Movie Review

Paddington in Peru proves there’s still magic in the lovable bear’s story

Paddington (voiced by Ben Whishaw) in Paddington in Peru.

Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures

In the recent history of children’s films, one of the most unexpected joys has come from a British bear. 2014’s Paddington and 2017’s Paddington 2 showed the charms of the unassuming — and accident-prone — Paddington (voiced by Ben Whishaw), who won the hearts of his adopted family, the Browns, as well as anyone who was fortunate enough to have seen the films.

Now, in Paddington in Peru, Paddington has been summoned back to his original home of Peru after his aunt Lucy (Imelda Staunton) goes missing from the Home for Retired Bears, led by Reverend Mother (Olivia Colman). Paddington and the Brown family - father Henry (Hugh Bonneville), mother Mary (Emily Mortimer), daughter Judy (Madeleine Harris), son Jonathan (Samuel Joslin), and grandmother Mrs. Bird (Julie Walters) - all make their way around the world to try to hunt her down.

Once there, they are aided in their quest by Hunter Cabot (Antonio Banderas), a boat captain. Cabot, who is helped by his daughter, Gina (Carla Tous), is only too eager to help after he discovers that Paddington possesses a bracelet that might reveal the location of the legendary El Dorado and its vast gold treasure. This leads to an adventure even greater than the one for which Paddington and the Browns had signed up.

The announcement of the third film was met with some trepidation since Paul King, who wrote and directed the first two films, would not be returning. Thankfully, new director Dougal Watson and a trio of writers have retained enough of the magic that made the series a success thus far. The formula isn’t all that difficult to replicate - you pair Paddington’s low-key nature and bumbling ways with the supportive Browns and a nefarious character or two - but it’s the execution that can be tricky.

Like the previous films, the power of many of the jokes come from how straightforwardly they’re told. The Britishness of most of the main characters means that they often come straight to the point, and it’s this bluntness that makes what they’re saying even funnier. The filmmakers pair this with sight gags and other elements which are also obvious, but in a very good way.

The one thing that does come up short is the details that King and his team did so well. The adventure, while entertaining, seems to lack the same whimsical specifics that made the first two films so fantastic. There are a few key reveals along the way that might have had more of an impact if they were accompanied by a little more clever storytelling.

Whishaw, as always, gives an understated performance that somehow makes Paddington even cuter. Bonneville and Mortimer (stepping in after Sally Hawkins declined to reprise her role) make a delightful pairing, and Walter is the spitfire she usually is. The addition of Colman and Banderas elevates the film even further, even if their roles are not as great as previous one-off stars like Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant.

Paddington in Peru is the third best film in the series, but only because the first two films made it nearly impossible to measure up. With characters that keep the laughs coming and a story that’s good enough, the film has plenty to give to justify it coming back for more sequels in the future.

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Paddington in Peru is now playing in theaters.

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Movie Review

The Only Living Pickpocket in New York lifts big rewards from small stakes

Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

John Turturro in The Only Living Pickpocket in New York.

John Turturro is one of those people who embodies the term “character actor” the best. With over 120 credits in his nearly 50-year career, Turturro has rarely been the star of any of his projects. Instead, filmmakers have mostly used his unique face, New York accent, and inimitable acting style to help support the lead actors, a role for which Turturro seems well-suited.

Now 69, Turturro is taking the reins in The Only Living Pickpocket in New York, playing Harry, a long-in-the-tooth thief who still has skills but not as many opportunities. The plucking of wallets isn’t as lucrative in the mostly-cashless modern society, and Harry has little use for smartphones since he doesn’t know how to use them. However, a rare opportunity presents itself when he happens upon Dylan (Will Price), a young man who seems to be as oblivious as he is rich.

After a clever robbery of Dylan’s vintage car, though, Harry discovers he might be in over his head, especially when he finds a card-shaped USB drive. It's the contents of the drive that soon puts Harry and anyone around him in danger, including his wife, Rosie (Karina Arroyave), who’s suffering from unresponsive wakefulness syndrome; Ben (Steve Buscemi), who helps Harry sell stolen items; and even his estranged daughter Kelly (Tatiana Maslany).

Written and directed by Noah Segan, the film is a low-key thriller made to emulate the tempo of Harry’s life. While one of the plot points puts a degree of urgency into his actions, for the most part Harry is someone for whom slow and steady always wins the race. He is someone who has developed relationships over decades, including with NYPD Detective Warren (Giancarlo Esposito), and it’s those bonds that help him make it through each day.

Even though Harry is a criminal, the film treats him as an overall good guy, especially through the way he takes care of Rosie and the generosity he displays with his (stolen) money. Almost no one has a bad thing to say about him, and so Segan comes up with a couple of ways to give him more depth. His one scene with Kelly does the trick, providing a glimpse into a lesser man who clearly existed at one time.

One of the pleasures of the film for longtime movie fans are the reunions Turturro has with Buscemi (his co-star in The Big Lebowski) and Esposito (his co-star in Do the Right Thing). All three could be all-stars on a team of character actors, with each having made big impressions in all sorts of roles over the past 40 years. Seeing them back together again as very different characters from when they last collaborated underscores the level of talent each of them has.

Turturro ably carries the load in the lead role, but given his acting style and the type of role he’s called to play, his performance is far from showy. The same goes for Buscemi and Esposito, who are there to give great support to the classic supporting actor. When someone does go over-the-top, as Price does in most of his scenes, it stands out in a bad way. Maslany scores a lot of points in her brief appearance.

The Only Living Pickpocket in New York is a quiet film with big rewards despite its small ambitions. The beauty of the story lies in its small details, both character-related and not. Turturro rarely disappoints when he’s not the lead actor, and he demonstrates that he’s equally capable of making a movie great when he’s out front.

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The Only Living Pickpocket in New York opens in theaters on October 30.

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