Review: 'Paddington in Peru' is funny and whimsical, and nearly as good as its amazing predecessor
Perfection is such a rare commodity in movies that it’s easy to forgive “Paddington in Peru” for not being as good as its 2018 predecessor, “Paddington 2” — because the third movie in the series has plenty of charms and good humor in its own right.
This installment starts with big news for the kindly bear (voiced by Ben Whishaw), as he’s finally been given his British passport. Even though he’s now a true Englishbear, Paddington feels a bit homesick for Peru — particularly his aged Aunt Lucy (voiced by Imelda Staunton), who rescued young Paddington from a raging river and raised him like her own cub.
As fate would have it, Paddington receives a letter from the Home for Retired Bears in Peru — not from Aunt Lucy, but from the Reverend Mother (Olivia Colman) who runs the place. The Reverend Mother informs Paddington that Aunt Lucy has gone missing, and none of the nuns can leave the home to find her in the Amazonian jungle. So Paddington and his English family, the Browns, fly to Lima to start the search.
For the Browns, the trip checks a lot of boxes. Henry (Hugh Bonneville), the insurance-selling patriarch, is under pressure from his new American boss (Hayley Atwell) to “embrace risk.” Mary (Emily Browning, replacing Sally Hawkins), Henry’s wife, is feeling the early pangs of “empty nest” syndrome, with older daughter Judy (Madeleine Harris) preparing to leave for college and son Jonathan (Samuel Joslin) self-exiled to his room and his labor-saving inventions. The kids’ grandmother, Mrs. Bird (Julie Walters), comes along for the ride.
That ride is taken up the Amazon on a rickety boat owned by a veteran river pilot, Hunter Cabot (Antonio Banderas), whose daughter, Gina (Carla Tous), is the engineer. Hunter harbors a secret, though — a fever, passed down from his ancestors (all played by Banderas), to find the mythical Eldorado, the city of gold.
Director Dougal Wilson, whose resumé is in music videos, takes over from the wizardly Paul King and acquits himself well. (Having King and longtime writing partner Simon Farnaby take story credit undoubtedly helps.) The whimsical charm of this blue-coated bear with a marmalade fixation remains intact, and the movie takes time for some wonderfully absurd humor and a few sly movie references — everything from “The Sound of Music” to Buster Keaton’s “Steamboat Bill Jr.” Even the fan service at the movie’s mid-credit scene feels earned and happily offbeat.
Paddington remains a bear to be reckoned with, making his way through the world with kindness and resourcefulness — and knowing the value of a good hard stare to convince people to do the right thing. “Paddington in Peru” isn’t quite as wondrous as the first two installments, but it’s wonderful enough for these times.
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‘Paddington in Peru’
★★★1/2
Opens Friday, February 14, in theaters everywhere. Rated PG for action, mild rude humor and some thematic elements. Running time: 106 minutes.