Paddington says, oh well, I’ll wash them anyway, and by doing so, clears the muck and grime off Colonel Lancaster’s (Ben Miller) windows, bringing an immediate ray of sunshine into his life and tangentially introducing him to the companionship-hungry newsagent Miss Kitts (Jessica Hynes). Earning his way as a window-washer brings Paddington in contact with a man who rejects his offer to wash windows, saying he would never pay for such a thing. Paddington’s positivity is never not endearing, voiced with devout vibrancy and inherent care by Ben Whishaw, with his earnest nature leading him to approach every obstacle with a manner of can-do-ism, causing a world of subtle life-changing events for the peripheral characters. Paddington 2 is, quite simply, the quintessential example of escapism.
In grand disguise (yet, not hiding his beautiful blue eyes), Buchanan steals the book from an antiques store, managing to frame our bear hero, who is sent off to prison, kicking off a series of gloriously uplifting sequences. But, his plan is hindered by the presence of Hugh Grant’s deliriously delicious Phoenix Buchanan, an ageing actor who desperately wants the spotlight, and money, and intends to use the pop-up books hidden map to track down lost treasure. Money is tight, so he goes about working as a window-washer for neighbours and friends to earn enough to buy the book. The narrative is overlapping and ever-interweaving: Paddington’s Aunt Lucy is celebrating her 70 th birthday soon, and as such, he wants to buy her a pop-up book of London to give her the trip experience that she never had. Sure, the first film was great, with the pseudo-refugee narrative of a bear arriving in Paddington Station and being adopted by a well-to-do family working effectively, but it’s Paul King’s deft sequel that cements this sequel as one of the instant modern classics. After all, with so much anger, fear, hate, and injustice, how can Aunt Lucy’s motto, ‘if we’re kind and polite the world will be right’, actually mean anything anymore?Ĭivility and politeness has worn out its welcome, and the age of rage has started.īut, there’s something overwhelmingly essential about this warm-bear-hug of a film. On paper, the sweetness and niceties of a family friendly film about a blue duffel coat wearing bear trying to instil positivity into his world landing in the midst of a decade of turmoil and global transformation should cause ire and agitation. Released in 2017, coming on the heels of the emergence of a ‘United’ Kingdom that had just voted to exit the European Union with the country dividing Brexit, and with the arrival of a fascist-adjacent President in the White House, Paddington 2 should irritate more than it entertains. Help keep The Curb independent by joining our Patreon.