Grant steals show in delightful ‘Paddington 2’
Wonderful in every way, “Paddington 2” charmingly demonstrates the power of storytelling, the importance of imagination with a clear message and that what the world needs now is a bit of kindness.
As a sequel to the 2014 “Paddington,” “Paddington 2” has the same creative team led by director and co-writer Paul King with returning cast members Hugh Bonneville and Sally Hawkins as London’s Mr. and Mrs. Brown, who have adopted the talking Peruvian bear Paddington — named for the train station where he was found — as part of their family.
Once again Ben Whishaw (“The Danish Girl”) perfectly embodies Paddington’s voice, and with the amazing digital work that makes Paddington and much else seem real, it’s easy to believe.
Much of the appeal of “Paddington 2” is the way it combines classic British nostalgia with fast-forward contemporary filmmaking. It pops as it summons the spirit of the magical London that made Disney’s 1961 original animated film “One Hundred and One Dalmations” so pleasing.
This adventurous comedy belongs to Hugh Grant’s remarkable send-up of every hambone of an actor you could ever imagine.
As Phoenix Buchanan, a once-famous thespian now reduced to impersonating a hungry pooch in dog food commercials and acting as a carny barker at Madame Kozlova’s Steam Fair, Grant seems to be having the time of his life.
When a rare pop-up book of London landmarks is stolen at an antiques store, Phoenix manages to avoid detection through one of his disguises and poor Paddington is charged, convicted and sent to prison.
Behind bars, our sweet little bear charms the fearsome chef Knuckles McGinty (Brendan Gleeson, having a ball). A terrible cook known for his signature slop, Knuckles’ name is tattooed on his knuckles, only misspelled.
This kind of attention to the tiniest details is continuously evident as “Paddington 2” includes a prison break, a nod to Chaplin’s “Modern Times” and much more, always with a witty assurance that should please parents even more than their kids.
Stay for the credits and see Grant’s Phoenix singing and dancing to a Sondheim song.