Paddington 2
Feb. 4th, 2018 09:55 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lauradi7dwThis might be the most British movie ever. I realize that is an extreme statement. We didn't see Paddington 1, but heard only good things about this sequel, and we finally had a chance to go. Everywhere in London looked fabulous (like usual, only cleaner and less crowded). There were steam trains. Scads of well-known actors. At the 5 PM show, there were many children in the audience, but honestly, I think it was made for adults. What kid is going to be amused that the character played by Ben Miller was retired from the RAF? (actually, Arthur is an adult and had no idea why I thought that was funny). (slight spoiler follows) I hope most children would not have had the experience of seeing two movies within a short time span that had Sally Hawkins interacting underwater with a non-human. (no sexual activity involved in this case). A visual shout-out to "Modern Times." No bells, unfortunately.
The basic plot is that one should be kind. An ongoing thread was the xenophobic attitudes and behavior of one of the Browns' neighbors, but we are shown all along that things are best when everyone works together, enjoying Britain's diversity.
Arthur warned me in advance that there would be slapstick. Yup, but I found further data to back up my claim that children have to be taught that pain is supposed to be funny. There was a long physics-filled section (not stated that way - it's just what I was thinking at the time) in which Paddington is being a counter-weight to a plastic bucket of sudsy water. At one point, he falls hard from a bit of a height. Silence in the room. Later, when (predictably to me, but apparently not to the children) he is suddenly soaked, all the children laughed. Pain is not the locus of comedy. It's surprise.
There is rather a lot of marmalade. And a recurring Calypso band.
The basic plot is that one should be kind. An ongoing thread was the xenophobic attitudes and behavior of one of the Browns' neighbors, but we are shown all along that things are best when everyone works together, enjoying Britain's diversity.
Arthur warned me in advance that there would be slapstick. Yup, but I found further data to back up my claim that children have to be taught that pain is supposed to be funny. There was a long physics-filled section (not stated that way - it's just what I was thinking at the time) in which Paddington is being a counter-weight to a plastic bucket of sudsy water. At one point, he falls hard from a bit of a height. Silence in the room. Later, when (predictably to me, but apparently not to the children) he is suddenly soaked, all the children laughed. Pain is not the locus of comedy. It's surprise.
There is rather a lot of marmalade. And a recurring Calypso band.
