'Mr. Popper's Penguins' family schlock combines predictable elements for uninspiring movie"Mr. Popper’s Penguins" is all about Jim Carrey’s overacting, an assistant’s propensity for using mostly “p” words in her parlance and what one would assume to be cute penguin actions. It fails as an adaptation of the book of the same name. It is neither as creative nor as funny. Instead, it is family schlock served up with a healthy dose of scatological jokes.
For better or worse, Carrey is known for his overacting. His best performances, however, usually come when he is being more subtle. Those moments are far too few in this film. Instead, Popper is portrayed as a heartless property acquisition manager who undergoes a change when he is given a penguin in the will of his father. Through a misunderstanding, Popper gets five more penguins. Ophelia Lovibond, aside from having a great last name, plays Popper’s assistant whose propensity for parlaying in ‘p’s is either |
The book is great; the movie bites.perturbing or particularly unique. I haven’t decided if it is cute or annoying, but it is creative.
For fans of the book, this movie is a travesty and best sits with other movies that have used the name of famous stories or legends to gain publicity. Much like “King Arthur” with Keira Knightley, this movie bears no resemblance to the story that it is supposedly based on. For those who like Jim Carrey’s overacting, watching “the Mask” or his performance as the Riddler in “Batman Forever” will be more rewarding than watching this mishmash of a cliché story. |
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