Paddington 2: The Best Thing Since Paddington

Paddington 2 is quite possibly the nicest film ever made and it is filled to the brim with likable characters, inventive set pieces and Brendan Gleeson being bonked by a baguette. The 100% Rotten Tomatoes score is justified and even though there is a lot of hyperbole around the sequel I think it has earned the praise. Very rarely do films manage to uplift, entertain and put a smile on your face that won’t leave. I can’t think of the last time I left a theater so happy and that is testament to writer/director Paul King and writer Simon Farnaby. King does a fine job balancing a PG Wes Anderson-esque tone while making everyone look great in pink prison outfits.

You need to watch the visiting room clip.

Paddington 2 focuses on everyone’s favorite South American bear getting used to his life in London and trying to find ways to buy a beautiful pop-up book that he can send to his aunt in Peru. After a fateful meeting with a pompous actor named Phoenix Buchanon (Hugh Grant – nails it), the priceless book is stolen and Paddington becomes the main suspect. After a quick trial, Paddington finds himself in prison which allows Phoenix to freely follow the treasure map that is housed in the book. The money from the treasure will get the penniless Phoenix the money he needs to stage his comeback one-man show which will most certainly involve lots of pomp and wardrobe changes (I’d love to see it).

The rest of the film focuses on Paddington’s adopted family trying to clear his name and find the book that Phoenix has in his possession. In their quest they meet a coffee drinking security guard (Simon Barnaby), infiltrate Phoenix’s home and allow Hugh Bonneville to look awesome.

Paddington’s time in prison is anything but hard as he quickly wins all the prisoners over and soon has them cooking delicious food in the surprisingly stocked kitchen. The key to making prison better was winning over the feared Knuckles McGinty (Brendan Gleeson) with his delicious marmalade sandwich recipe and overall kindness. Eventually, Knuckles and several other prisoners stage an escape (think Grand Budapest Hotel) to allow Paddington to clear his name and get that sweet book back for his aunt. From there, it’s all very likable and ends up with a very fun set piece aboard a train.

Paddington 2 is a very nice film that swings for the fences and never feels lazy. It could’ve easily rested on the first films success, but instead embraces making everything more of the same but different (that is good). If you are looking for a very fun movie that will leave a smile on your face they don’t get any better than Paddington 2.