winles

23 May 2012

Why dont I like Jim Carrey? Everyone else seems to!

Now don't get me wrong,I DID "quite" like Jim Carrey at the start ofhis career,in films such as Peggy Sue got Married,Pink Cadillac,AceVentura,& The Mask. However,when he progressed into Liar Liar,TheTruman Show and Bruce Almighty,I stopped going out of may way to seehis movies. I hoped he might change in I Love you Phillip Morris,butsadly he didn't.He alternated between the standard Jim Carrey and quitea serious actor(which both in one movie was confusing and annoying)Hewas out-acted completely by Ewan McGregor. Now (having seen only thetrailer) he has reverted to type with Mr Popper. If you like amanic,out of control, irritating actor(who to me is not even a wee bitfunny) the you are welcome to him. As I say is it only me that findshim annoying and over the top?

gregeichelberger

23 May 2012

Mr. Pooper a more appropriate title

What is the obsession many Hollywood writers have with bathroom humor?Have American standards of comedy sunk so far that the only way toillicit a laugh nowadays is to resort to the lowest possibledenominator? Have the Three Stooges (once the lowest of lowbrow comedy)become the gold standard of guffaws? I ask these questions because in the newest 20th Century-Fox release,"Mr. Popper's Penguins," (based on a popular children's tome anddirected by Mark Waters, "The Spiderwick Chronicles," "Ghosts OfGirlfriends Past") features the main character not only getting dumpedon twice within the first 15 minutes, but he is also treated to a goodold-fashioned soccer ball kick in the groin.Between that and the constant flatulence jokes, "Mr. Pooper" might be amore appropriate title for this movie. Toss in the retched "humor" ofanother summer hit, "The Hangover Two," and I think I'm completelygrossed out for the remainder of the year, thank you very much.Bless his heart, Jim Carey does the best he can as tunnel-visioned NewYork businessman and title character. He is in his silly, over-the-topelement, but the years are beginning to show. Carey, who SHOULD havewon Oscar nominations for "The Truman Show" and "Man On the Moon," hasmade a recent series of bad to mediocre films beginning with 2005'shorrid "Fun With Dick & Jane." Add this one to that depressing resume.It's really not his fault, though, as he is given so little to workwith - and against, kids and and animals (W.C. Fields where are you?).The plot here is fairly familiar. Overworked real estate genius Popperis all business at the expense of his family, ex-wife, Amanda (CarlaGugino, "Suckerpunch," "Californication" TV series), daughter, Janie(Madeline Carroll) and son, Billy (Maxwell Perry Cotton).One day, however, while trying to by New York's Tavern On The Greenrestaurant for his lecherous bosses, he receives a crate from theAntartic - the last place his explorer father was seen. Of course, thecrate contains "Captain," the first of a series of real and/orCGI-created penguins to make its appearance in his life and in thismovie. Soon, six more join and Popper's once peaceful and sterileexistence has been turned upside-down.The web-footed, flightless little birds almost destroy his pristinePark Avenue apartment (he has to keep paying the doorman off and lyingto his neighbors, as well as fight off an evil zoo keeper, Clark Gregg,"Thor"), but he keeps them around because they're a tool to get hisfamily back. Meanwhile, his professional life is going down the tubesas his efforts to convince restaurant owner Angela Landsbury continueto fail time and time again.He somehow converts the apartment into an ice rink, complete withsnowmen, slides and a hockey rink (it's cute and all, but how muchtime, effort and money would something like this take?) Finally, Popper- in a weird effort to hatch an unfertilized egg - reaches the bottomof the barrel and is fired. Coming to his senses, however, he turns thebirds over to the zoo, cleans up his act and is back at the real estateagency. Of course, he now loses his family again (geesh, how much ofthis roller-coaster can we take?).Can Popper walk the tightrope between love and career? Can the penguinsget and keep a nice home that does not involve fish sandwiches andCharlie Chaplin films? Will Angela Landsbury ever sell the Tavern OnThe Green? Will the guy who's dating Amanda ever find true love? Do anyof these questions matter at all? While aiming at children, this splatters all over the adults, few, ifany would find very much of it funny. Carey does the best he can, buthe surrounded by a cliché family (an especially annoying daughter whowhines the entire film about a boy no one has seen nor could care lessabout), cliché bosses, and a ridiculous situation no one could evenrelate to in their wildest fantasies.Then, to top all of this off, there's a most irritating secretary,Pippi (Ophelia Lovibond, "No Strings Attached"), who can only speakwords beginning with the letter "P." With all of the other problems inthis picture, the people are perplexed and perturbed by this mostpuerile and preposterous predicament.

23 May 2012

A Fun Cool as Ice Movie For the Family!!!

This movie was a little better than I expected. It's very funny and has a lot of heart. Jim Carrey is awesome and hilarious as Mr. Tom Popper, a realtor who is trying to help his company aquire Tavern of the Green. When his father passes away, Tom receives a penguin and causes mayhem in his apartment. More penguins arrive and his kids fall in love with them. He must soon choose between his job and family. If you want a good warm-hearted film, you'll love MR. POPPER'S PENGUINS!!!

chicka91

22 May 2012

Sweet, funny, charming!

OK. I loved the classic book, Mr. Popper's Penguin's when I was achild. Just by seeing the previews, I knew that this movie would not goby the book much at all. With that mindset, I just sat back and enjoyedthe story. I really liked this movie! It was great!First of all, I can't believe people rating and reviewing this movieare upset that the humor was not rude and crude enough for them. Thisis a family/children's film, rated PG. When watching & reviewing, youshould always keep this in mind. If you're an adult and can't stand apg movie, you should probably stop watching them. Family & kids moviesare typically light-hearted and predictable, and this one is right inwith them. Its charm keeps it fresh though!Quick Synopsis-- A divorced father and business man, Mr. Popper, has astressed relationship with ex-wife and kids. We get a flashback ofPopper's childhood and see that his own relationship with his fatherwas strained, if even existent, as he was always away traveling to faraway places. Now, 30ish years later, Popper finds out his father haspassed away, and leaves him a "souvenir." A few days later, a penguinshows up, and the antics go from there! Throw in a 'bad guy' zookeeper, and you pretty much get the whole movie. Popper learns thevalue of family through a group of cute little penguins, and that beinga father is more important than a big, important job. Yes, Jim Carrey was toned down... but it worked well. The movie wasfunny enough to keep an audience interested, but not so funny that itovershadowed the heart of the story. This is a pg rated Fox film, sopoop and fart jokes are expected. Without those, this movie would havebeen even better and more charming. Despite that, I still loved themovie (and that's saying a LOT for me. I usually hate a movie as soonas poop/fart cheap jokes come out)The penguins are absolutely adorable, even if computer animated in alot of scenes. Carrey has awesome chemistry with the other charactersin this film, and his charm shines right through the screen until youcan't help but root for him! He's a true gem. I also loved seeingAngela Lansbury again. She was fantastic!All in all, this is a sweet film that is great for both adults andchildren. It has the heart warming factor along with humor--- perfectcombination!

19 May 2012

Great movie!!!!

This review is from: Mr. Popper's Penguins (DVD) This is an excellent movie for the family. Jim Carey is great in this movie. It was very funny and all the characters played their parts very well.Mr. Popper's Penguins

19 May 2012

Delightful film !

This review is from: Mr. Popper's Penguins (with Plush Penguin) (DVD) Despite most critics giving Mr. Popper's Penguins a negative review I bought this anyways and thouroghly enjoyed this. I am not a big Jim Carey fan other than his works in In Living Color and Truman Show, but I thought he was great in this role. What amazed me is the fact live penguins were used much more than I thought ( in leiu of CGI penguins ) in the production of this film. It's not heavy slap stick comedy at all. I consider this a nice family oriented drama with awesome special effects. 5 stars

ElMaruecan82

16 May 2012

Havent we seen that before?

Granted the film is a nice little family comedy that would probablyappeal to kids who were born after "Liar, Liar", but just because itfeatures one novelty, it doesn't excuse the total unoriginality of theplot. "Mr. Popper's Penguins" is such an embarrassing assemblage ofdeja-vu situations totally underestimating our cinematic knowledge, orit's really intended to a really younger audience and hard-core fans ofJim Carrey.Popper is the prototypical bad-but-not-so-bad comedic father, marriedto his job and divorced with his wife, he can't remember the name ofthe boy his daughter is in love with but handles his business like noone, not without the help of his precious assistant-secretary Pippy, acute and scene-stealing Ophelia Lovibond. Now, let's talk about thepenguins, since they are the reason-to-be of the film, the key of theplot, if the movie ever had one. It's a story about a man, Mr. Popper,who inherits six penguins from his father who worked all his life inAntarctica. This affected negatively Popper as he became the same kindof absent father, while the dedication to job replaced the distance.As they did to Popper Sr., the penguins provide an eye-opening andlife-changing experience about the true value of family and children.Each of the six penguins seems to have a typically childishpersonality, one spends all the time squawking, one is affectionate,the others are clumsy, dirty, naughty … well, watching penguins in anordinary house was something new to my eyes, and at least it lookedpleasantly real. I liked the idea of adapting the environment for thepenguins and this part of the story was handled quite well, although itcould have spared us some unnecessary and unfunny moments. Seriously,do all today's comedies need to feature scatological bits? Now, apartfrom the penguins, the whole film feels like "Family Comedy forDummies" journey, not forgetting the tiniest cliché.1/ The "hard-working father who doesn't spend time with his family"device has been overused ad nauseam, even worse, in another comedy withJim Carrey called "Liar, Liar", and while it wasn't even original backthen in 1997, at least it had a more original and hilarious premise.Staring at cute and funny-looking penguins gets quickly tiresome whilehaving a pathological liar unable to lie during one day is a wholeother experience. The film doesn't even take its own story intoconsideration and doesn't bother to make a link between the absence ofPopper's father and the way he handles his own education because Popperhappens to be a decent father.2/ Popper is divorced with the mother but they're still very close. Howtypical. Although there seems to be no problem whatsoever between thecouple, and naturally, there's absolutely no chemistry between themother and her new friend, the typical non-charismatic average Joe,handsome enough to appeal to a middle-age woman, but with the charismaof an oyster when compared to Carrey. You wonder what she saw in him,or wait, why she divorced in the first place. I guess it was for thekids, but still Poppers looks like a decent father.3/ The teenage rebellious daughter. Of course, we all know all howungrateful is this period of life, when we hate every thing and can'tstand the parent's authority. But here she has no reason to be angry ather Dad, he makes an effort to remember the name of her sweetheart, buthe fails, and are we supposed to believe that a good father is onewho's capable to recite his daughter's diary by heart. Naturally, thedaughter has a little crush, doesn't have acne or suffer from someoverweight, she's just being the typical teenager, punctuating all hersentences with 'cool' when she's not busy with her cell-phone.4/ As for Junior, I think he was a cute character and probably the mostbelievable, because after all, we all would have loved to have penguinsas kids. He reminded me of my younger brother and how he loved a littlechick we had in a family house and his broken heart when he prematurelydied. Kids love animals, and the son was again, the illustration thatPopper was a good father. Anyway, let's not this review with too muchcynicism and get back to the most important weakness: the plot.5/ The plot: now, that's the film's problem. Whenever you feel it'sgoing somewhere, it desperately sticks to the same formulas that makethe whole thing absolutely artificial while Jim Carrey can really comewith some good stuff. At the middle of the film when everything isgoing well, you know there would be a problem. Of course, the film isso confident about its hilariousness that it provides aslightly-depressing moment when one of the penguins' eggs can't besaved despite Popper's efforts. What happens next ruins everything andis almost an insult to the viewer's intelligence: the family comes andasks for the penguins and Popper's answer is the worst thing he couldhave said to sound like a bad man: he never explains why he donated thepenguins to the Zoo and denies that he was having a great time, so ofcourse, everyone laves Popper, totally disappointed. And it takes oneposthumous letter –ta da!- from his father for the realization Theclimax reunites the whole family and the ending cuts with 'Ice IceBaby', definitely the kind of music in the mood of the film. The problem with "Mr. Popper's Penguins" is that it takes its synopsisfor granted and just because it features Jim Carrey, the so voluptuousCarla Gugino, a sexy Ophelia Lovibond and the poignant presence ofAngela Landsbury, they could go away with it. The film could have beenmuch more, had it trusted its own potential, but this intent to make aheart-warming family story, most of the times, left me cold…

16 May 2012

Penguins deficating in Your face really isnt that funny

Apparently movie audiances of today enjoy gutter humor and seek it out. My wife rented this film to watch tonight without reading any reviews first. She knew the book. I found it mildly funny. It had a lot of CGI penguin scenes in it. I'm sure the book is better than the film.The movie could have been far better if the script hadn't been taylored to Jim Carey. Instead Jim should have adapted himself to the character. Carey often goes a little too far in his movies. This one is no exception.But as long as the movie audiance will buy a ticket or pay to buy or rent a film, it's the money that drives the industry. Not the quality of the product.This movie has a lot of contrived scenes that couldn't possibly happen in real life. Cute but no cigar.A little history research on the Tavern on The Green also shows the building is not privately owned but is owned by the city of New York and has always been owned by the city since the Tavern first opened in 1934. Therefore no one can sell the building to anyone unless the city sells it. The building is leased as a restaurant but that closed in 2009 and is now an information center and gift shop for the city.Food vendors sell food outside. According to what I read the food was never that great there. The place served too many meals a day and the food quality lacked. Nostalgia just isn't what it used to be.

Constitutional Conservative

15 May 2012

Funny and Family

As an adult I found this movie hit my "Awe Thats Cute" bone a lot, I heard children laughing out loud and enjoying it, so it hit their funny bone. It is a safe Disney-ish movie. Benign, harmless and sweet. See it if you want but dont forget the kids. You may want the DVD for a baby sitter. I think it would have been a better Christmas movie.

15 May 2012

Mr. Poppers Penguins

Look, it can't be denied: penguins are adorable. With that in mind, it's quite understandable why there have been so many films in recent years, from documentaries to CGI-animated tales, centered around our most cuddly, flightless friends. And, of course, adaptations of books are a Hollywood favorite as well, which brings us to Mr. Popper's Penguins. Jim Carrey stars as the titular Mr. Popper, a divorced realtor whose globetrotting father leaves him with crates full of penguins upon his death. Popper decides not to turn the penguins over to the zoo when he observes how much his children love them, and in caring for his new feathered friends, he not only mends his personal relationships, but also succeeds in landing an important and sentimental real estate deal. Based on a children's book from 1938, Mr. Popper's Penguins is pretty standard stuff, which means the plot points are predictable, and there are enough "aww shucks" moments for the kids. The film, however, fails to transcend cliché and become something more.

12 May 2012

Want a feel good family Film?

This was a good film.If you are looking for the Jim Carrey of the Dumb and Dumber or other crudish humor then don't bother.This is his attempt at a family film.It comes across as cute, funny, a bit sad and nostalgic..It is a fun 'what if' movie.Got ot love the penguins.

12 May 2012

How To Own A Penguin

This review is from: Mr. Popper's Penguins [HD] (Amazon Instant Video) If I were to own penguins, this is how to do it. A very entertaining movie, and Jim Carrey does a great job holding it together in a funny package. I'd watch it again.

edthayer

12 May 2012

Poppers Penguins Bloody Good Fun

In this dark family comedy, Jim Carrey is Mr. Popper, a drivenbusinessman who is clueless when it comes to the important things inlife - until he inherits six penguins through a pact he makes withSatan. Popper's penguins turn his swank New York apartment into a snowywinter wonderland of carnage and destruction - and the rest of his lifeupside-down. Filmed in a refrigerated slaughterhouse with real EmperorPenguins, Mr. Popper's Penguins is Henry Miller's contemporaryadaptation of the classic book.Imagination knows no limitations in Mr. Popper's Penguins, much likeMr. Popper and his penguins' lust for blood.At first glance, the penguins are merely hell-slaves, bound to carryout Popper's will as per the demonic contract. But this master-slaverelationship becomes distorted piece by piece as Popper's insanitybuilds. It is clear that he wishes to be rid of the penguins, butdoesn't know how. This is most clear when the penguins follow him tohis girlfriend's apartment unbeknownst to him. As the penguins ripapart both his girlfriend and the friend whom he suspects she is havingan affair with, Popper tries to pull them off. But their sharp littlebeaks are too quick, and their taste for blood too strong.There will be arguments as to whether the penguins themselves are real,or merely a part of Popper's psychosis. While both sides can offervalid points, when Pippi poops on the businessman, he clearly reacts tothe poop. Why would he do this if the penguins were only inside ofPopper's imagination? It is of this critic's opinion that the penguinswere always intended to be real.4 out of 5 stars.

osakar

11 May 2012

Hideous

As a big fan of Carrey, watching this mainly made me angry. Hisdecision to appear in something this cynical, manipulative, predictableand hopelessly lacking in both hilarity and humanity makes little senseat all.He's one of the most charismatic and universally liked actors workingtoday. He's proved several times that he can handle both comedy (LiarLiar, Dumb and Dumber, Ace Ventura, the list goes on), drama (EternalSunshine...) and the roles in between (The Truman Show). Now, however,it seems as if he's just stopped trying. In "Penguins", he never reallystarts being funny – although he certainly tries. For all his efforts,he is mostly upstaged by the CGI penguins.The main problem with the film is the poorly written, almost entirelylaugh-less script. Throughout the film, Popper himself is by far themost sympathetic character. The scriptwriters, however, clearly want usto side with his insufferable, needy, sarcastic children andridiculously demanding ex-wife. Then we're supposed to cheer when momand dad get back together, leaving mom's partner in the dust. Whyshouldn't mom be with New Dad? We don't know. We're never told muchabout him, we're just supposed to dislike him. These are examples ofhow nonsensical the script is.I suppose there is some moral lesson at its core about the value ofmonogamy as represented by the penguin circle of life, in which themother and father stick together for good. But whatever message it mayhave been trying to send gets buried under an avalanche of scenesfeaturing penguins pooping, farting and running headfirst into things(as a side note, this is also the first Carrey comedy in which someonetaking a ball to the groin is an actual joke).Now, normally I wouldn't mind a movie like this. There are many otherfamily films out there that are nearly identical to "Penguins". But Ido love Jim Carrey, and it bothers me to see him in the same oldHollywood "family" garbage everyone's already seen countless timesbefore. He's so much better than this.It's just sad.

Anne

11 May 2012

Movie Party!

I think this Fox movie is a perfect film to see for my birthday. I now have 2 Favorite 20th Century Fox films! "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules" & "Mr. Popper's Penguins".

10 May 2012

Funny Family Movie

Great movie, fun for the whole family. Jim Carey is really good perhaps better then some of his other films. The Penguins are hilarious.

TheLittleSongbird

05 May 2012

Cute and charming if forgettable

I was kind of interested in seeing Mr Popper's Penguins despite itssomewhat lukewarm reception. I found it wasn't a bad film, there aresome charming and funny moments with a good cast, but at the end of theday it is rather bland and forgettable. It is nice to look at, has agood soundtrack and has some nice values about family andfriendships(values I personally regard highly). The film is directedefficiently, and the cast is likable. Jim Carrey is not quite as goodas he once was but he still gives a likable and fun performancebringing a good touch of his manic persona. Carla Gugino is lovely too,and it was a pleasure to see Angela Lansbury again. But it is thepenguins that steal the show, they are absolutely adorable and if thereare any cute, charming and funny parts, the penguins are a big part ofwhy. The story is simple and has some charm, if rather predictable andcontrived. The script is sometimes funny, but some of it is weak,likewise with the gags but some in this case are a little too drawn outfor my tastes. Pace is mostly lively, however I think the final thirdfeels a little rushed. Overall, a cute movie but rather forgettable.6/10 Bethany Cox

Thomas

04 May 2012

GO PENGUINS!

The penguins stole the show, big time! The problem in the movie was human. I can't place my finger on it, but Jim Carey's role just did not match the over the top performance of the antics of the penguins. He was not the comedian in the movie, the penguins were, and it left him.......what? The impeding shadow of villains threating the existence of the penguins was an overused tactic I felt was more of an interruption to the development to the story than a benefit and could have been replaced by something else more entertaining and creative. The storyline attempted to make his family an equal part of the resolution of conflict, but without more development of their lives and their past history, that too, was over-shadowed. Possibly the movie tried to do too much. Still, if you could stomach the destruction of ones house for the benefit of a theme park for penguins, it was a fun.

Drewhunsicker

30 April 2012

Perfectly Placed Penguin Pageant

The movie is a funny, and compassionately told story about a family. The setting is NYC NY with a quirky device which has many characters and subplots but it always lands on the events related to that family.Jim Carrey is relatively mild in his characterizations as is befitting the story.. making it believable , though outlandish.Supporting characters are equally good in carrying forward the intent of the story.Any family with kids 5+ WILL enjoy Mr. Popper's Penguins.There are CGI but impossible to see except for the ensuing laughter.The Audience in my showing applauded for several minutes at the end of the showing.

30 April 2012

Pippi and the Penguins

Positives:Great acting performances by Pippi and her penguins. Mostly good by everyone else except Carrey and Lansbury, at times, reverted to their stereotypic past learned phrasings and characterizations. Enough uniquely humorous lines and skits to make the movie a mostly novel laughable experience. So, kudos to the writers for those parts. Negatives:Studios with their crew of writers, directors and producers know that making money takes precedence over creativity so with that thought in mind we have the following too predictable scenes: A stereotypic plot framework of a newly divorced couple with teens. Teens have their own issues as well as navigating/mediating the divorce. Dad, as usual, had his own father family issues growing up. Dad is seen as more in love with his monied vocational interests than the kids. Mom, has a new male friend that ends up to be a boor. Yes, gets booted. At stake is a prize piece of property that is predictably going to be procured by Dad after he re-prioritizes with the help of, guess who, penguins. Dad also wins kids and wife after he re-prioritizes with the help of, guess who, penguins. Penguins, at first, were presented in a clever way but towards the end the writers ran out of ideas and the animals just did the same made-up cute tricks found in most animal movies. In summary, if the movie just had Pipi and the penguins to build around it would have had the potential to be creatively - spot on.