Mr. Popper's Penguins is based on the children's book of the same name, which I have not read. The concept, though, is simple: a man inherits some penguins from his adventurous father and has to decide whether to keep them or ship them off to the zoo. Zany Jim Carrey is just the man for this role, and he plays his part well. The film started out with lots of laughs and humorous lines, but it quickly turned into the type of movie that panders to children, which is not always fun for the adults in the audience.
Mr. Popper (Jim Carrey, "I Love You Phillip Morris") is a real estate businessman who is very close to making partner at his firm. His superiors tell him that they need him to land one more case and then he can be partner: he needs to get the Tavern on the Green owner, in Central Park, to sell it to him. Unfortunately, Mr. Popper has just received a very unusual gift from his recently deceased father: penguins. The penguins become attached to him and follow him everywhere, which is not helping him acquire Tavern on the Green. Mr. Popper's kids, however, with whom he was a bit estranged from, LOVE the penguins, and so he is forced to keep them around for a while, although he soon finds out that they are more lovable than he first thought.
Jim Carrey was great in this movie; however, the script did not give him much to work with. The movie started off well, and I was encouraged by that, but near the end of it's one hour and thirty-five minute runtime I was getting bored. The story is cute as well, and the ending wraps up nicely, as kids movies usually do, but the only thing that was really keeping me interested by the end were the penguins, especially the two adorable babies.
Maybe see this movie. Parents that went with their kids told me they liked it, so maybe I am more critical than most. If you are looking for a fun movie to take your kids to, they will probably like Penguins, especially compared to other kids' movies that are out right now, but if you are an adult looking for an interesting comedy to see, I'd suggest Bridesmaids or a drama (Super 8, X-Men) instead.
Mr. Popper's Penguins is in theaters today, June 17th.
=========================================================
=========================================================
Liz Parker is a 2009 graduate of the University of Michigan. She currently works as an Assistant Medical Editor for a pathology website. Visit her at her movie blog Yes/No Films