Week 6 – Paddington

Following on from my sparse film watching last week, I tried my earnest to watch enough films to at least give me a choice in what to write about. However, I needn’t have bothered as the film that stood out to me the most this week was the first one I watched. As can be assessed, I really do love films and, what’s more, their potential to be something more than the story that they primarily pass over to us; small concepts are ultimately adorned with intricate detailing to create something quite, quite astonishing.

Comedies at face value often have ulterior motives – whether this is to highlight the double standards that the liberal communities extol on those less wealthy than themselves (Afternoon Delight, Margot at the Wedding) or to expose long-ignored truths about our relationship with race and just how deep that relationship lies (Dear White People), I get a kick to know that you can provide so much more to someone if you stick in a few jokes in between.

I think there have been far too many think-pieces written about Dear White People by white people for me to even consider writing one more, but I don’t think I would anyways, as the film that really grabbed me was, in fact, not a comedy but, once again, a children’s film.

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Paddington piqued my interest as soon as I read that Colin Firth had been replaced by Ben Whishaw as the voice of Paddington merely weeks before the release date. To be quite honest, casting the lead actor in your movie literally days before the posters go to print seems like quite the bad omen. The British film industry is often climbing an enormous, slippery hill and so a success story is taken to the hearts of everyone just as much as a bad film can dampen their spirits. The fact that Paddington Bear is so ubiquitously loved possibly made the stakes even higher so it was more relief than anything when it did so well.

The reason it did so well is simply because it is a lovely, feel-good film. So many filmmakers choose to add gravitas to the lightest of subjects (examples 1 through n: all comic book adaptations since 2008) and so it was such a delightful surprise when this film parodied that a number of times, to great effect. This film is for children after all, and to be quite honest, robbing them of joy is tantamount to stealing their innocence.



However, Paddington isn’t light on story or poignancy. Whether it was just my liberal mind-set finding its bite or not, I felt that there was a strong connotation in Paddington’s adventure to London to the current refugee crisis. His safety is not always guaranteed and it is up to the generosity of the Brown family to ensure his emigration goes as smoothly as possible. This poor bear has seen some shit, guys, and ignoring him in the train station is not going to make matters any better. The Brown family, headed by Hugh Bonneville and everyone’s low-key fave Sally Hawkins, are the average family in the not-so-average house. The day I see a realistic house in a film or TV programme is the day I will stop yelling at the screen about how this helps no one and puts fantasies and people’s head about where they should be in their own lives. It’s very detrimental to society. But I digress.

I’m not going to comment on the acting because it’s literally not bad or good – it is what you want from a children’s film; no one needs to put in an Oscar-worthy performance because you shouldn’t be desiring that from a children’s film, and if you are, you take yourself far too seriously and don’t deserve nice things. You want to know that the goodies are good and pure and the baddies are bad and stupid. However, I will say that casting Nicole Kidman as the vicious Millicent Clyde was a scientific stroke of genius. Do not let that solid turd of a movie The Golden Compass or this week's unintentional comedy Margot at the Wedding put you on the back foot – Kidman’s villain is pantomimic and fantastically so. She should have really received more praise for this.

With children’s films, all I want is to be entertained and comforted to know that this world isn’t completely awful. I got that with Paddington and you absolutely will too, unless your heart is as bitter as his sandwiches.


Films of the Week: Paddington, Margot at the Wedding, Afternoon Delight, We Are The Rileys, Dear White People