I expected Paddington 2 to be just a children's film

[benjiwrites]

I put Paddington 2 on expecting it to be something I could half-watch, but I ended up paying attention to the jokes and Hugh Grant's performance. The 'family film' label nearly put me off, which surprised me once I realised how much I enjoyed it.

[travellerrefills]

The prison scenes help too. The supporting characters get their own comic moments, so Paddington isn't carrying every joke.

[colourcodedish]

That half-watch expectation gets undercut by how sincerely sweet it is. It never seems embarrassed to be a children's film, and I think that's part of why it works for adults too.