17/18
Paddington returns to Peru to visit his beloved Aunt Lucy, who now lives at the Retirement Bear Home. As the Brown family gathers, a thrilling adventure ensues as a mystery takes them on an unexpected journey. Paul King, the director of the previous two films, decided not to direct this installment. However, he pitched the idea for this third film and is on board as an executive producer. The Graham Norton Show: Billy Crystal / Emily Mortimer / Hugh Bonneville / Pharrell Williams / Michael Kiwanuka (2024). If, like me, you agree that the first two Paddington films are some of the best films ever made, this will be both a pleasure and a disappointment. Because it’s not about Paddington adjusting to life with his family in London or how a normal family adjusts to life with a bear, it loses its original charm and, of course, its humor. It’s just another jungle adventure movie… but with a bear. It has a different feel to it – more sentimental and noticeably less funny. While the first two were fun for a jaded old Marx Brothers fan like me, this one is definitely more of a family film, clearly aimed at kids. I could say we need more of the Brown family and their neighbors… You could also say we need Sally Hawkins, whatever that means. We had all that in the first two and since they were… dare I say it, perfect, there would be no point in trying to copy them. So yes, it’s different, it’s terribly over-sentimental at times and nothing that funny, but it’s still Paddington. Regular family entertainment, not fun, weird cuteness.