Mr. Popper’s Penguins is a charming and well-crafted confection. Sentimental and appropriate for children, but not too square, it is buoyed by two fine talents--the elastic-faced, incredibly talented Jim Carrey and sharp-eyed journeyman director Mark Waters (Mean Girls)--both of whom invest a great deal of creativity, heart, and energy into the lightweight, whimsical material. It is easy to imagine a disastrous version of this film with, say, Adam Sandler or Kevin James cast opposite the six flightless birds and one of the dull "directors"/babysitters from the Happy Madison roster at the helm. The studio found the right men for the job.

A brief prologue establishes the title character's strained relationship with his father, an eccentric explorer whose ham radio messages home become more and more erratic as time goes on, before jumping forward to the present day, where Popper, now played by Carrey, is an ambitious and cunning quick riser in the New York City real estate industry. He follows mainstream-Hollywood conventions by living in a luxurious, sparsely decorated high-rise apartment and neglecting his son (Maxwell Perry Cotton) and daughter (Madeline Carroll). The sharply dressed career man who needs a lesson in tenderness, humility, and imagination, played many times before by countless other actors, including Robin Williams in Hook and Nicolas Cage in The Family Man, and also Carrey himself in Liar Liar. Popper's life is turned upside down when his father dies in Antarctica and bequeaths him six gentoo penguins. Various hijinks and uplifting messages ensue. It's a loose adaptation of the beloved children's classic by Richard and Florence Atwater.

The trajectory of Mr. Popper's Penguins is predictable--spoiler alert, none of the penguins die and Popper isn't further estranged from his children by the time the end credits roll--but the ride is far more pleasant than I expected. Carrey truly does deliver here. He's in fine comic form. The exaggerated expressions, the surely improvised one-liners and quirks, etc. For example, there's a perfectly played bit where he imitates action-movie super-slow-motion running.

Though it's always nice to see him challenge himself in films such as The Truman Show, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and last year's underrated I Love You Phillip Morris, it's also a treat to see him set free in a big-budget comedy playground. There are no real rules here. Much of the film is him, the penguins, and the vast apartment set, and it's driven by how adorable they are and how much energy and motion he can create. Carrey seems to relish the opportunities afforded, and there's not a single dull moment to be found. He also shares a strong chemistry with the two youngsters playing his children, particularly Madeline Carroll as the daughter, whose early-teenage-years mood swings are the source of many a joke.

Lots of recognizable faces people the supporting cast--Carla Gugino as Popper's affectionate ex-wife, David Krumholtz as a nosy neighbor, Clark Gregg as as a quasi-villainous zoo official, and the venerable Angela Lansbury as the owner of the Tavern on the Green (which, in the world of the film, is still a privately owned restaurant, a symbol of innocence and nostalgia amidst a society growing more and more cynical)--but the real scene stealer is a young actress named Ophelia Lovibond. She plays Popper's quirky, upbeat personal assistant, an alliteration-fixated woman whose every sentence is an intricate celebration of words starting with the letter "p." A very winning supporting character who I wish was in the film even more.

Mark Waters and cinematographer Florian Ballhaus nicely capture wintertime New York and conceive a handful of memorable set pieces, the highlight being the penguins interrupting a charity event at the Guggenheim, sliding down those spiraling interior walkways. Another poignant touch in this fantasy: the birds fall hard for Charlie Chaplin movies, as if they recognize in the screen icon a kindred spirit.

This may not be a significant film, and it won't win any year-end awards, etc., etc., but I did rather fall for it. Maybe it was because I watched it right after the soulless, often tedious Green Lantern, and no doubt it's partly because of my eternal admiration and nostalgic fondness for Jim Carrey, but I had a great time. It's sweet, very fun and funny, and easy to recommend.

B+

You actually saw this? And really liked it?

Of course I saw it. Jim Carrey is one of my favorite actors.

Lots of critics enjoyed it, too. (Note, for example, the positive review in your favorite pop-culture tome, Entertainment Weekly.) It does what it sets out to do very well. A sweet, funny family film.

A person who wants to see Dolphin Tale perhaps shouldn't throw stones.

I have to disclose up front that I hated the TV trailers for Mr. Poppers Penguins, but had decided to see it regardless because I had heard that in the role of of Mrs. Van Gundy, none other than Angela Lansbury had been cast!

This is is her eighth decade of film performance - - anyone who's seen even a handful of her multitude of roles over the decades (eg: any of her three Oscar nominated performances), knows her ageless beguiling charm.


...that's the state of mind I went into my screening of Mr. Poppers Penguins tonight.


So as an Angela Lansbury fanboy, I have to celebrate her veteran talent to know when her performance needs to be sharply edited - - it's in direct service to the hyperactive retro New York screwball comedy style that comes off note perfect. Sure, I would have liked to see Angela stretch her acting wings once more, but I was still thrilled to see her brilliantly conducted clips. This whole movie is told at an exhilarating accelerating tempo. All the actors are sampled in the service of the rhythms of the script.

Mr. Poppers Penguins almost ends up being an all out musical of comic action, it's timing is simply exquisite.

All the actors were splendid - - though I especially dug Ophelia Lovibond as the alliteration adoring Pippi - - and Jim Carrey really was in tremendous form here. A very sharp performance with an often very biting edge.

Mr. Poppers Penguins is a very pure form of film comedy - - it's surely going straight into the Eternal Hall of Timeless Films!!!!!



65 out of 5.

You know, I thought you'd like this film Bradley.

I could be an old softie, but Jim Carrey + Unruly Penguins sounds awesome. And I am serious.

Just saw this. Everything Gunslinger said is how I feel. Except I vote for a solid A. Of course, I'm easily pleased, and therefore a very easy grader; I grade based on how entertained I am as opposed to whether it was a "been there, done that", which it was, but it was done in a style that... yeah, was great.

Of course, I have to be a bit soft on a movie that so proudly presents a plenitude of perfectly penned alliteration.

Best thing about the showing we were at is we were in a 90-seater that has up-to-date sound and digital projection... and we were the only two people in there. So we felt more comfortable about laughing and were able to comment on things and squeal like little girls every time a penguin did something cute, which was about every five seconds.

I am buying this the day it comes out on DVD. I'm really looking forward to seeing some bloopers; they've GOT to have a blooper reel.

That's a funny thing about me - - I like good movies.