Mr. Popper's Penguins
2011 · Directed by Mark Waters
Original language: English
- comedy
- family
The story
Tom Popper is a successful businessman who’s clueless when it comes to the really important things in life...until he inherits six “adorable” penguins, each with its own unique personality. Soon Tom’s rambunctious roommates turn his swank New York apartment into a snowy winter wonderland — and the rest of his world upside-down.
What it’s like
Bright, saturated studio comedy with a Manhattan palette: glossy apartment interiors, crisp daylight through big windows, and the cool blue-white of an iced-over living room once the penguins take over. The camera stays fairly conventional, medium shots and sitcom-style two-shots for the gags, with a few wide establishing views of the city and the zoo. Sound leans on a bouncy, orchestral family score, squawks, slapstick thumps and the chatter of a busy household. It is warm, goofy and easy to follow, with the rhythm of a broad comedy: set-ups, pratfalls, and quick cuts to reaction faces. The emotional arc is a self-absorbed dealmaker slowly learning to slow down, pay attention to his estranged son, and let a little chaos in. Intensity is very low: some cartoonish physical comedy and mild peril, no violence, no sexual content, nothing frightening. It suits a lazy weekend afternoon, a family movie night, or a light background watch for anyone wanting something gentle, silly and sweetly uplifting.
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