Mr. Popper's Penguins
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation | Release Date: June 17, 2011 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
53
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 30 Critic Reviews
Positive:
12
Mixed:
13
Negative:
5
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
75
Christian Science MonitorPeter RainerJun 18, 2011
The good news is that, even though one must pace oneself through the dull parts, usually involving Mr. Popper's dullish family, he's in pretty good form whenever he's getting physical. Read full review
75
New York PostKyle SmithJun 17, 2011
As Popper himself notices, his and the penguins' saga gets so endearing that it could have been narrated by Morgan Freeman. Read full review
75
Miami HeraldConnie OgleJun 16, 2011
Penguins are intrinsically amusing. In general, Jim Carrey is amusing, too, provided you can overlook that whole "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" debacle. In Mr. Popper's Penguins, he and they add up to surprisingly fun family entertainment. Read full review
75
Entertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanJun 15, 2011
If you can watch Popper's most trusted penguin finally get to fly and feel like you're soaring right up there with her, then you may just let this likable trifle whisk you back to childhood. Read full review
75
Tampa Bay TimesSteve PersallJun 15, 2011
Anyone of any age can get a kick out of watching penguins slide down the spiraled interior of the Guggenheim Museum, or seeing how one of these flightless birds manages to buck nature. Read full review
70
Boxoffice MagazinePete HammondJun 16, 2011
A refreshing, hilarious and heartwarming movie for everyone. Read full review
70
SalonAndrew O'HehirJun 16, 2011
There's no story beyond the utterly formulaic and not the slightest semblance of realism, but your kids will enjoy it if they're young enough and pretty easy to please. Read full review
70
MovielineStephanie ZacharekJun 16, 2011
The whole enterprise is surprisingly painless, albeit in an icy-cool, numbed-out way. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterKirk HoneycuttJun 15, 2011
The six penguins cast in this amiable family comedy steal the movie -- along with any fish they can find -- although the film's star, Jim Carrey, does manage to hold his own. Barely. Read full review
63
USA TodayClaudia PuigJun 16, 2011
Predictable, but well-intentioned fun. Read full review
63
St. Louis Post-DispatchJoe WilliamsJun 16, 2011
The moral lesson that this movie feeds us smells fishy - because it's not in the book. But the backbone story about a guy who inherits some penguins is enough to tickle the kids. Read full review
63
Chicago TribuneMichael PhillipsJun 16, 2011
For some reason I was under the impression Jim Carrey already made his penguin movie. Doesn't it seem like it? Read full review
60
EmpireJames WhiteJul 31, 2011
Sweet-natured, undemanding family fun. Read full review
60
New York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanJun 17, 2011
There is something infectious about the old-fashioned innocence of Mark Waters' comedy. Read full review
60
Los Angeles TimesBetsy SharkeyJun 16, 2011
The-impossible-to-upstage stars are the penguins, a combination of real Gentoos specially trained for the film and some computer-generated counterparts. The special effects gurus blend the two seamlessly, making it easy to believe there was no digital wizardry involved, which is perhaps the niftiest trick of all. Read full review
60
The New York TimesA.O. ScottJun 16, 2011
There is nothing new here, but Mr. Waters, as he showed with the smarter and more daring "Mean Girls" and "Freaky Friday," knows how to keep things buzzing along. Read full review
60
Wall Street JournalJoe MorgensternJun 16, 2011
My heart was warmed by gratuitous moments when Mr. Carrey clowns for clowning's sake - in the best of them, he makes a slo-mo entrance to a press conference, even though the camera is running at normal speed. Read full review
60
Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzJun 15, 2011
Director Mark Waters manages to wring some charm out of the film, and out of Carrey. Read full review
60
Time OutKevin B. LeeJun 14, 2011
While the story is formula cornball, director Mark Waters sells it confidently, handling the unruly antarctic denizens as amiably as he handled Lindsay Lohan in his "Freaky Friday" remake and "Mean Girls." Read full review
50
Austin ChronicleMarjorie BaumgartenJun 23, 2011
In the sea of mediocrity that passes for children's films these days, Mr. Popper's Penguins has enough originality (and silly physical comedy) to make it stand out. Read full review
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Rick GroenJun 16, 2011
By happy coincidence, their names – Bitey, Loudy, Stinky, Lovey and Nimrod – pretty much double as a plot summary. Read full review
50
Washington PostMichael O'SullivanJun 16, 2011
During the movie's awww-inducing conclusion, those of you who are allergic to cuteness - or to Jim Carrey - might want to look away. Read full review
50
Boston GlobeWesley MorrisJun 16, 2011
This is a flavorless adaptation of Richard and Florence Atwater's 73-year-old children's book. Read full review
50
Chicago ReaderJ.R. JonesJun 16, 2011
The beloved 1938 children's book about a house painter who becomes guardian to a dozen penguins has been turned into a standard-issue children's comedy with Jim Carrey. Read full review
50
Orlando SentinelRoger MooreJun 16, 2011
Precious, protracted and pleasant enough. Read full review
38
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertJun 16, 2011
The movie stars Jim Carrey, who is in his pleasant mode. It would have helped if he were in his manic mode, although it's hard to get a rise out of a penguin. Read full review
33
The A.V. ClubAlison WillmoreJun 16, 2011
Mr. Popper's Penguins reins in its rubber-faced star, leaving most of the rote physical comedy (and overabundance of fart jokes) to his nonhuman counterparts, comprised of a combination of CGI and real penguins. Read full review
30
Village VoiceNick SchagerJun 14, 2011
The only faint upside to this excruciating dud is that, in its movie clips of Charlie Chaplin - who the mesmerized birds view as a kindred waddling spirit - the film might hopefully function for some kids as a gateway to superior comedy cinema. Read full review
25
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleJun 16, 2011
Everything about the idea of Mr. Popper's Penguins sounds lovely, and everything about the actual movie is ugly. Read full review
25
Slant MagazineSimon AbramsJun 15, 2011
If you're wondering where the Jim Carrey of "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective" and "Dumb and Dumber" fame went, don't look to Mr. Popper's Penguins for answers. Read full review
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