After all these years of trying to figure out the American public, Hollywood learned that all we want is a movie about a cuddly, animate bear. Paddington 2, the sequel to the equally adorable Paddington, is officially the highest-reviewed movie on Rotten Tomatoes. That means it replaced Lady Bird for this honour, which actually unseated Toy Story 3 in November for the role anyway. There's been a lot of turnover at the top recently, and that can only be a good thing. (More good movies, y'all! Wahoo!)
Director Paul King told Rotten Tomatoes that he hopes the success on the site will inspire success at the cinema. Says King, "We hope it inspires people to go to the cinema to see for themselves if a talking animal film really can be any good, and whether Hugh Grant really can look devilishly handsome even while dressed as a nun."
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So, to explain: Paddington 2 is about Paddington Bear being wrongfully convicted of a crime and having to prove his innocence. It involves a prison break, a joyful reunion between two bears, and Hugh Grant as an evil actor. (Yes, he wears a nun costume!) The movie also stars Sally Hawkins, Julie Walters, Peter Capaldi, and Brendan Gleeson. In terms of British movie talent, it's like Harry Potter, but with a fuzzy bear at the centre.
The New York Times called it "Rococo children’s entertainment," and the New Yorker's Richard Brody said it had a "chilling sweetness." A more colloquial way of putting it would be "it's warm and fuzzy and not in an aggressive way."
Perhaps the popularity of this sweet tale of a bear reuniting with his ursine friends is striking a chord in our dejected hearts because we just want to be comforted. The news cycle of the last year has been difficult to process, and sometimes we just need to indulge in some hygge entertainment and walk out of the theatre feeling happy.
How soon until Paddington 3 comes out?
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