Review: ‘Paddington 2’ is a sweet, cheerful charmer

“Paddington 2” is that rare creation that somehow improves on its already charming predecessor.

Maybe it’s the addition of Hugh Grant as a lunatic faded star desperate for some cash to get his one-man show going, Brendan Gleeson as a moody prison chef named Knuckles McGinty, a totally random dance routine during the credits or just the sheer earnestness of it all. Whatever the reason, “Paddington 2” is a total delight.

Paul King returns as director and cowriter for the sequel, which finds Paddington (voiced again by Ben Whishaw) living happily with the Brown family, Mary (Sally Hawkins), Henry (Hugh Bonneville), Jonathan (Samuel Joslin), Judy (Madeleine Harris) and Mrs. Bird (Julie Walters). Paddington, through his Pollyanna positivity and Emily Post politeness, has turned their candy-colored neighborhood, Windsor Gardens, into a friendly paradise.

He gets a mission when he spots a London pop-up book at an antique store that he thinks would be perfect to buy his Aunt Lucy (voiced by Imelda Staunton), who is still in Peru and has always dreamed of going to London (pretty thoughtful for an anthropomorphized bear). But it’s expensive and he needs to get a job in order to afford it. It’s an easy set-up for some high jinks as he tries and fails at a few things. In a film that feels so effortless, this is a rare snag that’s a little forced and chaotic. Thankfully, it’s all building to something better, which is not coincidentally related to the arrival of Hugh Grant.

At a fair, Paddington meets the actor Phoenix Buchanan (Grant), who was once a star and has now been reduced to doing dog food commercials and takes an unusual interest in the pop-up book Paddington mentions he’s saving up for. One night, Paddington notices a strange man breaking into the antique store that houses the coveted pop-up book. He attempts to stop the burglarly and wrongly ends up in prison.

Pretty dark for a Paddington movie, sure, but King keeps it light and positive (this is perhaps the brightest and cleanest prison you’ve ever seen on screen). And Paddington quickly charms his fellow inmates and the grouchy chef who doesn’t know that Knuckles begins with a K and not an N.

“Paddington 2” is a cheerful, sweet movie in which there is no problem that a lovingly made marmalade sandwich won’t fix. It’s sure to leave kids and adults smiling and even wiping a few tears away at the end.

‘Paddington 2’

Three stars

out of four stars

Rated PG; action, mild rude humor

1 hour, 43 minutes

Opens with Thursday-night screenings