| Mr. Popper's Penguins | |
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Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | Mark Waters |
| Produced by | John Davis |
| Screenplay by | Sean Anders John Morris Jared Stern |
| Based on | Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater |
| Starring | Angela Lansbury |
| Music by | Rolfe Kent |
| Cinematography | Florian Ballhaus |
| Editing by | Bruce Green |
| Studio | Davis Entertainment |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
| Release date(s) | June 17, 2011 |
| Running time | 94 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $55 million[1] |
| Box office | $187,355,343[2] |
Mr. Popper's Penguins is a live-action family comedy film distributed by 20th Century Fox starring Jim Carrey, very loosely based on the children's book of the same name. The film was originally slated for a release on August 12, 2011, but was moved up to June 17, 2011.[3]
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Thomas "Dylan" Popper Jr. (Jim Carrey) is a divorced realtor whose father traveled to many far places around the world during his childhood. When his father dies, a crate containing a gentoo penguin (Captain) shows up at his doorstep. Eventually, due to a miscommunication, more penguins arrive (Bitey, Stinky, Lovey, Nimrod, and Loudey), bringing the total to six. Popper initially intends to donate the penguins to a local zoo, but changes his mind when his children, Janie Popper (Madeline Carroll) and Billy Popper (Maxwell Perry Cotton), fall in love with the birds.
At the same time, Popper is given the task of buying Tavern on the Green, an old restaurant where he used to eat with his father as a child, with the intent of tearing it down and building a new development in its place. However, its elderly owner, Selma Van Gundy (Angela Lansbury), will only sell it to someone who she deems a person of true value. Having the penguins around helps Popper to become closer to his children and he begins dating their mother, Amanda Popper (Carla Gugino), again. The penguins eventually lay three eggs. Two of the eggs hatch and one doesn’t. Popper becomes obsessed with saving the last egg, losing his job in the process.
Upon realizing that the egg can’t be saved, Popper feels he is not capable of raising the penguins and donates them to the zoo. He then refocuses his attention on purchasing the Tavern on the Green. His children and ex-wife, however, are disappointed in his decision, seeing it as wrong. Popper then finds a lost letter from his father which had been delivered with the first penguin, Captain.
In it, his father tells him to hold his children close and love them, just as this penguin would love him. He becomes guilt-ridden over his decision to give away the penguins and is determined to go to the zoo to take them back. Along with his ex-wife and children, Popper rescues the penguins which were going to be separated and traded to other zoos. Upon seeing how Popper had reunited his family and rescued the penguins, the owner of Tavern on the Green, Selma Van Gundy, agrees to sell him the restaurant. But rather than tear it down as once planned, Popper renovates the restaurant and reopens it.
Nat Jones (Clark Gregg), the penguin expert of the New York Zoo on the other hand, is publicly humiliated and escorted by the police out of the Tavern in the film's climatic scene. While he is legally in the right, the owner of the Tavern, Selma Van Gundy, is able to protect Mr. Popper from arrest due to her friendship with New York's Mayor. At the end of the film, Popper and his family travel to Antarctica with the penguins, allowing them to live with their own kind. Popper's first penguin, Captain, is revealed to have laid another egg. Popper tells his children that they'll have to come back and visit when the baby, who he named Bald Eagle (after the code name he used for his father), is born.
Originally Ben Stiller was going to play Mr. Popper, and Noah Baumbach was originally going to direct; however, both dropped out. Owen Wilson, Jack Black, and Jim Carrey were all considered to replace Stiller with the role eventually going to Carrey.[4] Mark Waters was chosen to direct. Filming began in October 2010 and finished in January 2011.
On September 21, 2010, it was confirmed that Carla Gugino had joined the cast.[5]
Rhythm and Hues Studios did the penguin animations for certain shots..
The musical score was ambitious, with music playing nearly throughout. It was written by Rolfe Kent, and orchestrated by Tony Blondal. It was recorded at the scoring stage at 20th Century Fox in Century City, Ca. with a 78 piece orchestra.
The film earned $6.4 million on opening day and $18.4 million over the three-day weekend, ranking in third place behind Green Lantern and Super 8. The opening was at the high end of 20th Century Fox's expectations, who were predicting a mid to high teens opening. In its second weekend, the film faced competition from Cars 2 and dropped 45% to $10.1 million and ranked in fifth place. Over the four-day Independence Day holiday weekend, it ranked in eighth place after dropping 34% to $6.7 million. The film has earned $68.2 domestically and $119.1 in foreign countries grossing a total of $187,355,343 worldwide making the film a box office success. First Stop News gave the film a rating of 6.8/10, calling the film "charming" but "predictable".[6]
The film has received mixed reviews from critics, with a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 47%, based on 133 reviews. The consensus reads "blandly inoffensive and thoroughly predictable." It was released in Blu-Ray and DVD on December 6th, 2011 along with The Help, The Debt, Cowboys & Aliens and The Hangover Part II.[7]
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