Alarm bells ring in the opening scenes, as Jim Carrey falls quickly into his dated manic gurning schtick, but do not be put off - what follows is a simple, sweet children's entertainment, sustained by three main elements: cute comedy penguins, a performance by Jim Carrey that showcases both his comic timing and genuine dramatic ability, and strong direction by Mark Walters which gives the film just sufficient edge to the general fluffiness (which he achieved similarly with The Spiderwick Chronicles). The wintry New York backdrop is beautifully shot (if slightly misplaced for a movie released at the height of Summer), and the unsurprising unfolding of events pass by fairly breezily. Mister Popper's Penguins is also (justifiably) the first film that I can remember to bear a BBFC warning for 'flatulence jokes'!
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