Mr. Popper’s Penguins (2011)

Directed by: Mark Waters | 94 minutes | comedy | Actors: Carla Gugino, Jim Carrey, Madeline Carroll, Angela Lansbury, Ophelia Lovibond, Dominic Chianese, Philip Baker Hall, James Tupper, Kelli Barrett, Pepper Binkley, Maxwell Perry Cotton, Danielle McKee, Jeff Lima

Is it that waddling gait, that clumsy fluttering or the droll beak? Wherever their charm comes from, penguins have been high on lists of popular animals for years. This has also been discovered in Hollywood. A second part of the successful animation film ‘Happy Feet’ (2006) will be released later this year, but also in ‘Surf’s Up’ (2007) and the two ‘Madagascar’ films (from 2005 and 2008 – the third part will be released before 2012. the role) it is the penguins who steal the show. Filmmaker Mark Waters, known for teen comedies like ‘Freaky Friday’ (2003) and ‘Mean Girls’ (2004), thought it was about time to make a live-action film starring the droll black and white animals and used the ancient children’s book ‘Mr. . Popper’s Penguins’ by the couple Richard and Florence Atwater as the basis. Naturally, the book dating from the thirties was considerably modernized and the film is not about a poor house painter, but about a successful businessman. Crazy Pelvic King Jim Carrey stars in this predictable yet entertaining family film.

Thomas Popper Jr. (Carrey) is a slick New York real estate developer about to become a partner in the company he works for. He has one more job to do before his name is on the front of the store. That job is difficult, however: he just has to experience the old one – and tough one! – Mrs. Van Gundy (Angela Lansbury) to sell her legendary restaurant Tavern on the Green in Central Park. But then Popper’s globetrotting father dies and he inherits… a penguin. Because no authority wants to take over the animal from him, he is forced to temporarily lock the animal up in his immaculate yuppie apartment. A day later, Popper suddenly finds a chest with five more penguins in front of his door. He struggles with his hair until he discovers that his two children (Madeline Carroll and Maxwell Perry Cotton), from whom he is estranged, are very fond of the animals. Even his ex-wife Amanda (Carla Gugino) seems to be thawing. Thanks to the penguins, Popper learns what really matters in life.

A role like the one in ‘Mr. Popper’s Penguins’ fits Jim Carrey like a glove. Apparently without any effort, the comedian pulls the film to himself, although he plays rather modest for his sake and leaves most of the crazy antics to the penguins. The predictability and the unrealistic course and a sugary sweet ending, as we often see in live-action productions from Disney, reveal that this film was made for a young target group. There is only sporadic laughter for adults, especially in the dubbed version that can be seen in most Dutch halls, since puns in the original language are often sharper than when they are translated. The most concrete example is the alliterative speech impediment of Popper’s assistant (Ophelia Lovibond), who falls completely dead in Dutch. But an annoying sit is ‘Mr. Popper’s Penguins’ certainly not. As mentioned, Jim Carrey is on a roll and the other actors (including good old Angela Lansbury and Philip Baker Hall) are doing very well. The show is obviously stolen by the penguins. In addition to real, trained animals, CGI was also used, but this was done expertly so that you hardly see any difference.

It is noteworthy that 20th Century Fox releases this wintery film in the summer, but for the target group it does not matter. ‘Mr. Popper’s Penguins’ offers excellent entertainment for the whole family. Despite its predictable course and moralizing character, this print has a high entertainment value, the main attraction being Jim Carrey and his disarming penguin brood. Although he is less sharp than, for example, ‘Ace Ventura: Pet Detective’ (1995) – a film that also entails much more action and spectacle – Carrey again shows that he knows how to deal with his animalistic opponents. Not high quality, but great family entertainment.