FILM

USA 2011 94 mins Dir: Mark Waters Starring: Jim Carrey, Carla Gugino, Angela Lansbury

'Inoffensive' is the term a majority of critics reach for when describing 'family films' like this. I'm here to tell you that 'Mr. Popper's Penguins' is one of the most offensive movies ever made, ruining a much-loved, folksy children's novel from the 1930s about an impoverished smalltown house-painter who acquires a bunch of penguins. In the original story, Mr. Popper is a happily married man with an admirable thirst for knowledge, who names his first aquatic flightless pal Captain Cook. The Hollywood version casts gurning Jim Carrey as a separated, cynical, rapacious Manhattan property developer. Tellingly, his penguins are named things like Stinky and Bitey.

Naturally, whiny Dad Issues are at the core of this update, as is mandatory with all modern children's films. Carrey's Popper was neglected by his explorer father and, in turn, understandably neglects his own brace of vile children. Clearly, the function of the funny beasts is to make him a Better Dad and, miraculously, bring mom and dad back together - this theme being one of the cruellest tricks Tinseltown likes to play on the children of divorced parents. Carrey's Popper also has to become a nicer human being. So anyone whose lunch remains defiantly unregurgitated by the foregoing faces an additional challenge when Hollywood delivers another of its breathtakingly disingenuous anti-corporate messages in siding with Angela Lansbury's defiant family restaurant owner against Popper's evil bosses. Small children may be amused by the CGI-augmented penguins' largely defecation-oriented antics, but the animal welfare message is deeply confused. A zookeeper is vilified for pointing out, rightly, that Popper is ill-equipped to care for his charges. Only belatedly does the film acknowledge that the best place for penguins is in the wild. (Robin Askew)

website www.popperspenguins.com/

Opens: August 5

Copyright Robin Askew 2011