Adroit mix of live action and animation

Jim Carrey has been having a hard time of late matching his past hit movies – but, he can breathe a bit easier now, because it looks like he’s come up with a winner in his new film, “Mr. Popper’s Penguins.”

The new comedy, an adroit mix of live action (for its human cast) and digital animation (for those cute and rambunctious penguins), tells an improbable story, all about an old adventurer and absent dad who most unexpectedly gifts his son (Carrey) with an “inheritance” of – six penguins!

His reason for doing so is difficult to figure out – until the exotic creatures slowly but surely warm up Carrey’s cold, cold heart and enable him to finally relate to his estranged wife and children.

Lousy dad

Carrey has become a lousy dad because his own father was hardly ever around to be a role model for him. He’s become a wildly successful realtor, but his personal life is a veritable slum and skyscraper of multi-level contradictions.

But, trust the little penguins to disarm him and the members of his “fissioned” nuclear family and remind them of long-neglected virtues and values, including love and loyalty.

After they learn all those lessons, they become a veritable force of nature as they succeed in doing the impossible – save the winged or finned creatures from the human and urban predators who want to do them in.

Truth to tell, not everything about this production is as yummy as Baked Alaska, but its key combination of Carrey and all those lovable digitized penguins is a consistent attention-grabber and winner. Yes, the movie’s plot premise is hugely improbable, but it “works.”

On the debit side, the film’s complications and subplotting are rather weak and nominal. For instance, there’s this whole section that requires Carrey to convince a wealthy matriarch played by Angela Lansbury to sell Central Park’s iconic Tavern on the Green restaurant to his bosses.

Unfortunately, Lansbury’s performance isn’t as crisp and crusty as it’s obviously meant to be, and nothing really comes out of Carrey’s energetic efforts to seduce or browbeat her into addled aquiescence – so, that’s one detour that goes absolutely nowhere.

Major problem

The film’s choice of “villain” is another major problem. He turns out to be a zoo official and “penguin expert” who pretends to be on the cute creatures’ side, but in fact wants to sell or barter them in exchange for rarer and more expensive animals. – Where’s the real drama and conflict in that?

Carrey’s love life is yet another plot component that goes nowhere fast. His estranged wife appears to be only too happy to forgive him, and she’s given a most phlegmatic and cooperative boyfriend who’s only too willing to exit whenever Carrey needs to reenter his ex-wife’s heart and life. – Again, how unconflicted and cooperative can you get?

But, wonder of wonders, the movie “magically” survives all of those low and comedically unproductive moments, so we left the theater still with a silly, satisfied smile plastered on our face.

But, we beg this movie’s makers: Please, don’t even think of coming up with a sequel to this funny but exceedingly thin tale. That we won’t be able to take!