Jim Carrey is an actor who will try anything once. Not just who and what he does in movies, but the type of movies he chooses to do. We have seen him go from Dumb and Dumber and The Mask to The Truman Show and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Most recently, he went where he has never gone before as an actor in I Love You, Phillip Morris and now he is back in a children’s movie based on a 1930’s children’s book, Mr Popper’s Penguins. And while the movie has plenty of stupid things in it like penguins running into everything or farting all the time, it still manages to get across a message about the importance of family and the time you spend with them.
Mr. Popper (Carrey) is a slick, successful businessman who has forgotten about what is most meaningful in life. He lives alone in a swank New York City apartment where everything is perfectly put in its place. His two kids do not even want to come over to stay the night. He is business all the time and his family has taken a backseat to it all. But his life is turned upside down when he receives six penguins from his father who sent one last gift before he passed away.
If you have seen any of the previews for this movie then you know what happens. The penguins go crazy and seem to be too much to handle for Popper, but his kids love them. And they become the one thing that can bring Popper and his family together. The penguins become a blessing in disguise, which was known from the very beginning. While Mr. Popper’s Penguins is predictable, it is a good-natured, family movie that can be enjoyed by the whole family. And that is a tough thing to accomplish nowadays.
Director Mark Waters (Mean Girls) does the right thing by letting the movie have a quick, breezy pace and does not waste much time before he introduces the penguins to the audience. Lets face it, they are the movie. Don’t get me wrong, having Carrey in it certainly helps, but it’s the trouble the penguins get into and their absurdity that is the most entertaining. Carrey fully commits to his role and holds nothing back and you have to respect him for that. He gives it his all no matter what genre he is in.
Mr. Popper’s Penguins is for kids. It is a fun movie that doesn’t take itself seriously and you will probably know how it ends before you ever even step foot into the theatre. But it is worth seeing because it has a heart and there is nothing wrong with just sitting back and watching Carrey and his penguins break loose and lose control.
Brandon Vick is a member of The Music City Film Critics’ Association, the resident film critic of the SoBros Network, and the star of The Vick’s Flicks Podcast. Follow him on Twitter @SirBrandonV and be sure to search #VicksFlicks for all of his latest movie reviews.
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