Consider the penguin: fun-loving, wise, noble and cute. In Mr. Popper’s Penguins, Jim Carrey celebrates the bird as a real estate tycoon dad who reconnects with his family. Carrey explores loyal, generous fatherhood with deft gags, one-liners, computer enhancement and a half dozen gentoo penguins.
When Mr. Popper’s world-traveler father dies, a refrigerated gift from Antarctica arrives at his Park Avenue penthouse. Young Popper rarely saw his dad, but remembers his voice over amateur radio. “This is Bald Eagle calling Tippy Toes,” their talks would begin. He grew up hungry for success and missing his father.
Suave, wheeler dealer Popper has a testy relationship with his ex-wife (Carla Gugino) and is less than popular with his two kids (Madeline Carroll and Maxwell Perry Cotton). His dedicated assistant Pippi (Ophelia Lovibond, charming and delightful) has a gift for witty tongue-twisters using the letter “p.”
Popper’s latest acquisition hinges on the whims of wealthy Mrs. Van Gundy (Angela Lansbury, stately and elegant), who is reluctant to sell Tavern on the Green, a landmark restaurant located on the only piece of commercial real estate within Central Park. Clark Gregg appears as a persistent zookeeper.
As the frozen penguin thaws, Popper is stunned to discover that his dad sent him the real deal. A frenzied call to the Antarctic leads to more mayhem. Soon five more icy cartons arrive. David Krumholtz (the genius mathematician sleuth of Numb3rs) is archly amusing as a meddlesome neighbor.
The bosses (Philip Baker Hall, Jeffrey Tambor and William Charles Mitchell) pontificate as Popper seeks a partnership. Desmin Borges plays an enterprising doorman. Dominic Chianese (The Sopranos) delivers a great line: “Pull yourself together. Your house is full of penguins.”
Mark Waters’ film is not the first penguin-inspired look at fathers. In the documentary March of the Penguins, emperor penguins huddled against harsh Antarctic storms, warming precious eggs and nurturing fledglings while awaiting the return of foraging females.
Even The King’s Speech featured a papa penguin when the Duke of York (Colin Firth), dressed in white tie and tails, waddled over to his daughters to tell a bedtime story. Unable to fly with his two “herring wings,” he swam from the South Pole to England to join them. When kissed by the future princesses, he turned into an albatross “with wings so big that he could wrap them both around his two girls together.”
Carrey (Liar, Liar; Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) proves himself again as comedian and serious actor as shrewd Popper rediscovers his own heart. The star’s Jimmy Stewart impression invokes another great family man on the big screen.
Carrey’s goofy genius and graceful physicality are a joy to watch. In one scene he does a soft shoe routine with Captain, Nimrod, Stinky, Lovey, Pecky and Loudy. It’s reminiscent of Dick Van Dyke’s dance with a line of cartoon penguins in Mary Poppins.
The birds raise a ruckus when they escape and track down Popper attending a posh soiree at the Guggenheim Museum. In another flight of fancy, the agreeable dad (“Yepsolutely!”) converts his swank apartment into a winter wonderland with ice skating, luge track and freezer nesting box.
Writers Sean Anders, John Morris and Jared Stern create interesting dialogue, most memorably for Popper and earnest Pippi. “Punctuality is a particular priority for this prospect,” she chirps.
Florian Ballhaus’ cinematography features Central Park’s skating rink, the Flatiron Building and other famed Manhattan locales. Another location was Tavern on the Green, which filed for bankruptcy in 2009. Now called The Scene @ Tavern on the Green, it’s a visitor’s center offering free events and workshops.
Waters also helmed the teen features Freaky Friday and Mean Girls. Mr. Popper’s Penguins is loosely based on the Newbery Award-winning 1938 children’s book by Richard and Florence Atwater.
If you like Mr. Popper’s Penguins, you might enjoy: Just Go With It; Cedar Rapids; Bridesmaids.
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Mr. Popper’s Penguins 2011 / PG / 1 hour, 35 min
Cast Overview: Jim Carrey, Carla Gugino, Angela Lansbury, Maxwell Perry Cotton, Madeline Carroll, David Krumholtz, Ophelia Lovibond, Clark Gregg
Director: Mark Waters
Genre: Comedy, Animation, Romantic Comedy
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