Review: 'Paddington' starring Ben Whishaw, Nicole Kidman, and Sally Hawkins

Given that audiences have loved Michael Bond's cuddly little marmalade-loving bear Paddington for more than fifty years, one can be excused for thinking a movie would be old fashioned. The last time we saw a talking teddy bear on screen it was the in the decidedly vulgar Ted, and Paddington is about as sweet as they come. He's everybody's favorite cute and proper bear from the jungles of Peru with a heart of pure gold, and the film expertly manages to be adorable and completely enjoyable without making Paddington "edgy".

For good reason there was reason to give Paddington a dubious look, with curiously awkward teasers and Colin Firth's departure deep into production. But writer/director Paul King (of the surreal British comedy Bunny and the Bull) and Harry Potter producer David Heyman have gone out of their way to enhance our childhood memories of Paddington rather than tarnish them the way so many other nostalgia pieces have done. Speaking of nostalgia, the film kicks off with a black & white serial reel set in darkest Peru where an explorer encounters a species of "civilized" bears. After making their acquaintance and leaving behind his favorite red hat, the explorer promises them a warm welcome if they should ever be in London. But why would a bear ever be in London for a vacation? Years later, a then-unnamed Paddington (voiced by Ben Whishaw) is living a charmed jungle life with his Uncle Pastuzo (Michael Gambon) and Aunt Lucy (Imelda Staunton), relaxing and eating marmalade by the jarful until an earthquake tragically upends his world. The only thing to do? Take the explorer up on his offer and head to London.

But things are not as welcome as Paddington thought, and here the film begins to split into a few different paths that all mesh gracefully. First there's the silly childish humor as apparently Londoners don't think a talking bear hanging out in train stations is a big deal. In fact they're kind of rude, and here is where Paddington's immigrant story begins.  He's a stranger in a strange land, and finding that acceptance is harder to come by than he was led to believe. All of that changes when he meets the quirky Brown clan, who also scoot right on by him initially. The overly cautious patriarch, Henry (Hugh Bonneville), thinks Paddington is a shady salesman but his upbeat wife Mary (Sally Hawkins) is willing to give the bear a shot. Along with their two children Jonathan (Samuel Joslin) and Judy (Madeleine Harris), plus nanny Mrs. Bird (Julie Walters), the Browns welcome Paddington into their home. While the goal is to help Paddington find the explorer, you won't be surprised to learn the family comes to love their furry houseguest despite all of the trouble he causes.

And cause trouble he does. King occasionally goes overboard with the amount of messy slapstick humor which has Paddington flying through the air and breaking just about everything in sight. A trip to the bathroom ends in a flood only Noah could appreciate; and common household items are either shoved into waxy ears or destroyed outright. It's the kind of stuff kids will love but adults may grow tired of before long. Fortunately there's a better subplot involving Nicole Kidman's villainous taxidermist who wants to stuff and mount Paddington on her wall (itself quite a visual gag). Kidman hasn't had a role this fun in a while and she makes for a devilishly fun Cruella de Vil-style nemesis. But what makes her so interesting is that she has reason for wanting to make Paddington her latest trophy, and the espionage tactics (think Mission: Impossible) used to get him are always worth a laugh. What doesn't work so well is every scene she shares with Doctor Who himself, Peter Capaldi, who plays a nosy lovestruck neighbor. It feels too separate from the central plots and never really goes anywhere satisfying.

While making the switch to live-action could have proven problematic, Paddington is both wonderfully detailed and visually resplendent. From the moment you see the little bear in action it's impossible not to love him, especially when combined with Whishaw's cooing vocals. A relatively small production budget hasn't prevented King or the visual effects maestros at Framestore from creating a vibrant and stylish world as big as Paddington's heart. The best thing about Paddington, outside of the cast and the belly laughs it delivers, is that it's truly a family film everybody can love. It's uncommonly, unbearable good.

 Rating: 4 out of 5

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Review: George Clooney's 'The Monuments Men' Starring Matt Damon, Cate Blanchett, and Bill Murray

George Clooney's The Monuments Men is about as fun as sitting through a two-hour art history lecture. If that sounds enjoyable to you, then this is a film worth dropping some coin on, but everyone else will probably walk away feeling it's somewhat unexceptional. Clooney, who has always had a fondness for history, whether it's in the entertainment, sports, or political realm, shows his deep passion for priceless works of art and utmost respect for the real life WWII unit tasked with protecting them. But despite an incredible story and an Ocean's Eleven-inspired cast, The Monuments Men is cold and lifeless as a statue.

The problems don't lie with the story, which is adventurous and somewhat unbelievable in the way the best true stories are. It follows the Monuments Men, a unit of art curators and historians tasked by President Franklin Roosevelt to retrieve and protect some of the finest works of art stolen by that art-lovin' fiend, Adolf Hitler. Clooney gets the flattest role of all as Frank Stokes, the leader of the group who, after convincing the President to greenlight his little squad, is pretty much left to his own devices. So he assembles his unit full art geeks, sculptors, and curators, but certainly no combatants which could be a problem out on the battlefield. Bill Murray, John Goodman, Matt Damon, Bob Balaban, Hugh Bonneville, and Jean Dujardin make up this squad of misfits, which is put together so hastily that we learn practically nothing of who they are out of uniform.

It's a problem that stretches on as the story takes its odd shape. Almost as soon as the old guys clear basic training, they are immediately separated and sent to different corners of Europe, killing any momentum and the chance to build a believable camaraderie. These missions prove to be extremely random and uninvolved for the most part, and isn't helped by an unsure tone stuck between harsh reality and Clooney's natural flip sense of humor.  A look back at the film's somewhat troubled production shows that Clooney has always been concerned about hitting the right tonal balance, and apparently it's something he never quite mastered. The brutality of war too often bangs up against moments clearly meant to be played for laughs, so that when characters pay the ultimate price (it happens on a couple of occasions), it's tough to take seriously despite Alexandre Desplat's tear-jerking score telling us to.

Some of this could be overlooked if there seemed to be any rhyme or reason to the Monument Men's investigations, but there doesn't seem to be. They luck into most of their biggest finds and do very little in the way of research, which is an issue if these are supposed to be the best art minds we can muster for the task. Most of the men don't have any clear goal or sense of direction, and Stokes basically plays centerfield vaguely watching over them all without any direct action. The only one who gets something to work with is Damon as James Granger. Sent to the newly-freed Paris, he meets up with suspicious French rebel Claire Simone, who has been undercover with the Nazis and knows where all the art has been taken. There's a hint of sexual tension as Granger tries to convince her to reveal what she knows, and it's about as close as we get to genuine emotional bonding.  She's pretty much the only female in the movie and one can't help but wish she and Damon had a bit more time together to take things further.

Clooney means well, and through soaring speeches he makes the case for the importance of culture, and how it should never be allowed to vanish in the face of war. As a central theme it's one of real value, now more than ever, but it's easy to overlook because the film is such a thudding bore. In his biggest film to date, Clooney presents an authentic version of the period, and really seems to hit on the loneliness of a soldier out on the frontline. His respect for the material and the real people involved sometimes comes off as overly earnest, but let's be honest in that all of Clooney's work has that tendency. It's to Clooney's credit that his passion runs so deep for this little-known piece of our history, but The Monuments Men is no work of art and perhaps would be better off as a documentary or TV series where it can be done proper justice.

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