“Paddington 2” is, simply put, a blessing. Just as the first “Paddington” captivated and delighted audiences of all ages around the world, “Paddington 2” — co-writer/director Paul King‘s marvellously rousing, deeply satisfying sequel — is not only another warm, friendly, massively good-natured family-friendly film, but it’s deeply caring, here to give everyone a light and entertaining diversion during these taxing times.
As charming, wonderful and lovely as the first “Paddington” movie was in early 2015, “Paddington 2” is even more comforting and rewarding in 2018. Its wholehearted, adorably decent-minded message of kindness, sincerity and acceptance are far from groundbreaking. But in our darkening world, such thinking is rare. Sometimes, we need a little furry, blue-coated bear to remind us of our humanity.
Now living comfortably in England with his human family the Browns (Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Madeline Harris and Samuel Joslin), and (mostly) well-regarded by his neighbors, Paddington (voiced with tender resonance by Ben Whishaw) is less an oddity and more of a beloved, now-common fixture, helping his friends in their daily commutes and seeing the absolute good in everyone who crosses his path. It’s a simple, marmalade-filled life, if not without the occasional challenge. Searching for the perfect gift for his Aunt Lucy (voiced by Imelda Staunton), who adopted and raised the cub in the jungles of Peru to be the respectful, very polite bear he is today, Paddington discovers a very nice pop-up book of London, the place Aunt Lucy planned to go to before becoming Paddington’s adoring guardian. But there’s a catch: since it’s very rare, it’s also quite expensive. Paddington doesn’t have nearly enough money.
Vowing to dutifully earn the funds, Paddington works to get the perfect birthday gift for Aunt Lucy. After all, it’s not every day you turn 100. But in his money-earning pursuits, Paddington unwillingly attracts the mischievous, undesirable attention of Phoenix Buchanan (Hugh Grant, positively relishing this villainous turn), a once-rich, self-proclaimed thespian actor (and Paddington’s newest neighbor) who seeks the book for more nefarious purposes. Through an altercation at the store late one night, Paddington unwillingly gets framed with stealing the pop-up book, resulting in a prolonged prison sentence for a crime the very considerate bear certainly did not commit. He is heartbroken, but not completely deterred. Knowing the worrying Browns will do everything in their power to proclaim Paddington’s innocence, the soft-spoken, well-mannered bear tries his darnedest to earn the respect of his fellow inmates, including the salty, unsympathetic, fluffy-bearded inmate cook Knuckles McGinty (a nicely grizzled Brendan Gleeson), whose in-house meals leaves a lot to be desired. But through compassion and a healthy dose of marmalade, Paddington shines warmth into the slammer —and earns some unsuspecting new pals, too, along the way.
While this cuddly sequel lacks the overwhelming surprise factor of the original, “Paddington 2” nevertheless retains all the wondrous, inspired goodness and smiling spunkiness. The cheekier storyline also makes it more consistently enjoyable and energetically engaging than its predecessor, which is a nice, well-earned bonus. In fact, these “Paddington” movies are so perpetually refreshing and massively entertaining that it’s enraging that most family entertainment doesn’t even bother to come close to achieving this level of blithe fun. King’s commitment to old-fashioned slapstick comedy, admiration of bombastic wackiness, and rich, commendable attention to winningly whimsical sight gags results in a frothy family comedy that makes you wonder what if more studio movies for kids made even half the same effort.
What if they had extensive prison sequences (seemingly) inspired by a subplot in “The Grand Budapest Hotel“? What if they had a villain as prone to elaborate costume changes and quirky over-the-top disguises as Count Olaf in “A Series of Unfortunate Events“? What if they had even a tenth of the consistent cleverness of King and Simon Farnaby‘s well-shaped, well-imagined screenplay? No matter. “Paddington 2” is more than willing to fill the void with its bubbly originality. King’s newest adaptation sparkles with cunning wit, dexterous visuals, bundles of heart and, above all else, an abundance of honest sweetness. “Paddington” was a one-of-a-kind success that King has somehow duplicated. And for that, we’re enormously grateful.
Not every joke is a surefire hit, and it might be a bit too lightweight, but “Paddington 2” is an unexpected salvation from real world tribulations. “If we’re kind and polite, the world will be right,” Paddington says multiple times throughout this sequel. While that can be hard to believe, the energetic optimism of “Paddington 2” might inspire you yet. [B+]