“Happy birthday, Aunt Lucy.”

For the past several years, Paddington the talking, overcoat-and-hat-wearing bear has lived with the Brown family (including Mr. Brown played by Hugh Bonneville and Mrs. Brown played by Sally Hawkins) in London.  While he is the only bear living in London, he has managed to make friends with almost everyone he comes in contact with.  Paddington’s Aunt Lucy has a birthday coming up and he wants to find the perfect gift for the bear who raised him and sent him to England, and when he finds a gorgeous pop-up book of London at an antique shop, Paddington knows that it will be the perfect gift… if he can just earn enough money to buy it.  So Paddington joins the workforce to earn the money he needs, and even though he is a bit of a clumsy bear he is able to raise almost the entire price of the book; he excitedly tells everyone of his intended purchase, including new-neighbor/famous actor Phoenix Buchanan (Hugh Grant).  On the night before he plans to but the book, Paddington witnesses a man steal the book and through a terrible twist of events, Paddington is charged with the crime and sent to prison.  With no way to prove his innocence, Paddington must rely on the Browns to clear his name and find the real thief before Aunt Lucy’s birthday.

While this is marketed as a children’s movie, it will provide loads of laughter and enjoyment for viewers of all ages.  The comedy is both verbal and physical, which gives the simple story depth and heart.  The special effects of/for Paddington are brilliant; the fictional bear seems incredibly real with no scenes to remind the audience that he is a completely CGI character.  The (human) characters are a bit eccentric, but this makes the entire cast more bold and memorable.  The only frustration that adult audiences will find comes from the villain’s character, whose scariness has been turned into an overpoweringly silly comedic break to avoid scaring younger viewers. This is a sweet and immensely funny movie that will stay with viewers long after the credits roll.