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Mr. Popper's Penguins

  • 2011
  • PG
  • 1h 34m
IMDb RATING
6.0/10
111K
YOUR RATING
Jim Carrey in Mr. Popper's Penguins (2011)
The life of a businessman begins to change after he inherits six penguins, and as he transforms his apartment into a winter wonderland, his professional side starts to unravel.
Play trailer2:31
14 Videos
99+ Photos
Animal AdventureComedyFamilyFantasy

The life of a businessman begins to change after he inherits six penguins, and as he transforms his apartment into a winter wonderland, his professional side starts to unravel.The life of a businessman begins to change after he inherits six penguins, and as he transforms his apartment into a winter wonderland, his professional side starts to unravel.The life of a businessman begins to change after he inherits six penguins, and as he transforms his apartment into a winter wonderland, his professional side starts to unravel.

  • Director
    • Mark Waters
  • Writers
    • Sean Anders
    • John Morris
    • Jared Stern
  • Stars
    • Jim Carrey
    • Carla Gugino
    • Angela Lansbury
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.0/10
    111K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Mark Waters
    • Writers
      • Sean Anders
      • John Morris
      • Jared Stern
    • Stars
      • Jim Carrey
      • Carla Gugino
      • Angela Lansbury
    • 156User reviews
    • 155Critic reviews
    • 53Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 win & 3 nominations total

    Videos14

    Mr. Popper's Penguins: Trailer #2
    Trailer 2:31
    Mr. Popper's Penguins: Trailer #2
    Mr. Popper's Penguins - Trailer #1
    Trailer 1:17
    Mr. Popper's Penguins - Trailer #1
    Mr. Popper's Penguins - Trailer #1
    Trailer 1:17
    Mr. Popper's Penguins - Trailer #1
    "Surfing the Guggenheim"
    Clip 0:52
    "Surfing the Guggenheim"
    Mr. Popper's Penguins: It's An Infestation
    Clip 0:43
    Mr. Popper's Penguins: It's An Infestation
    Mr. Popper's Penguins: Surfing The Guggenheim
    Clip 0:53
    Mr. Popper's Penguins: Surfing The Guggenheim
    Mr. Popper's Penguins: Hi Live Penguin
    Clip 0:54
    Mr. Popper's Penguins: Hi Live Penguin

    Photos165

    View Poster
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    + 161
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    Top cast65

    Edit
    Jim Carrey
    Jim Carrey
    • Mr. Popper
    Carla Gugino
    Carla Gugino
    • Amanda
    Angela Lansbury
    Angela Lansbury
    • Mrs. Van Gundy
    Ophelia Lovibond
    Ophelia Lovibond
    • Pippi
    Madeline Carroll
    Madeline Carroll
    • Janie
    Clark Gregg
    Clark Gregg
    • Nat Jones
    Jeffrey Tambor
    Jeffrey Tambor
    • Mr. Gremmins
    David Krumholtz
    David Krumholtz
    • Kent
    Philip Baker Hall
    Philip Baker Hall
    • Franklin
    Maxwell Perry Cotton
    Maxwell Perry Cotton
    • Billy
    James Tupper
    James Tupper
    • Rick
    Dominic Chianese
    Dominic Chianese
    • Reader
    William Charles Mitchell
    • Yates
    • (as William C. Mitchell)
    Henry Kelemen
    Henry Kelemen
    • Young Tommy Popper
    • (as Henry Keleman)
    Kelli Barrett
    Kelli Barrett
    • Tommy's Mom
    Dylan Clark Marshall
    • Young Tommy Popper #2
    Brian T. Delaney
    Brian T. Delaney
    • Young Tom Popper, Sr.
    • (voice)
    Elaine Kussack
    • Gremmins's Secretary
    • Director
      • Mark Waters
    • Writers
      • Sean Anders
      • John Morris
      • Jared Stern
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews156

    6.0110.5K
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    Featured reviews

    alex_i-0

    I expected something else...

    ...a bizarre comedy with the penguins as the main starlets.

    This was not really the case.

    It is a family movie you watch round Christmas and feel a little cheered afterward.

    Hollywood is really amazing! In a a bad way. It has one single obsessive theme in most of its movies: the absent father and the relationship divorced father - his kids. I think the writers at Hollywood have real childhood issues and should see a pshycologist about it, instead of being so damn repetitive in every movie! But the penguins not been transformed into humans - like the apes in the awful "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" - is a good thing.

    Angela Landsbury has aged. But she is still a very sympathetic grand old lady. I love her! 6.5/10. An OK movie!
    7lesleyharris30

    Jim Carrey makes a Disaster waiting to Happen in to an Enjoyable 90 minutes,

    Mr Popper's Penguins is a good movie with a reasonably well developed storyline and a talented cast. It's an enjoyable family film that had many funny moments and is also quite sweet, it easily could have been a disaster, but I think Jim Carrey did a great job of making it watchable, he may have only done this for a pay check but he looked like he was having fun and really became this character. However, It certainly has many flaws, it throws far too much conflict and issues at Mr. Popper, a divorce, a difficult job and kids who hate him, they seemed like too much problems to give its audience for a ninety minute film, and adding the penguins didn't feel as significant because of the real life struggles that faced him. I found Ophelia Lovibond's performance unbearable, Pippi was a very annoying character, her constant use of words beginning with p wasn't funny to begin with, and they just kept it coming. It has its flaws, but Mr. Popper's Penguins is still a fun film that I would recommend to a family if you ever see it on television and have some time to kill.

    Mr Popper gets sent six penguins, which makes the man's life a lot more difficult, although he starts to grow fond of them when he discovers the joy it brings his children.
    7med77_99

    Jim Carrey, with penguins in a PG rated movie..what else do you need to know ?

    Me and my wife took our 3 kids to this one, we wanted to enjoy a nice Saturday afternoon together watching a cute family flick, and this movie delivered what we were expecting. our kids laughed and had a lot of fun, and i found myself enjoying most parts of it.

    Story is very familiar, about a business man " Carrey " who is always busy and away from his kids, then suddenly he inherits penguins that changes him and his life,..i guess you sort of know from here where the story is headed. a very simple, and might sound silly story, but executed in a very good manner, that made it better than your average family movie. Carrey was funny as always, and added a lot to the over all enjoyment of the film.

    It is a family movie, starring Jim Carrey with penguins and is rated PG, what really are you expecting ? it is exactly what you would expect from this type of film. Just grab your loved ones, head to the theaters, and enjoy this movie for what it is, don't take it seriously, and you will have a great time !!
    9pawanpunjabithewriter

    Popper's Princely, Peeping Penguins

    Light comedy at its best!

    The movie started off on a very Light note as if there wasn't much to expect from until all the penguins arrived. The environment changed. Things around turned. It was the biggest tent pole a light movie could have had. Nimrod was my favorite. I am out of words to describe his curious and merry attitude. Jim wasn't at his best, wasn't going through the best of his times either despite having all-time best comedies and performances to his name. Still, he managed to deliver a spectacular performance. Two characters weren't agreat, his wife and the hotel owner.

    I enjoyed, lqughed through out. It was quite a funny, adventurous journey, with the latter in bits and pieces.
    LloydBayer

    Perky Pooper's Pretty Penguins

    Loosely based on the 1938 novel of the same name by Richard and Florence Atwater, this is a family movie that does not ask to be taken seriously.

    As a kid, Popper never really knew his father, an explorer who was always away on some adventure or another. As an adult, he is a successful New York realtor, but divorced and lives away from his two kids. Mr. Popper's (Jim Carrey) latest assignment is to acquire a landmark restaurant owned by entrepreneur Selma Van Gundy (Angela Lansbury). Despite Popper's gift of the gab, Van Gundy will not sell the "Tavern on the Green" unless the buyer is a person of true value. After a not so convincing attempt at buying the tavern, Popper receives a strange inheritance from his late father— half a dozen penguins. At first Popper is annoyed and irritated with these frosty creatures but they start to grow on him. His children then fall in love with the penguins and soon enough, he starts to date his ex-wife (Carla Gugino) again. Soon enough, Popper converts his plush New York condo into a winter wonderland to accommodate his winged friends; much to the dismay of his neighbors and a pesky animal protection zoologist. Eventually, Popper is on the verge of getting his family back but his bosses fire him for ignoring his job. Popper must now decide between being a lovable family man or revert back to being a cold business man that he was.

    Adults will find this movie filled with predictable moments, some of which are cliché ridden. Still, there is a lot of charm and feel-good moments if viewed as a family movie. Kids will find the penguins adorable, funny and mischievous, all at the same time. Having said that, there are few recurring jokes for adults as well, only thing is they are more potty than witty. Jim Carrey fans will find his rubber-face moments dwindled down to barely a handful of scenes. Although Carrey still has it in him, it is evidently clear that his on-screen magic has diminished over the years since "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective". As a woman caught between dating her ex-husband and a new prospect, Gugino's scenes are subtle but do not really add as much in terms of comic moments. There is however, a bit of feisty raunchiness in her eyes, and if this was manifested into deeds it would have really added an extra depth to the movie. As a guest appearance, I was delighted to see Ms Lansbury in this movie. Most noted as a TV icon in "Murder She Wrote", Lansbury's addition to the casting is well placed in a role as the regale New York entrepreneur. They could have added anyone from Glenn Close to Meryl Streep, but Lansbury is perfectly cast and commands respect in the very few scenes she appears in. Another standout appearance comes from the lovely Ophelia Lovibond as Popper's personal assistant, Ms Peppy. If you think the title of the movie is a bit of a tongue twister, wait till you hear Peppy; a person with precise paranoia in punctuating phrases with ample amounts of Ps. Pretty perky! With just ten titles to his credit, this is a decent effort from director Mark Waters. Although a far cry from "Happy Feet", Waters' depiction of six cute penguins, albeit CGI assisted, adds amusement and heart felt warmth to scenes of icy New York. As a result, this is a pleasant movie for families with young kids and is a preferred alternative to a trip to the zoo.

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    Related interests

    Ben Whishaw in Paddington (2014)
    Animal Adventure
    Will Ferrell in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)
    Comedy
    Drew Barrymore and Pat Welsh in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
    Family
    Elijah Wood in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
    Fantasy

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      What attracted Jim Carrey to this role more than anything else was the chance to dance with penguins like his hero Dick Van Dyke did in Mary Poppins (1964).
    • Goofs
      Even penguin eggs must be kept warm to hatch. The movie implies otherwise.
    • Quotes

      Mr. Popper: Hello! I have to send the penguins back.

      Voice On Phone: Send-da-penguin?

      Mr. Popper: Yes, send penguins.

    • Crazy credits
      No penguins were harmed in the making of this film. Jim Carrey, on the other hand, was bitten mercilessly. But he had it coming.
    • Connections
      Featured in The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Episode #19.160 (2011)
    • Soundtracks
      Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds
      Written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney

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    FAQ21

    • How long is Mr. Popper's Penguins?Powered by Alexa
    • Are the Penguins real ?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • June 17, 2011 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Official Site
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Los pingüinos de papá
    • Filming locations
      • Steiner Studios - 15 Washington Avenue, Brooklyn Navy Yard, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA(Studio)
    • Production companies
      • Twentieth Century Fox
      • Davis Entertainment
      • Dune Entertainment
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $55,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $68,224,452
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $18,445,355
      • Jun 19, 2011
    • Gross worldwide
      • $187,361,754
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 34m(94 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby
      • Dolby Surround 7.1
      • SDDS
      • Datasat
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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