Paddington In Peru

Summary

Pop Culture Happy Hour: "Paddington in Peru" Episode Summary

Release Date: February 17, 2025
Podcast: Pop Culture Happy Hour
Hosts: Linda Holmes, Glen Weldon, Stephen Thompson, Aisha Harris
Guests: Rihanna Cruz (Freelance Music and Culture Journalist), Jeff Yang (Cultural Critic and Author)

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Introduction

In this episode of Pop Culture Happy Hour, the hosts dive into the latest installment of the beloved Paddington Bear series, "Paddington in Peru." Joining Glen Weldon and Stephen Thompson are two insightful guests: Rihanna Cruz, a freelance music and culture journalist, and Jeff Yang, a cultural critic and author known for his work on Asian American representation.

Overview of "Paddington in Peru"

Glen Weldon kicks off the discussion by introducing the film:

"Paddington Bear. You know him. He's got a hat, a coat, a thing for marmalade, and when pressed, a hard stare is back. The new movie Paddington in Peru flies him and his family the globe into the wilds of Peru." [00:20]

Stephen Thompson elaborates on the plot, highlighting the film's adventurous spirit and star-studded cast:

"Together they embark on a search for Paddington's Aunt Lucy, who's gone missing. Along the way, they meet a not remotely suspicious singing nun played by Olivia Colman and an even less suspicious boat captain played by Antonio Banderas." [00:34]

Glen Weldon provides a more detailed synopsis:

"Paddington in Peru is the third film in which Ben Whishaw voices the beloved and terribly British bear. In this installment, Paddington receives a letter from a nun about his missing Aunt Lucy. The Brown family travels to Peru, encountering various adventures that blend British sensibilities with exotic settings." [03:09]

Guest Introductions

Glen Weldon welcomes the guests:

"Joining me today is freelance music and culture journalist Rihanna Cruz. Hey, Rihanna." [02:57]
"Also with us is Jeff Yang. He's a cultural critic and author of The Movies that Made Asian America. Hey, Jeff." [03:01]

Discussion on "Paddington in Peru"

Rihanna Cruz's Perspective

Rihanna Cruz shares her appreciation for the film's cultural roots:

"I liked that the movie focuses on the fact that Paddington is a Latino icon. He's from Peru, and I like that this movie got him back to his roots in Peru. I really enjoyed it." [04:25]

She further critiques the film's handling of cultural themes:

"I feel like Paddington is a victim of environmental displacement and a cultural refugee. Despite aligning with British values, his identity feels whitewashed. The movie doesn't appropriately address Britain's role as a colonizer." [11:18]

Jeff Yang's Insight

Jeff Yang draws parallels between Paddington's journey and the experiences of adoptees in the Asian American community:

"There's always been a conversation about where you belong. This movie begins by asking that question, ultimately affirming that you belong where you belong and are shaped by both your adopted and native cultures." [09:50]

He acknowledges the film's strengths despite its challenges:

"Even with its similarities to Paddington 2, Paddington in Peru handles themes of identity and belonging in a way that's relevant and meaningful." [05:40]

Stephen Thompson's Evaluation

Stephen Thompson offers a balanced view, recognizing both strengths and weaknesses:

"I think it's probably the weakest of the three Paddington films, but it is still a very, very strong movie. It maintains the delightful British sensibility and features committed character actors like Olivia Colman." [05:40]

He expresses concerns about the film's shift from its original setting:

"They took Paddington out of London and placed him in the jungle, which feels too franchisey and overswept. It detracts from what makes Paddington cozy and relatable." [08:26]

Glen Weldon's Critique

Glen Weldon delves into the franchise's evolution, expressing discomfort with its broader scope:

"This film is the inflection point where the series becomes a franchise. Removing Paddington from London makes him feel out of place, diluting his inherent British charm." [07:23]

He emphasizes Paddington’s seamless fit within London:

"Paddington is more British than mushy peas at a Sunday roast. He fits in London like a foot into a Wellington boot." [08:26]

Cultural Themes and Representation

The conversation highlights the film's exploration of cultural identity and belonging. Jeff Yang emphasizes the importance of community acceptance:

"It's not just about the family that loves you, but the entire community that loves you. In this era, that's an amazing message." [09:50]

Rihanna Cruz counters by pointing out the film's shortcomings in addressing colonization and cultural assimilation:

"The movie doesn't appropriately address Britain's role as a colonizer, and the cultural exchange feels superficial." [13:13]

Performance Highlights

The hosts praise the performances, particularly Olivia Colman's portrayal:

"Olivia Colman is swinging big here. She is effortlessly funny, pulling faces in a way that's both genuine and witty." [17:36]

Antonio Banderas is noted for bringing charm to his role as the boat captain:

"Antonio Banderas goes big, reaching for the humor with varying degrees of success, but always adding delightful energy to the film." [18:02]

Final Thoughts

Despite the critiques, all participants acknowledge the film's merits and its place within the children's movie market:

Rihanna Cruz appreciates its dual appeal to adults and children:

"It's miles better than other movies in the market right now. It's inventive and effectively entertains both adults and kids." [16:46]

Stephen Thompson concludes with a hopeful note for future installments:

"I would love it if Paddington 4 resets in London with gentle tea-time adventures. The franchise needs to return to what makes Paddington special." [15:43]

Conclusion

The episode wraps up with Glen Weldon summarizing the group's sentiments:

"We all kind of landed more or less in the same place. We dug this film to various degrees. We want to know what you think about Paddington in Peru. Find us at Facebook.com/PCHH and on [e-mail] NPRpopculture." [19:36]

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps:

• Glen Weldon: "Paddington is more British than mushy peas at a Sunday roast." [08:26]
• Jeff Yang: "It's not just about the family that loves you, but the entire community that loves you." [09:50]
• Rihanna Cruz: "The movie doesn't appropriately address Britain's role as a colonizer." [13:13]
• Stephen Thompson: "I would love it if Paddington 4 resets in London with gentle tea-time adventures." [15:43]
• Glen Weldon: "Olivia Colman is effortlessly funny, pulling faces in a way that's both genuine and witty." [17:36]

Final Remarks

"Paddington in Peru" serves as a thought-provoking addition to the Paddington series, blending adventure with deeper themes of cultural identity. While it may diverge from the franchise's cozy London setting, it offers a platform for meaningful conversations about belonging and representation in modern cinema.

For more discussions and insights, join Pop Culture Happy Hour on Facebook and Letterboxd.

Transcript

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[Glen Weldon]

Paddington Bear. You know him. He's got a hat, a coat, a thing for marmalade, and when pressed, a hard stare is back. The new movie Paddington in Peru flies him and his family the globe into the wilds of Peru.

[Stephen Thompson]

Together they embark on a search for Paddington's Aunt Lucy, who's gone missing. Along the way, they meet a not remotely suspicious singing nun played by Olivia Colman and an even less suspicious boat captain played by Antonio Banderas. I'm Stephen Thompson.

[Glen Weldon]

And I'm Glen Weldon and today we're talking about Paddington in Peru on Pop Culture Happy Hour from.

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[Glen Weldon]

Joining me today is freelance music and culture journalist Rihanna Cruz. Hey, Rihanna.

[Rihanna Cruz]

Howdy.

[Glen Weldon]

Howdy. Also with us is Jeff Yang. He's a cultural critic and author of the golden the Movies that Made Asian America. Hey, Jeff.

[Jeff Yang]

Hey, Glenn.

[Glen Weldon]

Great to have you both. Paddington in Peru is the third film in which Ben Whishaw voices the beloved and terribly, terribly British bear. In this one, he living with the Brown family in London when he receives a letter from a nun played by a rubber faced Olivia Coleman. She runs the home for retired bears where his Aunt Lucy lives and she's concerned about the old gal. The Browns fly to Peru to discover that Aunt Lucy's gone missing but left behind a mysterious map. They trek into the jungle to look for her, aided by a boat captain named Hunter who is literally haunted by his past. He's played by Antonio Banderas. The adventure that follows, involving lost treasure, ancient relics, narrow escapes, and as always, Paddington's deeply British sensibility leads them to new revelations about Paddington's past and a new appreciation for what it means to be home. All that plus a theme song sung by a bunch of nuns. Making and mending and spooning and changing and waxing and buffing and stuffing and.

[Jeff Yang]

Stuffing and slicing and dicing and liking delighting for Paddington.

[Stephen Thompson]

Paddington in po.

[Glen Weldon]

We get the name of the film in the theme song like it's a Bond movie. Paddington in Peru is in theaters now. Rihanna, kick us off. What'd you think?

[Rihanna Cruz]

I liked it, Glenn. I enjoyed Paddington in Peru. I like that the movie focuses on the fact that Paddington is a Latino icon. He's from Peru. A lot of people erase this in favor of his British tendencies, which I understand. But I like that this movie got him back to his roots in Peru. I really enjoyed it.

[Glen Weldon]

Okay. How about you, Jeff?

[Jeff Yang]

Well, okay, so it's hard to match Paddington 2, which is rightly considered one of the best films of the late 2010s and maybe one of the best children's films ever. It's like the Empire Strikes Back of the trilogy, right? I have to say that this film did everything it needed to to be a Pattanton movie. And honestly, even in terms of its kind of, you know, reminiscence in some ways of P2, there's a sense in which, if you can't beat it, just sort of duplic. Because despite the new and exotic setting and, you know, the structure and plot of Paddington 3, you know, Paddington Peru is kind of similar. It's like, right down to the sort of MacGuffin of treasure hunting and half bowl good guy turned bad guy who has to appear in a whole bunch of costumes. Like, if you loved P2, you will vibe with this film.

[Rihanna Cruz]

I think I'm obsessed with abbreviating it to P2. I think that's awesome.

[Jeff Yang]

This time it's personal.

[Stephen Thompson]

I come down very similarly to both of you. I think it's probably the weakest of the three padding, but it is still a very, very, very strong movie. It's still swimming in this delightful British sensibility. I think, in a way, kind of going into this film, I felt like it had two minor strikes against it. One, it's following P2, as Jeff said, a truly superior children's film for everyone. A delightful streaming romp, a delightful airplane movie with that fantastic Hugh Grant performance. This is trying to follow that. It's doing a thing that a lot of sequels like, which is taking these characters you love, removing them from a setting you love them in, and kind of forcing you to get used to them on this adventure that is taking them away from this place that you love spending time in. And for me, I think it largely gets around that by kind of lifting the whole family out and having the whole family take an adventure together, that mitigates some of my frustration with a lot of those kind of sequels. But in general, man, you know, even with those, like, slight caveats against it, it's a pretty delightful movie. I mean, you've got Olivia Colman, who brings kind of the same level of daffy commitment to this that she might bring, say, to the favorite or any number of major and minor films in between. You know, you have these very, very committed character actors being very, very committed in the. That is still like the other Paddington films, fundamentally kind and decent and warm. So, hey, I'm here for it.

[Glen Weldon]

Okay? Yeah, I get what you all are saying. My issue with this film comes down to what Stephen was mentioning. I think this film is the inflection point where a series of stories becomes a franchise. And in that inflection point is where it starts to lose me for exactly the reasons you outlined, Steven. I mean, okay, to be fair, it was always gonna be hard to follow Paddington2, as you mentioned. Leave aside how good that film is. I mean, it became of extremely online thing to love Paddington 2, to talk about how many times you saw it, to make it your identity. Non ironically or mostly non ironically. It wasn't insincere, but it was performative. It was like the TikTok dance of cinema. And whenever there's that much kind of meta social media chaff in the air surrounding a film or an event, what gets lost is that Paddington 2 is legit fun. We all agree that rotten tomato scores don't mean anything, but the fact remains that Paddington 2 is sitting at 99% on rotten tomatoes right now. And when you do go looking for those tomato splats, they come from outlets with names like jerryblogsaboutmovies Biz. Right?

[Jeff Yang]

I love Jerry.

[Glen Weldon]

That's great.

[Stephen Thompson]

Jerryblogsaboutmovies Biz wants to get the Internet very angry.

[Glen Weldon]

Yes, exactly. And those reviews, I mean, I'm me and I read those reviews and I'm like, lighten up, Francis. Right? There is something here that doesn't work for me. And it's how they invert the formula. And I understand that they need to invert the formula or they feel they need to. Instead of Paddington out of place in London, it's the Browns out of place in Peru. And that's intentional. And that gets to. It helps them get to questions of what home is. And, you know, we'll talk about this, but issues of adoption, that's kind of what the film's about. But the mistake is in the formula. They baked in a mistake, which is that. And I'm gonna go against you here, Arianna. Paddington is not a fish out of water in London. He is a duck to water in London. He is more British than the Browns are. He is more British than mushy peas at a Sunday roast. And he's been that way from the jump. When he met the Browns, he was already voiced by Ben Frickin Wishoff, which I love that guy, but can we just agree that that guy, his vibe is very milky tea, right? And this is why I think Paddington belongs in London. He fits in London like a foot into a Wellington boot. And in the world of London, he's cozy and funny and warm. He feels correctly sized. This is kind of what you were talking about, Steven. I think this world of the jungle is just too franchisey, too cgi, too outsized, too sweeping, too. It didn't click for me. It just. I understand why they did it. I just didn't find it interesting.

[Jeff Yang]

If I can comment a little bit on this notion of being in and out of water. I mean, as somebody who's Asian American and for whom, in our community, we have a large population of adoptees. Right? Transnational, transracial adoptees, which basically is what Paddington is, Right? There's always been this conversation about where you belong. And I do feel like that's part of what I kind of love about Paddington, but especially maybe this movie, because this movie really does begin by asking that question. It literally hands him a passport and says, you're British now. You belong here. I mean, yes, Ben Whishaw always belonged there, but patent. And the bear, you know, the brown bear, maybe less so. And there we have this conversation that kind of is a theme of the entire film about whether or not. I mean, he has this conversation with Mr. Gruber about where your allegiances are, whether you have divided identity. And it kind of lands very squarely in this idea that, no, actually, you belong where you belong, and you are both your adopted and your native country. And guess what? It's not just about the family that loves you, but the entire community that loves you. And in this era especially, that's kind of an amazing thing to be saying, and it shouldn't be controversial, but it is controversial, you know, so that was something this movie did, even more so I think, than the two prior ones, which also had really interesting things to say about, let's just say it, migration.

[Rihanna Cruz]

Jeff, I'm going to have to disagree with you, because my one simple issue that I had with Paddington 3, or Paddington in Peru, more properly P3 or.

[Glen Weldon]

P. Peru to Paddington 2, Peru.

[Rihanna Cruz]

I look at Paddington as if he is a victim of environmental displacement and he is a cultural refugee, I feel like. And despite him aligning more with British values, I feel also that his identity is whitewashed. And I'm saying this as a Latino, right? So this is where I'm coming from. But it's like watching this movie, there's a lot of side plots about identity. There's like a whole conquistador kind of narrative in the background of this movie. And the one thing that didn't really sit well while watching it was this idea of, like, what are they trying to say about whiteness and culture and cultural assimilation? Because I felt a similar way. This is gonna sound really silly. I was on the pop culture happy hour episode where we watched Minions, Rise of Gru, right?

[Stephen Thompson]

And a similarly scathing indictment.

[Rihanna Cruz]

I loved Minions, Rise of Gru, but I came out of that episode with one qualm with Minions, Rise of Gru, and it's how they portrayed Asian people and how it felt very, I don't know, fetishistic to put the minions doing, like, kung fu and stuff like that. Like, it just didn't sit well with my spirit. While I think Paddington in Peru was less overt with this kind of appropriative wrestling that it's doing with Peruvian culture, that's the one thing that that left me with a little bit of pause was that, like, I feel like it wasn't appropriately addressing the fact that, like, Britain is a colonizer country.

[Jeff Yang]

Yeah, fair enough.

[Rihanna Cruz]

And this family from London is traveling to Peru, and, you know, Paddington is from London with these Peruvian bears. Like, again, if I think about it too hard, my face will, like, I'll faint, you know? Cause it's like, nobody should really be thinking about this in regards to Paddington in Peru.

[Stephen Thompson]

But, like, I should not be wrestling with anything watching Paddington in Peru.

[Rihanna Cruz]

Exactly. And that's why when I was sitting in the theater thinking about this, and then I was like, you know what? Like, it's fine. And I just let it wash over me like water over a stone. The one issue I think that I'm left with is how the movie treats this, like, colonizer mentality between the Christian nuns in the mission and the conquistador bad guy. You know, there's just something there that I can't really quite put my finger on. But it just didn't really sit the most well with me with it being a British production.

[Jeff Yang]

They not like us. They not like us.

[Glen Weldon]

Yeah. It's really interesting because this does not engage with Peruvian culture in any serious way, in the same way the books didn't, because they were such British products. I guess what I'm really having trouble with is not, like, the nature of the message or what it's saying about colonization, but the scale. Like in later books, Paddington does go to Peru. He competes in the Tour de France. But in those first few book, he goes on the London Underground. He goes to see a play, he goes shopping. He tries to make dinner. That's his wheelhouse. I feel that's his vibe, which is cozy. And as soon as you graft onto it, this whole search for El Dorado that never seems to gel. It's like, get your DuckTales out of my Paddington. That's what I kept coming back to. They're trying to take this small story and franchise it and make it an ongoing Paddington in space. Paddington. And that's not where I want this series to go. Add to the fact that they're not really seriously Engaging with any kind of cultural exchange or cultural colonization because they're just not willing to.

[Stephen Thompson]

I agree with you, Glenn, that this movie is starting to kind of franchise these characters away from what attracted me to the first few films and where this film really pulled me back without giving anything away. There's a point in this film where it imp. There is a part in this film in which it gets sentimental. I know. Shocker. Spoiler.

[Rihanna Cruz]

Paddington's sentimental.

[Stephen Thompson]

That was the stuff that pulled me back in a lot of the kind of swashbuckling adventure of it got a little bit deadening after a while because it wasn't what I come to these movies for. And I would love it if Paddington 4 resets in the house in London and has, like, gentle tea time adventures with some character trying to eat Paddington for some reason.

[Glen Weldon]

Yeah.

[Jeff Yang]

It's a recurring theme of eating the bear. Yeah.

[Stephen Thompson]

I don't want these movies to get too sweeping. I don't want them to get too ambitious. I agree with you, Glenn, that that is part of why this film felt a little less satisfying than the first two. Even though I will. I have to go back to say I really enjoyed it. I will probably watch it again. When it comes to streaming, I will recommend it to people. It's just. It falls into that category of sequels where it takes the thing you like and tries to remix it in a way that makes it less of what I like.

[Rihanna Cruz]

I think despite, you know, all of us having our qualms with it, though, like, looking at what the kids movie market is right now, it's still miles better than, you know, I was looking through the Showtimes the other day, like, the Mufasa, Lion King reboot thing, Dogman. Like, this is inventive and a movie that very clearly is designed for adults as well as kids to consume. I see a lot of movies, and I think it's very hard to come by a film that accesses both those markets and entertains effectively. Especially when we're in, like, the dregs of moviegoing, you know, these early months of the year where we're kind of just getting tossed. Whatever. It's refreshing, you know, it's refreshing to watch something and laugh a lot as somebody who's not the target audience, you know?

[Glen Weldon]

Yeah, I mean, that's a great point, Rihanna, because, like, here's the secret. Here's the thing that this film has in its back pocket, that whenever it moves it to the front pocket, I'm in. It's Olivia Colman. We've talked about this, but she is swinging big here. She is effortlessly funny. And what's fascinating about that is she's doing the thing that actors are trained not to do, which is mugging for the camera, which is pulling faces. And yet she's Olivia freakin Colman. Every time she pulled a face and laughed. Every single time.

[Jeff Yang]

Every time when she does that goony ey almost, but not quite. Fourth wall breaking, kind of like almost. I'm not suspicious here. I totally broke.

[Stephen Thompson]

I found even the absence of jokes, it's like sometimes she would look at the screen and it would be like it was a joke and the audience would laugh. And it was entirely like. The movie derives all this humor from the fact that, like, I think Olivia Colman may not be on the up and up here.

[Jeff Yang]

Lampshade.

[Stephen Thompson]

The movie knows, it's obvious. The movie knows, you know, it's obvious you know, the movie know you know, it's obvious. And the movie plays around with that. I did find that extraordinarily witty. I love her. I love, you know, just throw her on the screen and I'm happy.

[Glen Weldon]

And Antonio Banderas also goes big, I think, you know, where she's effortlessly funny. He's effortfully funny. You can see him trying to do what Hugh Grant did in the previous film. He's reaching for it and he finds it occasionally so good for him.

[Jeff Yang]

You can definitely see the gears grind. And I will say that, you know, there's something to be said for people like Olivia Colman who are most known maybe for, if you will, serious theater. Right. Kind of stepping outside that and just going full caricature. I think Antonio Banderas constantly swings back and forth between, you know, Spy Kids Y type level stuff and stuff which is a lot more Puss in Boots. Oh, he's so good in Puss in Boots.

[Stephen Thompson]

So good in Puss in Boots.

[Jeff Yang]

But absolutely, there's something delightful about seeing performers very capable of adult dramatic performance just being their inner kid. And that's what this, both of them feel like.

[Glen Weldon]

Well, we all kind of landed more or less in the same place. We dug this film to various degrees. We want to know what you think about Paddington in Peru. Find us at Facebook.com PCHH and on [e-mail] NPRpopculture we'll have a link in our episode description that brings us to the end of our show. Stephen Thompson, Rihanna, Cruz, Jeff, thanks so much for being here.

[Stephen Thompson]

Thank you.

[Rihanna Cruz]

Happy to be here.

[Glen Weldon]

Thank you. And just a reminder that signing up for Pop Culture Happy Hour plus is a great way to support our show and public radio, and you get to listen to all of our episodes sponsor free. So please go find out more at plus.NPR.org happyar or visit the link in our show Notes. This episode was produced by Hafsa Fatimah and Lennon Sherburne and edited by Jessica Reedy and Mike Katsif. And hello Kamin provides our theme music. Thank you for listening to Pop Culture Happy Hour from npr. I'm glad hi, I'm Glenn Weldon and we'll see you all next time.

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