Paddington

Sometimes while walking you get lost and stroll into a park unplanned and your day got a lot better. That’s not what happened to me in the circumstances upon which I got to see the Paddington movie. But the feeling is similar.

There are only two movies that I planned to watch this month. This was not one of them. I didn't even know that this movie existed even though Hugh Bonneville (I regularly watch Downton Abbey) was in it. But then I have a friend who loves her salads and the salad place had a promo where you add 2 bucks to get a cup of coffee and a movie voucher. She’s into salads and coffee, not so much into movies, so I got the voucher (I paid for the $2, of course). And with $2, I was ready to watch any movie. I chose this one.

Paddington is sort of an origin story of a popular plush toy of the 1950's that I learned was based on children’s books of the same decade. The story started in Darkest Peru where an English explorer was commissioned to find a specimen of odd stuff in his expedition. He found a couple of rather civilized bears and was awed that instead of capturing them, he took care of them and in return the bears cared for him. Fast forward to many years later, there was an earthquake and a tragedy in Darkest Peru. A young bear was sent to London to have a new home and a better life. Except that London was not as the explorer described. It was not warm and welcoming. It was cold and cold. Will the bear find a home in London?

I love just about everything about this movie. The phase at which the story moved forward was brisk. The colors were vibrant. The animated Paddington was endearing. The score hit the right notes at the right time: jolly, sad, quirky at all the right places. There were things happening in the background that while not important to move the story forward made it a visual treat. The cast gave inspired performances, especially Hugh Bonneville’s “Mr. Brown”. His comic timing, especially with the dry British humor, was impeccable.

If you need (or perhaps just want?) to lift your spirits up this Christmas, go and see this movie. Watch it with your family, or with friends, or even alone. This is going to be a future Christmas classic.