Paddington in Peru is the third installment in one of my favorite franchises, following the whimsical little Peruvian bear Paddington. This time, he and the Brown family travel to Peru to visit his Aunt Lucy after hearing how much she misses him, only to find she is missing from the Home for Retired Bears. Paddington and his family must embark on a journey into the Amazon to rescue her while evading greedy gold hunters looking for the lost city of El Dorado. While I found this entry to be an overall step down from the past movies, there is still a lot to like with Paddington in Peru.
Starting with the cast. Ben Whishaw continues to excel as the voice of Paddington. He remains charming as ever as he bumbles and stumbles his way through the streets of London or the jungles of Peru, leaving such a lasting impact on everyone he meets. The animation for Paddington and all the bears was still incredible looking, as this movie overall looked very impressive.
The introductions of Olivia Colman and Antonio Banderas were home runs. Colman plays the Reverand Mother, the head of the Home for Retired Bears. From her first seconds on screen, she steals every second of screen time. It is clear that she was having a blast making this movie and that joy really explodes on the screen. She sings a wonderfully infectious song that sets the bar for her performance and it never dips below those highs. The same goes for Banderas. He plays a boat captain who comes from a long lineage of gold hunters who helps transport the Browns through the Amazon. He is mischievous and a bit looney, but he fits perfectly into this movie. He has a daughter Gina played by Carla Tous, and their emotional arc throughout the movie gives the story even more depth.
As for the Browns, I felt like they took a backseat this time around. Their story involved Mrs. Brown feeling like she was losing touch with the rest of her family as they kept growing up while Mr. Brown felt inspired by work to take more risks against his better nature. I just didn’t connect well with their personal journey, probably because both of those story beats have been done before better. The movie tried to balance all the different subplots and theirs just felt the most shallow. Sally Hawkins did not come back for this installment, being replaced by Emily Mortimer, who does a good job, but maybe not having the continuity played a part in why I couldn’t connect with them.
Also not returning was director Paul King. He directed the first two movies and then left, working on projects like Wonka. In his place came Dougal Wilson, someone who’s primarily worked in music video direction. To Wilson’s credit, he does capture a lot of the whimsy that makes the Paddington movies so easy to love. It is hard to follow up on Paddington 2, which for the longest time had a perfect 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. Wilson upped the slapstick humor and the bits that worked in some places and didn’t elsewhere, but in a theater full of families with their little children, the comedy was getting a ton of laughs from them, just not me.
FINAL THOUGHTS
While I might think Paddington in Peru is a step down from the first two movies, it is still a very good family movie. It is still full of charm and whimsy as Ben Whishaw continues to bring that British charm to the lovable bear. Newcomers Oliva Colman and Antonio Banderas stole the show and I was engaged for the entire adventure. Bring your family to come see the newest Paddington movie.
4/5
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I've always been a movie fan, but I first got big into cinema watching Whiplash when I was younger. That movie led to a greater appreciation of films and got me to dive into the medium. My favorite genre is horror movies, but I’ll always have a secret soft spot for rom coms and musicals. When I'm not podcasting or watching movies, I love working out and going hiking, and I currently work in business analytics with the degree I got from Western New England University.
MY FAVORITE MOVIES: Good Will Hunting, Spiderman: Into The Spiderverse, Whiplash, Moneyball, Top Gun: Maverick