Mr. Popper's Penguins

I'm so sick and tired of movies about dreadful people, drugs, violence, blood all over the screen... I was reticent about watching this movie, since my taste is already twisted by so may car crashes and decapitated bodies, but it was one of those things, a friend lent me this DVD and since I liked Jim Carrey so much in "I Love You Phillip Morris" I decided to watch this film, seeing Angela Lansbury was in it also. So: I LOVED IT! I read several of the previous reviews (fortunately AFTER I watched the picture) and noticed that many of those reviewers are excellent Special Effects producers, since they shred them to pieces. Well, I'm not a Special Effects specialist so, I found them ASTOUNDINGLY GOOD!! During my time in the business I spent so many hours designing sets and clothes and being there, watching the filming of a scene endless times until I thought I was loosing my mind, that I can appreciate ANY effort made by a crew trying to come up with something good, making it impossible for me to put down other people's efforts. I loved the penguins, the way they looked, the way they acted and interacted with all the actors involved in their scenes... I found ALL THE ACTORS excellent in their roles --otherwise they wouldn't be there, believe me-- , from the humblest ones to Jim Carrey. I have no complains about the plot, the happenings, the incredibility of most of the scenes... I just enjoyed this movie as much as I never imagined I could have enjoyed it. It leaves you with a nice, clean feeling about life and people. Listen, I know as much as you do that this life and its people STINK, but once in a while it helps to keep going watching a film of this kind.

This is the kind of film that Hollywood has been making for decades. The same morals, the same hijinks, the same problems and solutions and almost the same type of lead actor. I was dragged into this film by my wife because we were close to the theater and had time to kill. An hour and a half to possibly enjoy before supper. I could have gone to any store that sells dvds, looked up a film about a family, problems with the kids and some kind of animal, and it would have been the same. It does have a few laughs, but don't they all. The story has been so over done that everything becomes yawn inducing predictability. Never a big fan of Jim Carey and this proves why. He's just an one speed actor. I am urging all the parents willing to take the kids to see this, pay a babysitter to take care of them and go with them to see this, and you go and look for a more interesting unpredictable film.

Far from ppp perfect this easy, overdone on the sentiment film delivers another Carey rich performance. The penguins are lovable and cute and there is just about enough entertainment, and laughs, amidst a cheesy story. Carey plays Mr Popper, a recently separated form his family businessman, who excels at property procurement. His father dies and leaves him a posted box of frozen penguins, which Carey looks after and falls for. His children who come to visit also love the penguins. Carey, whilst caring for the family of penguins, struggles to keep his job and acquire the last property in Central Park, New York which would make him a partner in the business he has worked so hard for. Whilst caring for the penguins Mr Popper learns the true value of family over materials and thus completes his journey reuniting his family, and re-homing the penguins. The film also has small roles for stars Angela Lansbury (Murder She Wrote), Phillip Baker Hall, Clark Gregg and Jeffrey Tambor.