Mr Popper’s Penguins

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1396218/

I am a huge fan of Jim Carrey and when I heard about this film I was determined to go and see it at the cinema, without even seeing the trailer. Upon seeing the trailer after the film I have concluded it makes the film look a lot worse than it is, but this is certainly not one of Carrey’s masterpieces. Tom Popper (Jim Carrey) works for a property development company, persuading people to part with their property. Popper is good at his job but is by no means a dislikeable workaholic with no heart like a lot of characters tend to start out as in films like this. He is separated from his wife and two children, who don’t like staying with him, and has the formidable task of encouraging Mrs Van Gundy (Angela Lansbury) to part with her beloved restaurant in Central Park. At the same time Popper inherits six Gentoo penguins which begin to wreak havoc on his everyday life.

The said penguins are a seamless combination of live-action and CGI and are the strongest element of this film. We catch glimpses of early Carrey humour but unfortunately there are a couple of cringe-worthy moments including Carrey performing a dance routine with the penguins and saying ‘word’. There are also some surprisingly emotional and heartfelt parts particularly when Popper dedicates himself to helping an unhatched penguin egg along to no avail. It is these moments where we see the brilliant actor that he is but disappointingly they are few and far between and the film as a whole is not very strong or memorable.

There are some amusing bits though such as the vocalizations by Popper’s alliteration loving assistant but generally the humour is rather juvenile. This is more a children’s film than a children’s film suitable for adults as well which is a shame as I really wanted to like it. It is enjoyable enough and has a satisfying fate for the penguins so as not to come across as encouraging people to keep penguins as pets. With the snowy weather and winter wonderland that Popper creates for the penguins I couldn’t help but think this would have been better released around Christmas to help audiences get in the spirit of things. Overall a watchable film for the penguins and glimpses of a great Carrey but lacking in any peaks in story and excitement.