10

A geographic explorer goes to the darkest Peru and encounters two ingenious bears. He names them Pastuzo and Lucy wondering what will come of them. They learn English, admire London and love marmalade. Many years later, they are joined by their young nephew. After a storm devastates their home, the young bear goes to London with Aunt Lucy promising a welcoming place. Instead he is alone and only taken in by Mary Brown (Sally Hawkins) although her husband Henry (Hugh Bonneville) is very risk-adverse. She names him Paddington after the train station. There is also Millicent (Nicole Kidman) who wants to stuff the bear.

This honors the children series with a bear that is charming and delightful. It's a lot fun comedy without too many pop culture references. That gives it a timeless quality. The family is terrific and Nicole Kidman is interesting as the villain with a real story of her own. This is a perfect little family film.

I loved it. It didn't matter to me that myself and my husband were watching it without the cover of escorting children, family movies are probably one of the most satisfying things out there to watch when done as well as this one was.

Cute is an understatement to describe Paddington Bear: he is simply warm and cuddly and I fell for him wholeheartedly. I may even add PB to my Christmas list of wants, even at my great old age.

Adult comedies can engender one or two laughs, if you're lucky, but this family fun trip had me and the audience laughing throughout (apart from the odd serious moments where it wouldn't have been right to do so).

Everything was right: the colours, the cast (except I'm not a fan of Nicole Kidman: her pert nose, pert bum or whispered speech), and again...I was entranced by the great warmth of the entire piece.

Folks, go see this one, whatever your age, with kids or without. You'll all love it, I'm sure.

My hubby hadn't wanted to see it, but he thoroughly enjoyed it. Highly recommended. I'm sure it will grace many TV screens at many Christmases for many years to come.

When his home in Darkest Peru is destroyed, a young bear travels to London in order to find a new home. He's helped by a couple with two kids, which share different opinions regarding the new troublemaker which "landed" in their home. Although helping him find a proper home, the Browns start to attach to the newcomer but his negligent way of life and an evil hunter from a local history museum tend to interfere in their relationship, for better or worse.

We're presented with the amusing and entertaining adventures of this strange bear which comes to a big city in search of a new life, but ends up in a lot of trouble, more or less due to his actions. It's a movie which doesn't have an extraordinary plot, but it's enough to keep you interested while making you laugh with almost everything the cute bear does. By the way, the CGI is top notch, and together with the actors' performance, create a good movie for everybody to enjoy. As downsides, it tends to exaggerate in many scenes, while being very simplistic when speaking about the "evil" part which hunts Paddington.

Still, it manages to create a very enjoyable atmosphere which makes this movie a very good watch, especially during winter holidays.

I have to state this before continuing with this review, prior to seeing this I was very reluctant and hesitant as to what I was due to view. After growing up hearing the stories and watching the animated tales of Paddington Bear, I was unsure as to whether a CGI-heavy live- action tale could really establish a story that portrays the bear in all his charm, well my predictions were woefully inaccurate. 'Paddington' is a very well-executed adaptation of the titular bear for a 21st century audience. From the producers of Harry Potter, 'Paddington' delivers a family-friendly and charming atmosphere whilst conveying an endearing and gloriously comedic tale about a bear and his adventures in London. One of the late and great films of the year, Paul King's irresistibly warm story creates a sense of nostalgia whilst boasting a quintessentially British feel and pitch-perfect humour that can be enjoyed by people of all ages.