M. Popper et ses pingouins

Loosely based on the 1938 novel of the same name by Richard and Florence Atwater, this is a family movie that does not ask to be taken seriously.

As a kid, Popper never really knew his father, an explorer who was always away on some adventure or another. As an adult, he is a successful New York realtor, but divorced and lives away from his two kids. Mr. Popper's (Jim Carrey) latest assignment is to acquire a landmark restaurant owned by entrepreneur Selma Van Gundy (Angela Lansbury). Despite Popper's gift of the gab, Van Gundy will not sell the "Tavern on the Green" unless the buyer is a person of true value. After a not so convincing attempt at buying the tavern, Popper receives a strange inheritance from his late father— half a dozen penguins. At first Popper is annoyed and irritated with these frosty creatures but they start to grow on him. His children then fall in love with the penguins and soon enough, he starts to date his ex-wife (Carla Gugino) again. Soon enough, Popper converts his plush New York condo into a winter wonderland to accommodate his winged friends; much to the dismay of his neighbors and a pesky animal protection zoologist. Eventually, Popper is on the verge of getting his family back but his bosses fire him for ignoring his job. Popper must now decide between being a lovable family man or revert back to being a cold business man that he was.

Adults will find this movie filled with predictable moments, some of which are cliché ridden. Still, there is a lot of charm and feel-good moments if viewed as a family movie. Kids will find the penguins adorable, funny and mischievous, all at the same time. Having said that, there are few recurring jokes for adults as well, only thing is they are more potty than witty. Jim Carrey fans will find his rubber-face moments dwindled down to barely a handful of scenes. Although Carrey still has it in him, it is evidently clear that his on-screen magic has diminished over the years since "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective". As a woman caught between dating her ex-husband and a new prospect, Gugino's scenes are subtle but do not really add as much in terms of comic moments. There is however, a bit of feisty raunchiness in her eyes, and if this was manifested into deeds it would have really added an extra depth to the movie. As a guest appearance, I was delighted to see Ms Lansbury in this movie. Most noted as a TV icon in "Murder She Wrote", Lansbury's addition to the casting is well placed in a role as the regale New York entrepreneur. They could have added anyone from Glenn Close to Meryl Streep, but Lansbury is perfectly cast and commands respect in the very few scenes she appears in. Another standout appearance comes from the lovely Ophelia Lovibond as Popper's personal assistant, Ms Peppy. If you think the title of the movie is a bit of a tongue twister, wait till you hear Peppy; a person with precise paranoia in punctuating phrases with ample amounts of Ps. Pretty perky! With just ten titles to his credit, this is a decent effort from director Mark Waters. Although a far cry from "Happy Feet", Waters' depiction of six cute penguins, albeit CGI assisted, adds amusement and heart felt warmth to scenes of icy New York. As a result, this is a pleasant movie for families with young kids and is a preferred alternative to a trip to the zoo.

...a bizarre comedy with the penguins as the main starlets.

This was not really the case.

It is a family movie you watch round Christmas and feel a little cheered afterward.

Hollywood is really amazing! In a a bad way. It has one single obsessive theme in most of its movies: the absent father and the relationship divorced father - his kids. I think the writers at Hollywood have real childhood issues and should see a pshycologist about it, instead of being so damn repetitive in every movie! But the penguins not been transformed into humans - like the apes in the awful "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" - is a good thing.

Angela Landsbury has aged. But she is still a very sympathetic grand old lady. I love her! 6.5/10. An OK movie!

On our way to an "adult" film (the theater turned out to be inaccessible), we ended up at "Mr. Popper's Penguins," which my friend remembered as a book that her now-29-year-old daughter had enjoyed. I can't remember an evening of more unadulterated, good-hearted laughs in ages.

Viewers should be cautioned to abandon any need for verisimilitude. This is not "March of the Penguin," although Jim Carrey does reference Morgan Freeman in one line. The human children, however, are delightfully true-to-life, in their enthusiasms and frustrations. The penguins, however, manage to exhibit a charming mixture of human-child mischief appropriate to their penguin natures -- sliding on any slippery surface, splashing wherever possible, finding refuge in any icy habitat available in a Manhattan apartment.

The dialogue is very well written and well paced. Jim Carrey is at his best -- annoyingly over- the-top as a slick sales executive, genuinely bonding with his surrogate children as time goes on -- a virtual "Marty Poppins." Angela Lansbury displays her mastery of her craft as a wealthy dowager quite unlike the charming "Jessica Fletcher" persona.

Before I begin, let me say this: I like Jim Carrey. I really do. In fact, I watched Ace Ventura: Pet Detective back when I was a kid, and I still find it funny today. But, as with most actors and comedians, there is that little thing called shtick. Don't we all see a pattern when we see those familiar faces on the screen? In fact, it seems to generate the same kind of reaction: We become endeared to it at first, but then it gets real by the time the fourth or fifth movie rolls around. Will Ferrel, Adam Sandler and even Carey himself, are all the biggest 'offenders,' so to speak, in this day and age. But, for the sake of this interview, let's focus on the latter, and how this movie relates to his 'shtick.' The movie in question, if it wasn't obvious already, is Carey's latest venture, Mr. Popper's Penguins. Based loosely—the key word being 'loosely'—on the 1938 novel by Richard and Florence Atwater, "Penguins" tells the story of a work-obsessed businessman named Tom Popper, whose life is turned upside down when he inherits six penguins from his late explorer father. As is wont, his cold heart begins to melt by means of the flightless, cold-loving birds. In the meanwhile, he tries to evade suspicions of his bosses, a respected entrepreneur, and a brown-nosing zoo keeper while also rekindling his relationship with his estranged ex-wife and kids. And, yes, that's the plot in a nutshell. But, does that mean it's as mind-numbing as it sounds? No, my friends. It's not as bad as it seems.

First off, let's get the downside out of the way. The plot is thoroughly and shamelessly predictable. It is riddled with so many clichés, that I could sit there, predict every turn the movie was going to take and be right. Also, I sat there and counted six—yes, six—poop or fart jokes. There may have been a couple that I missed during a bathroom break, but I'm sure there were a couple more that I could have counted. I blush to admit it, but I do laugh at potty humor, but only when I don't expect it or it makes the movie actually funny. Again, predictability killed the mood for me.

However, for all its faults, it's more charming than repulsive. Carrey, though he is relying on his standard, over the top shtick, is not overshadowing those adorable penguins. But, aside from Carrey, his six co-stars, and his estranged family, there are two saving graces for this movie. Mr. Popper's secretary, Pippi (played by British actress Ophelia Lovibond) is a prim little poppet with a penchant for alliterating all her sentences with any and every word beginning with the letter P. She does grate a little bit, but she is still quite adorable. The other actress to show her face here is the great Angela Lansbury, who plays the owner of a restaurant that Popper used to eat at with his late father. It is so refreshing to see this woman on the silver screen again, especially for a girl who grew up with the likes of Beauty and the Beast and Bedknobs and Broomsticks (There's alliteration there, too, eh? Oh, darn this movie!). She still retains that grace and charm through all the forced dialogue and situations, and I applaud her for that.

Overall, my feelings for this movie can best be summed up by its summary on RottenTomatoes.com: "Bland, inoffensive, and thoroughly predictable, Mr. Popper's Penguins could have been worse…but it should have been better." But for all its faults, its charming, fun and completely harmless. It's probably best for kids, but animal lovers will love the cuddly penguins, and Carrey fans will like seeing their idol on screen. Give it a shot and decide for yourselves.

Mr Popper's Penguins is a good movie with a reasonably well developed storyline and a talented cast. It's an enjoyable family film that had many funny moments and is also quite sweet, it easily could have been a disaster, but I think Jim Carrey did a great job of making it watchable, he may have only done this for a pay check but he looked like he was having fun and really became this character. However, It certainly has many flaws, it throws far too much conflict and issues at Mr. Popper, a divorce, a difficult job and kids who hate him, they seemed like too much problems to give its audience for a ninety minute film, and adding the penguins didn't feel as significant because of the real life struggles that faced him. I found Ophelia Lovibond's performance unbearable, Pippi was a very annoying character, her constant use of words beginning with p wasn't funny to begin with, and they just kept it coming. It has its flaws, but Mr. Popper's Penguins is still a fun film that I would recommend to a family if you ever see it on television and have some time to kill.

Mr Popper gets sent six penguins, which makes the man's life a lot more difficult, although he starts to grow fond of them when he discovers the joy it brings his children.