Film Review: Paddington in Peru

Paddington in Peru
Director: Dougal Wilson
StudioCanal, Columbia Pictures, Stage 6 Films, Kinoshita Group, Marmalade Pictures
In Theaters: 02.14.25

There is a widespread sentiment about children’s media, that while a film may not be good, it’s good for kids. I disagree: Art is there for us. If the art is desensitized and dull and droning, it’s not there for us. Sure, you could stick a kid in front of flashing colors and they’ll be entertained, but they won’t feel understood. As much as we resent Disney adults, they’ve felt heard by those films since they were kids. 

A lot of children’s films fall into that category of droning, flashing lights, but the Paddington films have consistently stood out as clever, unique and brilliant kid’s films. Paddington is full of creative ideas — like how the film’s calypso band appears, playing the film’s score to the audience — while still having charming, Charlie Chaplin-like slapstick moments and some of the best antagonists in recent kid’s entertainment.

Paddington in Peru follows the Brown family’s visit to Paddington’s aunt Lucy in — you guessed it! — Peru, only to find that she’s gone missing in search for El Dorado, the mythical city of gold. The Browns enlist the help of a local boat captain and his daughter to find her.

What stands out the most about Paddington in Peru is the casting of Mrs. Brown, once played by the warm and understated Sally Hawkins (The Shape of Water, Wonka) and now portrayed by Emily Mortimer (Lars and the Real Girl, Mary Poppins Returns). Mortimer is fine, but her performance matches better with standard, embarrassingly loving mother characters (think Rachael Harris in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid films) than it does with what’s to be expected from Mrs. Brown, who has stood as a calming, loving and subdued character in the first two films that ground the absurd cast.

The returning cast is as good as they’ve been in prior installments. Hugh Bonneville (Notting Hill, Downton Abbey) as Mr. Brown has suffered from flanderization, a term from The Simpsons that describes the slow change from a character’s grounded personality to becoming the most extreme version of their personality. He’s more nervous and neurotic than ever before, but he still delivers a very enjoyable performance. The grown up Brown kids, Samuel Joslin (Paddington, Paddington 2) and Madeleine Harris (Paddington, Paddington 2), are more awkward than they were in earlier films. The standout performances here are Olivia Colman (The Favourite, Hot Fuzz) and Antonio Banderas (Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, Desperado), who play two of the franchise’s most likeable and compelling villains, Coleman as the Reverend Mother of the Home for Retired Bears and Banderas as Hunter Cabot, guide through the Amazon. Banderas leans into the physical comedy of his role and lets the costumes do the work in some of his scenes.

Flanderization is the best word I can use to describe Paddington in Peru. It plays much more with the slapstick humor of the franchise’s history, but it plays with it too much. The wackiness is turned up to 11. Paddington 2 had a good mix of written, visual and slapstick gags that made for a more rounded, witty film that’s not going to bore you or your toddler. 

The weird thing about Paddington in Peru is that, in spite of the spike in insanity, it will bore your toddler. There’s a lot of lows in the film, like scenes in which people just explain the main conflict in really unengaging and thoughtless ways. It’s not like the previous Paddington films have never had exposition, but they always found ways to keep the plot moving and never dwelled on the minutiae of it. 

That’s the sacrifice director Dougal Wilson made when moving the film out of London. There’s something relatable about the mystery in Paddington 2 because the setting doesn’t allow the film to go balls-to-the-wall. The way earlier films built excitement around London set pieces with dogs or skateboards or markets was so charming. The final set piece of Paddington in Peru is the ruins of an ancient civilization, and while there’s plenty of good jokes and exciting moments, it just doesn’t really feel like Paddington to me. Yes, it’s fun to watch Paddington mimic Indiana Jones’ boulder chase while riding a llama, but it doesn’t feel right.

That said, I still had a fantastic time with the film. The distinct Paddington charm is still there. He’s still a lovable little bear that brings out the best in people, and to the film’s credit, it uses its Peruvian setting to make an interesting statement on immigration and what we consider home. As always, Paddington in Peru will make you feel seen. —B. Allan Johnson

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