Randall Allen Dunn's Blog: Packing Action, page 15

MOVIE: Mr. Popper’s Penguins – Practically Perfect Papas

by Randall Allen Dunn

 

Mr. Thom Popper (Jim Carrey) has a particular problem: a package of penguins has been deposited on his doorstep. Perplexed, he ultimately perceives that this is the prize his estranged father promised to send him. Popper’s perambulatory pop traveled the world, leaving his son in the lurch as he neglected to return home, or return calls on their ham radio.

As an adult, Mr. Popper purchases properties, but fails to perceive how his habits of perpetual neglect have prevented him from connecting with his own estranged wife, Amanda (Carla Gugino), and his two children, Janie (Madeline Carroll) and Billy (Maxwell Perry Cotton). While Popper peruses recipes for parboiling the six pesky penguins, his ex-wife and kids pop in to party for Billy’s birthday, and Popper pretends that the penguins are Billy’s perfect surprise present.

Meanwhile, Popper plans to become partner of his real estate firm by promising to prevail upon Mrs. Van Gundy (Angela Lansbury) to finally permit him to purchase Tavern on the Green, a posh restaurant that Popper used to visit with his dad while Popper was still just a peanut. Despite its sentimental appeal for him personally, Popper agrees to provide the place to his firm so they can plant their own properties on it.

But the penguins have preoccupied all of Popper’s time, rendering his purchasing plans powerless, even with the aid of his perfect personal assistant, Pippi (Ophelia Lovibond), who likes to pronounce words with lots of ‘P’s.

As Popper’s children warm up to him once more, actually preferring to spend the night at his apartment, Popper becomes profoundly passionate toward the six penguins – and toward his ex-wife, Amanda, all over again. He produces a new floorplan for his apartment, providing snow and ice for the penguin pack, and becomes even more preoccupied with them upon learning that a few of them are pregnant.

His employers pop in, prepared to stop the proceedings at Popper’s apartment. Upon seeing how possessive and obsessive Popper has become with his penguins, they pluck him from his position. But Popper purports that all of their efforts at the office are pointless if they ignore the most precious things in life. “Some things are just too important to miss,” he pronounces, as he waits patiently for the last egg to hatch.

When it doesn’t, Popper is perplexed and deeply disappointed. He provides the local zoo with his personal pets, hoping they will prove to be better parents to the pack.

But Popper’s children are puzzled by the penguins’ disappearance, especially when Popper poo-poo’s their complaints and proclaims a return to reality, preparing to pursue his purchase of properties once more. He purposes to never again pin his hopes on eggs that refuse to hatch and only prove disappointing.

Plucking a letter from the place it had fallen off of the package crate, Popper peruses it to find a penned apology from his papa, with the hopes that this present of lovable pet penguins can make up for all the lost years. Popper pre-empts his plans, making the rescue of his penguins top priority. Transporting his family to the zoo, Popper learns the pack is being prepared for shipment to various locations, parceled out in exchange for premium tropical animals to populate the zoo in the penguins’ place. Popper springs the purloined penguins from their prison and peels away in his limousine. He interrupts Mrs. Van Gundy’s press conference with a plea for her to keep possession of her restaurant. But spotting how Popper has put his family back together and protected the penguins, Van Gundy sells the restaurant to Popper instead, recognizing him as the young boy who often appeared at the restaurant, and now perceives that he still holds to the principles he prized as a child. Surprising his real estate partners, Popper proclaims that they can’t purchase the property, as he purposes to renovate the restaurant and re-open it.

He then reports to his former family that he plans to depart for a long, long trip … and promptly insists they accompany him. Arriving in Antarctica, they point the penguins in the path of their penguin families, planning to return for visits, having put their own family back together.

Papas aren’t perfect. When they prove themselves incompetent in prioritizing their families, then their families lose their faith and stability in life. After all, if their pop couldn’t put his pathetic life together, why should anyone else purpose to do it?

But some papas, after slipping and plopping in a pile of mud, prove they can stand upright and make another attempt. They prompt themselves to remember the point of being a father, to protect and provide for their children the way a penguin gives top priority to a hatching egg. To push away the things that distract and prevent them from fulfilling their purposes, to do all they can to lead their offspring safely into the primitive-minded planet, as productive members of society.

Being a papa – or a parent – is no picnic, and plenty of parents will disappoint their impressionable offspring. But papas must push their own pride and pursuit of pleasure aside and purpose to press on. It’s a parenting skill that all fathers must develop, if they ever hope to teach their children to spread their wings and fly.

Happy Father’s Day!

 

Find more reviews of “Mr. Popper’s Penguins” at amazon.com!

MOVIE: Mary Poppins – Making Time for Playtime

by Randall Allen Dunn

 

The other night at dinner, Nicki wondered if I’m spending more time on writing than I need to, because I’m not spending much time with her and the kids.

Abby immediately piped in. “You’re always working, and you never have time to play with me,” she said. She put up a hand, trying to look understanding, though it felt more like she was patting me on the head. “Now I knooow that you have to do lots of work, and I knooow writing is veeery important … To you.”

It was funny and sad at the same time. Sad because I know it’s true. Over the last two months, Abby has asked me to play with her several times, and I usually tell her I have work to do.

Which is also true. With creating lessons for teaching 6 writing classes a month, my life is busier than it’s ever been. Once I complete all of my reading and researching, I still need to learn how to format e-books for publishing, update the Character Entertainment website, and finally get back to writing new stories again.

But I don’t want to lose the short time I have with my kids. I don’t want to discover one day that twenty years of their lives have flown by, and the only thing I built during my time with them was my own career.

In the film, “Mary Poppins”, Mr. Banks (David Tomlinson) seeks a nanny to look after his children, whose antics have chased away every previous nanny his wife hired. Taking matters into his own hands, he determines to find a nanny that can keep Jane (Karen Dotrice) and Michael (Matthew Garber) in line. The children apologize for their misbehavior, and offer their own suggestions for an advertisement. They want a nanny who is kind and pretty, and ready to sing songs and play games with them. In other words, someone happy and fun!

But the last thing Mr. Banks wants is a “fun” nanny. He tears up their ludicrous “advertisement” and tosses it in his fireplace. But after he turns away, the torn pieces float up the chimney.

A nanny soon shows up on his doorstep, descending gracefully from the clouds as she holds onto an umbrella. A strong wind has just blown away every other applicant, leaving the umbrella-wielding Mary Poppins (Julie Andrews) as the only possible choice. She presents Mr. Banks with the children’s ad, its pieces now fully restored, and reads from it to provide her qualifications. She takes the job and entertains the children with songs, games and outings to the park, including a magical trip into a chalkboard drawing to visit a beautiful countryside populated with animated carousel horses and dinner-serving penguins. The children have more fun with Mary Poppins and her friend, Bert (Dick Van Dyke), than they’ve ever had with anyone!

But they still miss their father.

When Mr. Banks tries to teach the children responsibility by urging Michael to deposit his money into a savings account, the father’s greedy boss (also Dick Van Dyke) frightens the children so much that they run off. Their antics create a panic at the bank that leads to the shaming and firing of Mr. Banks.

At which point, he realizes that his career wasn’t all that important after all. What good was it to chase after his career and to maintain a proper image if it cost him his own children?

For the first time since his childhood, Mr. Banks learns to laugh and play again, and takes his children out to fly kites together. And as Mrs. Banks (Glynis Johns) decides to limit her time spent on political activities, they all decide that they don’t really need a nanny anymore.

Because they have each other.

When our lives get busy, it’s easy to let our busy-ness crowd out time with our kids. A mountain of tasks piles on top of another mountain, until it’s all we can see.

But if I focus only on the mountain, I’ll miss the times I have with my kids for the few short years they’re living at home – times I can never get back once they’re gone.

When I called Nicki from work yesterday, I asked to talk to Abby, who was playing a computer game. On the phone, she gave short answers to all my questions about her day. She finally explained, “I’m having trouble because I’m talking on the phone and I’m playing a game. It’s kind of hard.”

I understood, and we cut our call short. I was disappointed, having really wanted to just talk for a couple of minutes.

And I realized she was doing the same thing I had been doing. As that endless “Cat’s in the Cradle” song started droning in my mind, I considered what a small thing this was. I didn’t expect her to stop her game so we could talk. But as she grows older, video games will be replaced with sports and parties and other activities, and she won’t have any time to spend with me, the same way I didn’t have time to spend with her. Not because she didn’t want to talk to me.

She would simply be busy.

This morning, I hugged Abby and we laughed and played together. Then I tried to apologize for not spending more time with her lately, to tell her it was wrong and I was sorry. But she was too busy goofing around, hanging sideways from my arms and making silly faces. She didn’t need any apology or explanation. She just needed me to be there.

And I’ve decided I will be.

 

Find more reviews of “Mary Poppins” at amazon.com!