Movie: Mr. Poppers Penguins

• Director: Mark Waters
• Release Date: June 2011
• Writers: Sean Anders, John Morris
• Run Time: 94
• Genre: Comedy, Family

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Review: Mr. Poppers Penguins tells the story of Popper, played by Jim Carrey, a successful and ambitious property agent who gets sent six penguins by his estranged father. These new arrivals quickly turn his life into an arctic mess, which at first horrifies him but then slowly teaches him about what hes missing out in life. These little fellows may, after all, bring out the best in him.

Now, before anything is said about anything else, let me just say that the penguins featured in this film were beyond adorable. It was pure joy to see them filling up the big screen with their antics. They slide, dance, squawk, peck, swim, fly, yes, wait for that part, they do almost everything! Mr. Poppers features animals letting loose and showing us how great they are. Given all the animated productions made every year, the film is able to prove that you can still make live-action family comedies that actually work. It is a genuine breath of fresh air to see real animals being entertaining without actors having to voice them over. Unlike Happy Feet or Surfs up, the most recent significant titles that featured penguins, it did not need to humanize the penguins to show emotion and character, and that is one of the great things about the production.

As mentioned above, this is a film for the family. Dynamics between members of the family were clearly displayed, and it also showed how Poppers children were dealing with the broken family situation. Hearty and heavy moments were evenly distributed throughout the movie, which made it engaging enough for the audience. Although the plot could be a little too fantastic and convenient at some points, the penguins suddenly jump into focus and they remind us that we are not there to judge, we are there to enjoy.