Mr Popper's Penguins

Recently, me and Noshi watched this comedy from 2011 on a local television channel.

Featuring Jim Carrey, perhaps the true stars of this movie are, well, the penguins.

Thomas Popper is a divorced real estate entrepreneur whose father traveled around the world during his childhood in the 1970s. He learns that his father has died during an adventure to Antarctica. The following week, a crate containing a gentoo penguin, named Captain, shows up at his door as a souvenir from his father’s last adventure.

A few days later, five more penguins arrive. Popper intends to give them away but changes his idea when his children, Janie and Billy, think that the animals are Billy's birthday present. At work, Popper is given the task of buying Tavern on the Green, the only privately owned real estate in Central Park that is an old restaurant where he used to eat with his father when he was a child. However, its elderly owner, Selma Van Gundy, will only sell it to a person of true value. Popper has unsuccessful meetings with her, and she refuses to sell the restaurant to him. Having the penguins around helps Popper become closer to his children.

He also begins dating their mother, Amanda Popper again. The penguins lay three eggs. Two eggs hatch, and one doesn’t. Popper becomes obsessed with seeing the last egg hatch, losing his job. Popper realizes that the egg can’t be hatched so he decides to donate the penguins to the New York Zoo. Then, he is re-employed but his children and former wife are disappointed by his decision. Popper finds a lost letter from his father telling him to hold his children close and love them. Popper asks his children and former wife to help him get the penguins back from the zoo.

They find the penguins, free them and they get away and flee to the tavern. Upon seeing how Popper had reunited his family and saved the penguins, Van Gundy sells him the restaurant. Popper decides to renovate and reopen the restaurant. Popper and his family travel to Antarctica with the penguins, allowing them to live with their own kind. Popper's first penguin, Captain, reveals to have laid another egg. Popper tells his children that they'll visit them when the baby is born.

Definitly not over the top as a lot of other Carrey movies, this was a rather nice lazy evening family film, and worth your time to take a look at.