Mr. Popper's Penguins Reviews

First, I'm giving 6/10 for the 6 penguins in the film :)
Totally inconsistent script. Nothing makes sense (from an adult's POV) and brings out too many questions as previously mentioned by another reviewer. While the movie might be seen by (mostly) kids, somewhere down the line, the script still has to make sense. It didn't. Acting performances were horrible, except for the penguins :)

OK, I'm biased, I adore penguins. Can you tell?- ^_^

To be honest, I wasn't sure what to expect from this flick but since I have a weak spot for Jim Carrey, I thought I should check it out. At first, it seemed to be one of those whacky comedies that Carrey used to make in the past but, as soon as those pinguins showed up, it became pretty obvious that it was just a rather underwhelming family feature. It might be entertaining for young kids (I doubt it though) but for any adult, the whole thing is just way too non-sensical. Why did his father send him a pinguin? Why does he suddenly decide to keep them? Why do his children think it's awesome to spend some time in a freezing apartment with some pinguins? I mean, even his ex-wife acts as if it is the greatest thing in the world. Basically, the premise was completely ridiculous and the fact that it took place in a realistic modern world made it even worse. Of course, you could argue that since it is a kid flick, it doesn't need to make any sense, as long it is really mushy. Well, I think it is a terribly condescending approach towards children, that's for sure. To conclude, it wasn't really bad but it was still pretty damned average and I don't think it is really worth a look, except maybe if you are a die-hard fan of Jim Carrey.

Obviously, this is a kid's movie. However, they didn't seem to care adults would have to watch. While some movies have unrealistic portions in an unrealistic world, this one had an unrealistic premise, but tried to exist in a realistic world. The reason his father thinks that a gift of 6 penguins is a good one is never made clear, and his actions in keeping the penguins is nonsensical.

Wouldn't normally watch stuff like this, but it had Jim Carrey in(who is hilarious in everything!) and so I watched it and it actually turned out to be good, and I enjoyed watching it, especially with the family. Combines Jim Carrey's humour with some good old family fun!

Loosely based upon the children’s book of the same name by Richard & Florence Atwater in 1938, it took approximately 73 years for the release of the feature film. However, despite the very long awaited release and as cute and as child-friendly as it seemed to begin with, there were immediate impressions that it would have its fair share of clichés and corny concepts that wouldn’t make it one to remember. Having said that there were neither high nor low expectations for Mr. Popper’s Penguins, it was simply just going into a film that may have had its weaknesses but it was just a bit of fun that was worth your time.


Quite frankly, any film involving relationships and personal bonds between humans and small animals is incredibly cute and appealing for children, but considering that this does just this for its target audience, Mr. Popper’s Penguins is severely wounded for its obvious predictability and the pacing of the film was occasionally slow at times. It begins satisfying but when the penguins came into the equation, the pacing of the film gradually got slower and it became something that was rather dry and at times, rather empty. There are a few funny laughs in the film that added charm and an easy-going nature to the film.


The films from director Mark Waters have been considered as popular public favourites over the years from the likes of Mean Girls, Freaky Friday and The Spiderwick Chronicles. However, now that he has provided us with his latest feature film, Mr. Popper’s Penguins is a film that is genuinely easy enough for Waters to make as it features the colourful and enlightening tone with friendly and funny aspects, such as the penguins watching Charlie Chaplin films. However, he provides us with a more visual approach to the film that attempts to aid the film from falling into disaster. Admittedly, the script was rather corny that consists of on-going gags and occasionally continues almost needlessly, but it occasionally shows the wackiness of Jim Carrey at his absolute best.


Having provided two divided sides to his acting ability by giving absolutely hilarious and wild performances and then really serious and emotional ones over the years, Jim Carrey stars in a role that proves almost instantly that he is almost like a fill-in slot for the film by avoiding a disastrous critical response. In fact, it is almost like a very balanced role that leans towards neither a performance to remember nor one that leans him into a disaster, although Carrey has had his fair share of hits and misses over the years. In all honesty, if you’re an avid Jim Carrey fan especially from his films in the 1990s, you’ll get quite a bit of enjoyment out of this one and this film really would have been a disaster and not funny or delightful in the slightest if he hadn’t been in this film. Veteran actress Angela Lansbury added a bit more sophistication and became a treat to the film as she stars in only her third film in 10 years and delivers a decent performance.


As far as the penguins are concerned, you will not be able to resist them and will fall in love with them very quickly or you will truly despise them. The six penguins named Captain (the leader), Loudy (nosiest one), Bitey (the most nibbling one), Stinky (the one who’s prone to flatulence), Lovey (friendly and cuddly) and Nimrod (the clumsiest one) and each of their different personalities have their similar natures with the seven dwarfs in the classic tale of Snow White. They each are one on their own and do heart and soul as they each bond with Mr. Popper rather quickly and become a great deal to him. The only major problem with the six penguins is that it alters and toys with the facts about their nature, and there are certain moments that are almost laughable to witness (i.e. playing in the park in the snow with them and nobody’s around). Nevertheless, they are adorable characters that will put a grin on their viewer’s faces.


Overall, Mr. Popper’s Penguins is a very corny film with many flaws, but it is also a very cute and fun film to watch that will leave you feel a bit warmer inside at the end. To be honest, it needs to just be appreciated for what it is and it’s nothing to take seriously. Although it’s a film that really could have been a lot better, at the same time could have been a lot worse. So, it makes itself worthy as a warm and entertaining enough film that is a decent recommendation for families to just sit down and enjoy.

"Pull yourself together... Your house is full of penguins!"

After his work in the audacious sleeper I Love You Phillip Morris, 2011's Mr. Popper's Penguins finds legendary funny man Jim Carrey back in pure paycheque territory. Instead of a worthwhile vehicle for Carrey's dramatic and/or comedic chops, Mr. Popper's Penguins has Carrey playing second fiddle to CGI penguins and working from a completely formulaic script based on the 1938 children's book of the same name. Admittedly, though, while this is definitely a commercial adaptation of a beloved classic, it's not exactly an abomination. By no stretch is this a good movie, but it's not awful to an insulting extent either. On the contrary, it looks like director Mark Waters (Mean Girls) actually tried to do something worthy with the trite screenplay, resulting in a fluffy, nimbly-paced movie that kids may enjoy. Still, it holds limited appeal for anyone above the age of, say, 10.

Thriving Manhattan business Tom Popper (Carrey) is facing a massive promotion. The last thing separating Popper from a more prestigious position is the defiant owner of a restaurant (Lansbury), who refuses to sell to Popper's employers. While preparing to go in for the kill, he receives the gift of six penguins which were willed to him by his late father who always regretted not spending enough time with his family. Popper looks to get rid of the birds as quickly as possible, but his estranged children unexpectedly grow attached to them. Sensing that his troubled relationship with his kids and ex-wife may be mended through the penguins, Popper decides to keep them, and struggles to learn how to care for the flightless guests. Meanwhile, a New York Zoo official (Gregg) is keen to take possession of the birds, thus threatening the future of Popper's budding domestic equilibrium.

Unfortunately, the penguins' presence was not utilised for any substantive purpose - rather, writers Sean Anders, John Morris and Jared Stern treated the birds as an opportunity to create a typical, paint-by-numbers family film that's predictable from start to finish and coated in a thick, sickening layer of family-friendly saccharine. It faithfully adheres to the well-worn formula to the letter - workaholic divorcee Popper has trouble bonding with his estranged kids and ex-wife, then the penguins renew their relationship, and before the films ends Popper learns lessons about the importance of family (and the evils of being career-minded) through some type of conflict. It's possible to safely predict what the conflict will be, when it will happen, and how it will be resolved. Additionally, the portrayal of the zoo official is ill-conceived - he's not a wise advice-giver but rather a moustache-twirling villain called upon to trigger cheap conflict. The zoo official spouts pure truths throughout the movie in relation to the treatment of the penguins, yet we're led to believe that the birds can live in a high-rise NYC apartment out of their natural habit as long as they have love. Mr. Popper's Penguins is nothing but conventional family fluff; unrealistic, shallow and rudimentary.

Mr. Popper's Penguins is constantly on the prowl for easy laughs, resulting in plenty of fart and defecation gags scattered throughout (one of the penguins is even named "Stinky" due to constant flatulence), on top of a scene of testicular trauma. Expectedly, all of this cheap, well-worn comedy is subpar. The film only scores laughs whenever Jim Carrey was evidently given the leeway to cut loose and improvise. On account of these moments of improvised Carrey hilarity, Mr. Popper's Penguins does get at least a tentative recommendation. Not to mention, director Mark Waters afforded an attractive visual zest to the project, and there are a number of moments of inspired filmmaking to save the film from tedium. For instance there's a lovely moment when it's revealed that the penguins love watching Charlie Chaplin movies. Additionally, the digital effects giving life to the titular birds are impressive - not perfect, but good enough to that you won't constantly think about their computer-generated nature.

In portraying Tom Popper, Jim Carrey more or less just revived the role he played many years ago in Liar, Liar. While Carrey is clearly aging and some sections of the movie suggest that he was on autopilot, it looks as if the performer had a fairly fun time here, and his sporadic enthusiasm helps to sell jokes here and there. Playing Popper's ex-wife, Carla Gugino is strictly okay, fulfilling her required duties well enough but never standing out. Ophelia Lovibond, meanwhile, is terrific fun as Popper's assistant Pippi, who's fond of alliteration with the letter "p".

At the end of the day, Mr. Popper's Penguins is what it is - commercial family-friendly entertainment for the masses. Fans of Jim Carrey are likely to be disappointed with the lack of laughs, and adults will mourn the absence of thematic depth that's present in superior family movies. Kids, however, will probably find this to be an easy, fun sitting, and at least adults won't be bored out of their mind by the picture. So if your children want to see it, you could do far worse. That's pretty much the best recommendation I can offer you.

5.2/10