Film Review: Mr Popper's Penguins

Mr Popper’s Penguins. Rated G. 94 minutes. Directed by Mark Waters. Screenplay by Sean Anders, John Morris and Jared Stern. Based on the novel by Richard and Florence Atwater.

It’s always interesting discovering what ‘Consumer Advice’ needs to accompany a film review. Consumer advice consists of those words we all recognise like “action violence and coarse language” – words that let you know how racy, violent or foul-mouthed the film in question is so that you can make an informed choice about whether to go along or not.

With Mr Popper’s Penguins, we don’t have to warn you about anything – because here is a completely charming film that, if nothing else, serves to remind us how utterly obsessed Hollywood has become with blowing stuff up. And swearing about it all the time. When they’re not having sex. In 3D.

When Tom Popper’s (Jim Carrey) rise up the corporate property development ladder suddenly depends on the acquisition of a quaint and historic restaurant run by Mrs Van Gundy (Angela Lansbury), he begins a charm offensive to rattle the old girl into selling up. But when Tom’s explorer father dies and sends him a rare penguin as a parting gift, Tom discovers that there is a good deal more to living a good life than clinching the deal.

Even though the novel on which the screenplay is based was first published in 1938, the extent to which the story remains relevant to audiences today is, frankly, quite startling. Manipulative, self-obsessed corporate high-flyers hell-bent on feathering their own nest at the expense of everything (and everyone) else. Sound familiar?

From start to finish, Mr Carrey is (as usual) in complete command of the screen, and under the honest direction from Waters’ (Mean Girls) hasn’t had to rely on elastic face-pulling or manic desperation that have been the trademarks of his previous performances. That contribution is left to the supporting cast of show-stopping penguins – both real and computer-generated – that quite literally steal the show.

With references to golden age of Hollywood (courtesy of James Stewart and Charlie Chaplin), it’s clear that the filmmakers intended to escort us back to a time when good, honest storytelling was actually about something meaningful. They succeed beautifully.

This review was commissioned by the Geraldton Newspaper Group.