Paddington 2 · reception & legacy
2017 · Paul King
How Paddington 2 has been received, argued over, and remembered.
The arc
Adored on release, but its legend only grew: in 2021 it briefly dethroned Citizen Kane as Rotten Tomatoes' best-reviewed film ever after a decades-old negative Kane review resurfaced — a joke that became a genuine critical talking point.
What's debated
The half-serious, endlessly rehearsed debate: is Paddington 2 actually better than Citizen Kane — and was Hugh Grant robbed of an Oscar nomination?
Its footprint
Nicolas Cage tearfully declaring 'Paddington 2 is incredible' in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent canonised it as cinema's shorthand for pure-hearted greatness, and 'if you're kind and polite, the world will be right' became the motto of the whole nicecore movement.
Where it stands
A Letterboxd darling and rare sequel-surpasses-original consensus pick — the go-to answer for 'a genuinely perfect film' among cinephiles who otherwise agree on nothing.
Named by the director
Influences Paul King has publicly named — the director's own word, distinct from the inferred lines of influence.
- Charlie Chaplin — Paul King cited Chaplin's silent-era physical comedy as a model for the film's slapstick set pieces.
- Buster Keaton — King named Keaton's precision-engineered visual gags as an influence on the film's elaborate physical comedy sequences.