Along the years, Jim Carrey’s career has been divided between comedies and films that have helped him achieve great success, and films aimed at a more family-oriented audience, even for children. Carrey has a talent for everything, there’s no doubt about it, and with this film he showed us his funniest side in his productions focused on families and younger viewers. With Mr. Popper’s Penguins, the actor stars in the adaptation of the children’s book of the same name, a text originally published in 1938 and which has since enjoyed great success.
What’s it about?
Thomas Popper is a divorced businessman with two children, who suffered a childhood in which his relationship with his father was distant, given that he went on a trip far from home. Nowadays, although he dedicates his time to work, everything changes when he receives a box from his recently deceased father. Inside the box is something he could never have imagined: a penguin. The relationship with this animal begins strangely, but everything gets even more complicated when five more penguins arrive in another box. With six more penguins in his home, Thomas begins to see life differently and sets different priorities for his daily life. Work takes a backseat and the penguins become the new tenants of the house. But there will be someone who will try to take them over.
The Cast
Jim Carrey, as we said, is an actor with a variable career. He began with the most mischievous and funny comedies, but little by little he began to add more dramatic roles to his resume. This has earned him attention and respect among other audiences, while occasionally and quite regularly he offers family films to his most loyal fans. In this film, Carrey had the opportunity to do his thing with a character that doesn’t have much depth and is characterized by coinciding with many of the classic aspects of the actor’s career. Thomas Popper is a fairly serious man, but he knows how to have fun, he reacts comically, and he has the most typical comedic turns of phrase for the actor. We’ll see him making faces and jokes that he’s already repeated in other films, portraying a character who more than handles the weight of the lead role. Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, and even Jack Black were previously considered for this role, but the truth is that casting Jim Carrey was a very good choice.
But the best part of Carrey’s role is how well he relates to the penguins, portrayed realistically but with a light touch of computer technology. Supporting roles include the actors who play the protagonist’s children and his ex, played by Carla Gugino. Veteran actress Angela Lansbury and Philip Baker Hall are also worthy of mention, but overall, few actors receive screen time beyond the lead actor’s.
The Movie
Mr. Popper’s Penguins is a family comedy for all audiences, a film capable of entertaining all types of viewers. Its story is very simple, efficiently adapting the original book (with changes to make it more relevant today), but it becomes a more than effective and entertaining experience. As for the plot, there isn’t much beyond what we might imagine, and beyond the traditional story in which a character, due to the effects of an external element in their daily life, changes their life and begins to see things differently.
Two characteristics of the adaptation make the film’s result a very positive point. On the one hand, there is the performance of the aforementioned protagonist, which is solid and entertaining, just as we’re accustomed to from the veteran comedy actor, who knows very well how to approach family films. On the other hand, there are the penguins, who are charming and, above all, very funny, strikingly breaking away from the usual computer-designed animals we’re used to seeing in movies. This time, the animals don’t speak, as could have been the case, but rather behave like animals in their truest sense. This makes them more charismatic and endearing, with some sequences that will delight audiences with how adorable these animals are.
Conclusion
This is a film that makes you laugh in a special way, but above all, it leaves a good feeling, and it can be enjoyed by all members of the family equally. The little ones will have a great time with Jim Carrey’s funny faces and the presence of the penguins, while grown-ups will find an effective story and the always profitable presence of the main actor. Furthermore, there is no doubt about the humor embedded in some scenes that transcend the merely childish and make the film fun for everyone, not just the little ones in the house. In short, it is not Jim Carrey’s best work, neither in its most dramatic aspect nor in its more family-friendly aspect, but it is a clear recommendation with a touch of Christmas spirit.
