Paddington in Peru on Canal Plus: a disappointing third part (review)
The bear runs out of breath. The new cinema adventure of the adorable marmalade lover struggles to rediscover the irresistible fantasy of the previous films.
The latest adventures of Paddington are broadcast this Friday evening on Canal Plus (and can be watched in streaming on MyCanal). Unfortunately, this third part directed by Dougal Wilson, who takes over from Paul King, does not live up to expectations…
Paddington and the Brown family go to Peru to visit Aunt Lucy, who now lives in the retired bears’ home. Panic on arrival: Lucy is missing and Paddington and company will have to go looking for her aboard a boat driven by a slightly crazy captain, played by Antonio Banderas… Should we relocate Paddington the bear, and try to see what his proverbial British phlegm would do once propelled into an adventure film for laughs, Indiana Jones style? Even if the character already appeared to be a globetrotter in certain stories published in the sixties, we also know that a large part of his charm is due to his London roots, and the folklore that accompanies it.
In Paddington in Peruthe animation of the teddy bear may still be on point, and the very funny Hugh Bonneville masters his cowardly dad act better than ever, the story follows a far too well-defined Amazonian comedy formula, without the slapstick and pop mastery of the two previous parts directed by Paul King (replaced here at the helm by Dougal Wilson). Without an anthological performance à la Hugh Grant either – Banderas histrionics, and the great Olivia Colman (as a good guitarist sister) is underemployed. The very amusing London postscript also confirms that this attempt to make the character take some fresh air was not such a good idea. We hope that all this will work out in the fourth episode. Because we have no doubt that, like James Bond, “Paddington will return”.
By Dougal Wilson. With Ben Whishaw, Hugh Bonneville, Emily Mortimer… Duration 1h45. Released February 5, 2025
