The Couch Critic
The Couch Critic is your laid-back guide to movies and TV shows that deserve your attention—or maybe don’t. Nathan dives deep into storytelling, character development, and cinematic style with a sharp eye and a wry sense of humor. Whether it’s a blockbuster hit, a hidden gem, or a cult classic, Nathan’s relatable approach ensures every episode feels like a cozy chat with a friend who just happens to love film. Perfect for casual watchers and cinephiles alike, The Couch Critic brings thoughtful critique without the fluff. Grab your favorite snack, settle in, and let Nathan guide you through the world of screen entertainment.
The Couch Critic
Cinema Saturday: Paddington's Third Adventure - Expectations vs. Reality
Welcome to a heartfelt and engaging discussion on the latest adventure of everyone's favorite bear, Paddington, in "Paddington in Peru." With the success of "Paddington 2" setting a high bar, Nathan dives deep into what makes this franchise so cherished and whether the new installment lives up to its predecessors.
Join him as he navigates the significant changes in direction, the impact of casting decisions, and how moving the character away from London affects the film's core charm. He unpacks why these elements matter greatly to fans and what this shift means for the future of Paddington's adventures. Expect plenty of anecdotes, laughter, and reflections that resonate with both newcomers and lifelong fans alike.
Discover the key moments that either shine or falter in "Paddington in Peru," including a delightful mid-credits scene that gives a nod to the beloved past. Nathan is excited to share his thoughts, and he invites you to join the conversation. Let him know your favorite moments or what you think could've been done differently! Join the community and remember to subscribe for more captivating episodes like this one!
The weekend's here. It's time to unwind. Grab your snacks, leave the week behind. Blockbusters classics, they're all on the way. Let's kick it off with Cinema Saturdays.
Speaker 2:Hey everybody, welcome to another Cinema Saturday episode of the Couch Critic. I'm your host, nathan, and on today's episode I'm talking about a movie that I was super excited about because, if you remember, last episode of the Couch Critic, I mentioned that this is a series that is near and dear to my heart. But the second one is by far the best movie I've ever seen in my life, and that film franchise is paddington bear. Paddington bear, obviously, is based on the classic children's stories about paddington and they decided to make Paddington the movie, which was okay. It had Nicole Kidman in it. It was a little dark at times, like there her character wanted to kill him and stuff him, so that was kind of a little, a little too much at times for me, especially considering this. It was supposed to be a children's movie. But then paddington 2 arrived and I don't know if it was because hugh grant's character was just so great and he was an actor. Like the character was an actor and I don't know if that had anything to do with it, but the movie was just so perfect. Like I don't think there was anything wrong with Paddington 2, and so when they announced that Paddington in Peru was coming out, I gotta admit I was excited because Paddington 2 was so great, but it also made it difficult for this movie because it had to outdo Paddington 2. And I I'm already getting ahead of myself because I didn't do anything that I usually do, because I am excited about talking about this movie. So before I go any further about my thoughts on Paddington in Peru, I have to go over the synopsis. Paddington returns to Peru to visit his beloved Aunt Lucy, who now resides at the home for retired bears. With the Brown family in tow. A thrilling adventure ensues when a mystery plunges them into an unexpected journey. Paddington in peru stars hugh bonneville, emily mortimer, ben winsaw and Imelda Staunton. So this movie came out.
Speaker 2:It was announced pretty soon, I think after Paddington 2, because of the success of that movie, but then, one by one, things were already starting to kind of make me hesitant about this movie. Number one is that emily mortimer it played the role of mary brown when in the first two movies I believe it was Sally Hawkins who played the role of Mary Brown and I thought she was a fine actress in these movies. She was a great Mary Brown. Mary Brown is the mother of the family and I thought she did a great job with the performance and it was never actually said why she wasn't returning and so that makes it kind of weird and hesitant. But I was like you know what this happens all the time People change and casting.
Speaker 2:And then I believe this was announced first but Paul King, who directed the first two movies, decided not to direct Paddington in Peru. So and that was kind of disheartening for me as well, because he had taken this character, paddington, and created two, even though the second one was a lot better. But he created two endearing movies and built these characters, brought them to life and yeah, it was like I said, the second one is perfection. I honestly think that it's the best movie I've ever seen in my entire life and I've seen some really good movies and I'm not saying this is the best children's movie ever, it's. Paddington two is is the best movie I've ever seen and I will never back down from that. But moving on to paddington, peru, so all the two things I mentioned before the, the change of mary brown and the change of director made me very hesitant and the fact that this was the director's first big film he had done commercials, I believe, and music videos. So I will say right now that Paddington Brew was not good in my opinion. It kind of didn't have the same endearment that the first two did, especially the second one. This is kind of not a spoiler, but Hugh Grant's character is not in this. If you watched Paddington 2, then you know spoiler for that movie that at the end of that film his character goes to jail. So he is not in this third film and I don't know if it's because of the first two things I mentioned before, or it could be this third one.
Speaker 2:This third thing that I thought about, what made paddington and padding to do so endearing, is that they both took place in london and I don't know if it was because it had that sense of community. In both of the films the community came together both times to support and encourage Paddington and the Browns. And this movie takes Paddington out of London and takes him to Peru and I don't know. I think it was just trying to come off as silly and because you know it's a kid's movie and I guess they felt they needed to. And I'm not saying that paddington 2 didn't have silly moments, it did. Hugh grant's character was hilarious and fantastic and it wasn't dumbed down for kids, but it also wasn't borderline creepy like n Kidman's character was in the first film.
Speaker 2:But I just I just wasn't feeling it. I wasn't feeling the storyline. I understand with the storyline what they were trying to tell. It could have been more heartwarming. It could have been more heartwarming. One thing that really threw me off is again Mary Brown is played by a different actress but they still try to do a flashback to the first one without revealing Mary Brown's face and just having the new actress record a line that was spoken by Sally Hawkins in the first film. That kind of that was like the thing that officially took me out of the movie Because they were really trying to bang that bringing the family back together because the kids are getting older and they really focused a lot on the Brown family and it really again it took me out of the film because the mom is not the same person and I can't connect with her because she's being played by someone different.
Speaker 2:And people might be listening to this and they might think, hey, nathan, you're overthinking it, this is a kid's movie. I'm done with that excuse that it's a kid's movie. I'm done with that excuse that it's a kid's movie, so kids aren't going to notice. These movies are great for the whole family, even Paddington in Peru. It's not a bad. Okay, I know I said earlier it wasn't a good, but it wasn't a bad movie. Okay, it had some some interesting moments.
Speaker 2:I thought it was interesting what they did with Antonio Banderas, his character, but at the same time it kind of they were kind of repeating the things a few grants character in a way Not 100% the same, but it seemed very similar to Hugh Grant's character. That being said, spoiler alert, spoiler alert, spoiler alert. There is a mid-credits scene that made me very happy because they have Paddington bring all of his family members to visit Hugh Grant's character in jail and it was hilarious. It was, I think, the best part of the entire film, which is saying a lot about the film that the mid-credit scene was the best part. It made me laugh, it made me smile so big because his character is just so good. It's such a fun character and you can tell he's having fun with it, and the fact that he was willing to come back for the mid-credit scene, of all things, just speaks volumes of how much he enjoyed.
Speaker 2:And they've already talked about doing a paddington four, and all I'm saying is they need to bring back your grant and they need to make a compelling storyline and they need to make it take place in london. I'm serious, the change of location, I think, hurt this film too. I know they probably felt, hey, it's the third one, we need to change things up a bit. But I don't think they needed to to do it in that way, because at the end of padding the two or no, that was probably paddington one reunites him with his aunt lucy, and then paddington two throws hugh grant's character in jail. So I mean, I don't, honestly, I don't remember how they ended paddington two I guess I gotta re-watch it which apparently, uh, on my christmas list of movies, paddington the franchise is a christmas food movie. I don't, I don't know. So I'll get to those movies eventually on my list of christmas movies. But, yeah, paddington peru, yeah, it doesn't. It doesn't hold a candle to paddington too. So, uh, I say all that to say paddington and peru will be getting a three out of five stars, because it was still cute, it's. Paddington is a very endearing character, no matter what the storyline is, so I will give him that. But yeah, yeah, paddington and Peru kind of disappointed me a bit.
Speaker 2:But next Saturday is a screen unseen movie. I've already seen it but I'm not going to give you a hint of what it is, because I want you to guess, I want you to think about it. Hit that, send us a text link in the show notes so you can send us some fan mail to guess what. Next Saturday's Cinema Saturday episode. But before then you can check out our first episode of March talking about Babe. And how in the world it's on this Christmas movie list that I'm talking about. On Tuesdays, the Couch Critic, where every movie gets its close-up.
Speaker 1:So grab a seat, let the credits play. We'll see you next for Cinema Saturdays.
