Mr. Popper's Penguins [G]

Mr. Tom Popper is a man who has hit a wall in life. He lives for his work, he’s divorced, and he can no longer properly relate to his kids. But that changes when his explorer father passes away and sends him one final souvenir: a real penguin. Unable and unwilling to take care of this new pet, Popper tries to send the bird back, but due to a miscommunication, ends up with six penguins in his apartment. They’re loud, they bite, and are absolute trouble, but they might just be what Popper needs to get his life back on track. 

Based on a children’s book, which I have never read nor indeed heard of, Mr. Popper’s Penguins was a cute, but silly little film, almost like a cross between Night at the Museum and Bedtime Stories. 

Mr. Tom Popper is a man who has hit a wall in his life. He lives for his work, he’s divorced but still in love with his ex-wife, and he can no longer properly relate to his kids. But that all changes when his explorer father passes away and sends him one final souvenir: a real penguin. Unable and unwilling to take care of this new pet, Popper tries to send the bird back, but due to a miscommunication, ends up with six penguins in his apartment. They’re loud, they bite, they give him no privacy, and are just general trouble, but they might just be what Popper needs to rediscover love and get his life back on track. 

When I say that this film is a sort of cross between Night at the Museum and Bedtime Stories, I mean that it is set against the backdrop of a more adult situation: the whole divorced parent who only sees his kids on certain weekends, similar to Night at the Museum and it’s a silly and childish catalyst that causes the hero to change and go on a journey of self-discovery, like Bedtime Stories. 

I think my only major beef with this film was the fact that everything moved a bit too quickly, but at the same time, too subtly and smoothly. There was no real shock or jolt into the meat of the story and journey of self-discovery, indeed even the arrival of the first penguin did not really seem all that engaging. So, yes, I think that we could say there was a lack of real initial engagement. It was all sort of “huh” and that was it. 

Having said that, the animated penguins were rather cute and the script did harbour some very clever and funny treats, the major one being Popper’s assistant with her most amazing alliteration. Watch out for that! 

Starring Jim Carrey, who just seemed to breeze through the whole thing and not try very hard at all, Carla Gugino, Ophelia Lovibond, Madeline Carroll, Clark Gregg, Jeffrey Tambor, David Krumholtz, Maxwell Perry Cotton, and Angela Lansbury, Mr. Popper’s Penguins was a cute, but admittedly silly little film filled with penguins, ice, noise, comedy, and love. It’s cute and all, but I don’t think it’s a film that I would watch again any time soon.