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Mr. Popper's Penguins
By Sr. Rose Pacatte, F.S.P.
Source: AmericanCatholic.org
Imagine if you were an only child and your father was seldom
at home because he was wandering the earth looking for adventure. He would call
or write, but eventually as you grew up, you almost forgot him.
This is the case of Mr. Popper (Jim Carrey). He is a hotshot
Manhattan real estate broker with an assistant Pippi (Ophelia Lovibond) speaks
with words that mostly begin with the letter “p”. Mr. Popper and his wife Amanda (Carla Giugno)
are divorced. Their two children love
their dad, but “Popper” as they all call him, is not very good at family life.
One day a crate is delivered to Mr. Popper’s condo and
inside is a Gentoo penguin. Through a misunderstanding, five more arrive in the
next crate. Popper doesn’t have permission to have pets and penguins are not
meant to be in a New York condo, so a series of misadventures ensue that are
pretty funny.
The film is based on the 1938 children’s classic by Richard
and Florence Atwater. I have not read the book, but others who have say this
film version is just not the same. Certainly it has been updated to reflect the
social mores of today. Also, the film correctly places these penguins in
Antarctica rather than the North Pole – there is no evidence that any penguins
have colonized north of the equator.
Besides the film’s silly physical comedy, Angela Lansbury
plays the owner of the Tavern on the Green in Central Park. Popper is supposed
to convince her to sell it, but she will only sell to a person of character.
Popper has a lot of growing up to do to meet her standards.
I often wonder if it is right to capture animals for zoos or
to use wild animals in films and circuses for our entertainment. The American
Humane Society http://americanhumaneblog.org/2011/06/the-real-star-of-mr-poppers-penguins-jim-carrey-or-the-gentoo/
gave “Mr. poppers Penguins” a “There were no animals harmed” rating of “outstanding”.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church offers this as guidance:
“It is
contrary to human dignity to cause animals to suffer or die needlessly. It is
likewise unworthy to spend money on them that should as a priority go to the
relief of human misery. One can love animals; one should not direct to them the
affection due only to persons.” (CCC #2418)
Actually, the Poppers get it right. But filmmakers and others who remove
animals from their natural habitats for our entertainment, have some explaining
to do.
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