Movies Reviews

Mr. Popper’s Penguins – Movie Review

By Anne Brodie Jun 16, 2011, 15:19 GMT

Based on the classic 1938 children\'s book that tells the story of a house painter, Mr. Popper, whose fantasies of exploring the Arctic lead him to come into possession of twelve Adelie penguins. In the film, Mr. Popper (Jim Carrey) is a high-powered, New York business man who suddenly inherits six penguins and must deal with the difficulties, at home and at work, of taking care of the animals.   ...more

Jim Carrey’s is back in top comic shape as Popper, a pied piper of penguins, able to express the  maturity of a man of his years while magically, effortlessly, retaining that rubber faced enthusiasm that got him his meteoric rise in showbiz. 

It’s lovely to see.  You can laugh at him and you can take him seriously, and he’s completely at ease in the CGI world of penguins in the big city.

He’s Popper, a harried separated father of two who receives a bequest of live penguins.  Sure, he’s a real estate developer/lawyer and lives in a chrome and glass Manhattan loft and has no means of supporting penguins but he’s determined to try.

They are his last connection to his father who abandoned the family to embark on international adventures.  While he still feels anger and hurt, he nurses a soft spot in his heart for the man.  He’s unconsciously repeating his life, living apart from his family and in distant, unsuccessful relationships with his wife and two kids.

But it’s not just the father thing that draws him to the penguins – it’s the delight his children take in them and the fact that they actually want to be with him to be with them.  Kind of cynical, okay, but, it’s a start.  And soon, drawn to penguins soon becomes his passion. 

Popper’s prestige as a dealmaker at work suffers because he’d rather stay home and watch an egg hatch, and avoid the emotional issues raised when he’s instructed to buy the toney Tavern on the Green for a condo development.  His father used to take him there. 

And then there is Angela Lansbury from whom he’s been assigned to buy the place. She absolutely owns the screen when she appears, even when she shares it with attention hog Carrey.  And I mean that in the best possible way.

Popper transforms his condo into a wintry south pole-y installation, there’s snow on the floor, ice cubes in the tub, and nesting places in the fridge and of course the toilet for a gross out but fun swirl.  Parkas and patience are de riguer for humans and the penguins seem to be thriving in their mutual bond. 

But as in movies, along come villains to complicate Popper’s chilly little world of love.  But mean landlords, conniving doormen and criminal zoo staff aside, nothing is stronger than love, even the love between a man and his penguins.  Thank you Fox for not giving us sappy close-ups of anyone tearing up.  That was a nice gesture.

Mr. Popper’s Penguins is an ideal summer time waster. It’s entertaining, sunny, funny and just ridiculous enough to take it a step above other kid fare this season.  

Adults will appreciate Lansbury (!) and the relationship angles and everyone will be charmed by Carrey’s evergreen comedy stylings. 

Visit the movie database for more information.

35mm comedy
Written by Sean Anders, John Morris, et al
Directed by Mark Waters
Opens: June 17
Runtime: 90 minutes
MPAA: PG
Country:  US
Language: English