Mr. Popper'S Penguins Movie Review

Mr. Popper’s Penguins is a dramedy directed by Mark Waters. Sean Anders Sean Anders is an American film producer, director >> Read More... , John Morris John Morris is a writer and director. He wrote the >> Read More... , and Jared Stern have co-written the script for this film. This film is based on the popular book of the same name, co-written by Richard and Florence Atwater. John Davis American film and television producer John Andrew >> Read More... has produced this film. This film is distributed under the banner of 20^th Century Fox. Florian Ballhaus is the cinematographer, while Bruce Green is the editor of this film. This film stars Jim Carrey He is undeniably one of the greatest and magnifice >> Read More... in the lead. The supporting cast of this film comprises Carla Gugino Carla Gugino is an American actress. She was born >> Read More... , Madeline Carroll Madeline Carroll was born in the year 1996. She wa >> Read More... , Maxwell Perry Cotton, Angela Lansbury, Clark Gregg Robert Clark Gregg was born on 2 April 1962. He is >> Read More... , Desmin Borges etc. The film got a theatrical release on 17 June 2011.

Plot

Tom Popper Jr., a divorced real estate entrepreneur, receives the shock of his life. His father left a ‘souvenir’ for him in his will: a penguin, straight from Antarctica! Before he can get rid of the same, Tom gets five more! Worse, he cannot dump them as his children grow fond of them. How will Tom handle this?

Star Performances

Mark Waters has done a great job in adopting a popular novel like this. He has delivered a no-nonsense family entertainer, quite rare for today’s time.

Jim Carrey as the grumpy, yet emotional protagonist is the highlight of this movie. Special mention to Angela Lansbury for her role as Mrs. Selma van Gundy.

Analysis

Imagine Uncle Scrooge in the modern era, given the charge of some penguins! That is precisely ‘Mr. Popper’s Penguins’ in a nutshell. The makers decided to give a slight, but noticeable twist to the protagonist of the popular novel.

Yet, nowhere does ‘Mr. Popper’s Penguins’ appears as drab or unimpressive. It is a cute family entertainer that everyone could go for. Like most of the Jim Carrey movies, this movie is absurd, wacky, and yet engaging in every sense of the word.

This film is also a good representation of attachment, and how taking care of penguins makes Tom Popper Jr. realize his duty towards his estranged family. This is something hardly seen nowadays in a regular Hollywood film. So full marks on that note to Mark Waters and his team of writers.

Yes, the film could have been better in certain aspects, for example, the editing, as well as the antagonist. Yet, ‘Mr. Popper’s Penguins’ is overall an above-average experience, the performances making up for most of the flaws in the film.

What's There?

• A simple, engaging narrative
• Good writing by Sean Anders, John Morris, and Jared Stern
• Brilliant performances by Jim Carrey and Angela Lansbury

What's Not There?

• Not-so-impressive editing
• Predictable tropes

Verdict

‘Mr. Popper’s Penguins’ is a cute adaptation of a popular children’s novel. Despite some minor glitches, Jim Carrey more than makes up for it with his ever-genial screen presence. You can watch it for some light-hearted entertainment.