Despite the title of this blog post, our journey begins with a brief discussion of the film, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. A fantastic film that dropped in 2022, directed and written by Tom Gormican, and starring Pedro Pascal and Nicolas Cage (who plays himself twice). Go watch this movie. I won't go into detail about plot besides the fact that Paddington 2 is mentioned twice, the latter mention bringing me, an easy crier, to tears. I've heard of this children's movie taking the place of Citizen Kane as the highest rated movie on the internet. In this age of online shenanigans I was unsure of this placement being a meme or legit cinephilic acclaim. The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent prompted me to seek out the talking bear from Darkest Peru. But I couldn't watch Paddington 2 without watching Paddington, and yesterday was the glorious day.
My childhood seems to be filled with bears, whether they be brown and the subject of a cardboard book, constantly seeking honey, designated Little, or designated Brother. Maybe because I was born and raised in New England as opposed to just regular old England Paddington bear escaped me. Maybe it's for the best as the young version of myself would take the bear's obsession with marmalade as a cheap emulation Pooh's obsession with honey and probably write him off. Thankfully at my large age I seem to have encountered the bear at the right time of my life. What I got from the first Paddington film was a cleverly written, tender hearted, well acted hour and a half that can and should be enjoyed by everyone. Through the power of family and finding somewhere you belong, this polite bear, who seems to be chased down by the spirit of mischief, takes the audience on a journey as magical as any Disney or Miyazaki film I've seen. Please check back here for my upcoming thoughts on Paddington 2!
P.S. I have to mention, Peter Capaldi and Hugh Bonneville are absolute highlights in this film!
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