Please Look After This Bear... "Paddington"

Paddington (2014)

Rated PG-13

Starring Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Madeleine Harris, Samuel Joslin, Ben Whishaw, Nicole Kidman

Directed by Paul King

The Story:

A bear named Paddington (voiced by Whishaw) finds himself in need of a home. Naturally, London is the place to be, so he sets off for England and runs into the Brown family who take him in. Naturally, what starts out as a fish out of water story becomes a tale of love and acceptance into the family. Of course, there's going to be a little bit of danger afoot first!

Okay, honestly, when I heard they were making a Paddington movie, I rolled my eyes and thought, really? The bear with the hat and coat?

Why?

Of course, I try and keep an open mind when these movies are released, and after arriving on my doorstep to groans from just about everyone, in it went.

And you know what?

It wasn't that bad.

No, nothing you haven't seen before, but good, harmless fun for the whole family.

More in the line of Stuart Little than Air Bud, so it's good for the whole family without getting on your nerves, fast!

While the bear is the star, I would like to commend Hugh Bonneville's turn as the beleaguered father who is the most reluctant to want to keep Paddington, yet gets roped into more adventures with him, and to save him, than anyone else. He's a good sport, and brings a whole lot of fun to the film.

So yes, if there's a Paddington 2, I will be there to see what happens next.

I also won't be disappointed if they don't make a sequel.

:)

Final Grade: B-

While I Can't Guarantee You've Never Heard of "Love Birds"... It's Probably Unlikely

That's a duck, not a kiwi...

The Story:

Doug (Rhys Darby) has just been dumped by his girlfriend (Faye Smythe).  It's a crushing blow for Doug, and then he finds an injured duck on his roof.  He takes it to the zoo where Holly, the vet (Sally Hawkins) refuses to take it in.  After talking to another vet (Bryan Brown), he decides to nurse the duck back to health himself.  Doug and his duck bond, and Doug's life begins to change on the romantic front.  Maybe this duck is actually a love bird...

Welcome to a cute little romantic comedy from down under, Down Under.  From New Zealand to be precise, and if memory serves, this is only the 2nd film from that country I have seen.

And it's their best.

Plus the best part, you can watch a foreign film...

Without Subtitles!!

:)

Rhys Darby is charming in the lead role.  Apparently he is a comedian in New Zealand.  Throughout the film, I thought he looked a lot like a less-defined Hugh Jackman. 

Perhaps there's something in the water down there?

Nevertheless, he pulls off leading man duties with ease, and he's rather fun with the absurdity of having a duck invade his life.

It's a fun little film with Doug taking the duck literally everywhere with him, and people not even batting an eye as he rolls the duck through a grocery store inside of the shopping cart.  Probably in New Zealand you actually could get away with that.  In America, it would be dinner...

Naturally, the course for love with Doug and Holly has complications from the get-go as she is a single mother, and then Doug's girlfriend decides that maybe she wants him back.

Oh, and one final thing I failed to mention, Doug is a huge fan of Queen.  If you enjoy the group, you'll love the soundtrack.  A lot of hits, sprinkled with one or two non-radio smashes (at least in America...)

Charming little romantic comedy that should make for a cuddly little date night.


Available to stream instantly on Netflix as of this writing.

Final Grade: B

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I could definitely watch this one again.  It's a cute little charmer with a likeable lead, and an adorable duck.  My daughter walked in while I had this on and she got all kinds of excited.  "Duck! Duck!"  Adorable.