Director: Paul King
Cast: Ben Whishaw, Sally Hawkins, Hugh Bonneville, Julie Walters, Hugh Grant, Brendan Gleeson, Madeleine Harris, Samuel Joslin, Jim Broadbent, Tom Conti, Peter Capaldi, Ben Miller, Jessica Hynes, Noah Taylor, Simon Farnaby, Imelda Staunton
Rating: (G) ★★★★★
I missed Paddington, so it was a revelation to me how much I enjoyed Paddington 2 (Reading and Rialto).
Adults frequently talk about kids' movies but this is something better, a genuine family movie with breathtaking art design that moves confidently from the childhood magic of pop-up books to a homage to 2014's The Grand Budapest Hotel.
You could watch this solely for the visuals but there is so much successful comedy scattered throughout that it would be a pity to take that approach.
Paddington (Ben Whishaw) is happily settled with the Brown family and is very much integrated into the neighbourhood. There's only one little problem: he wants to find the perfect gift for his Aunt Lucy (Imelda Staunton), who is about to turn 100.
When he finds the perfect thing, it is very expensive so Paddington launches himself into the world of paid employment. Anyone with any previous experience of the bear will know this is unlikely to go smoothly, but after some false starts he gets his groove on as a window cleaner.
However, one of the Browns' neighbours is retired actor Phoenix Buchanan (Hugh Grant), who also has his eye on Aunt Lucy's present. Hilarity ensues (if you want someone to play a naughty thespian, then Grant is your man).
-By Christine Powley
