The Cinematheque

All Ages

“Children deserve more movies like Paddington 2, and honestly, so do adults.”

Emily Yoshida, Vulture

Certified super-duper ​“fresh” by Rotten Tomatoes (it’s the best-reviewed film in the site’s history), Paddington 2 was exactly the balm everyone needed in a decade marked by perplexing acts of unkindness and intolerance. This jubilant, Wes Anderson-esque sequel to the 2014 hit (also directed by Paul King) finds adorably pea-coated Paddington Bear working odd jobs in London to afford a birthday present for his far-away aunt, turning 100. His heart is set on an antique pop-up book, but when it goes missing, our marmalade-loving furball is framed for theft and thrown in the slammer. Hugh Grant has a ball playing a villainous washed-up actor; Sally Hawkins, Brendan Gleeson, and Jim Broadbent round out the human players. Delightfully droll and genuinely affecting, Paddington 2 is ​“a disarming, refreshing wallow in kindness” (Bilge Ebiri, Village Voice).

“Paddington 2 should be prescribed as an antidote to anyone who finds the madness of the modern world a bit wearing. It’s probably possible to not absolutely love it, but it’s hard to see how.”

Olly Richards, Empire