Paddington the Movie

Go see Paddington. You'll enjoy it. It's a rather slight tale, but very well told. It's from the producers of the Harry Potter films. You can tell this because they seem to have employed a large number of British actors who have all worked with the young wizard. 

I wasn't exactly dragged along to the showing. I've always quite liked Paddington. We had one or two of the books by Michael Bond floating around the house as I was growing up and the TV series voiced by Michael Hordern was always good fun. But I was a bit worried about what they might have done with the story when they made it into a film. 

I needn't have been concerned. It is very well done, with some lovely set pieces and running gags. One musical joke is direct steal from "There's Something About Mary", but since they stole it from "Blazing Saddles" that's fair enough. And it was still funny.

If you are like me and want to walk out of the cinema feeling happy, then you should go along. There's enough knowing, and silly, humour to keep grown ups occupied and plenty of slapstick for the kids (and grown ups like me).

I don't go to the pictures to get depressing insights into the human condition, or to learn of the terrible things that people do to each other. I can get all that from five minutes of the news. I go the the cinema for a good time. And you get that from Paddington.