On Paddington, Pickpockets, and Prison

...and my blood feud with Switzerland.

Dear Reader,

Guess who’s back to enthuse about the Paddington movies! Just a warning: this letter will feature minor spoilers for Paddington and major spoilers for Paddington 2. If you’d like to keep reading anyway, I’ve done my best to explain the plot clearly.

In Paddington (2014), Paddington Bear catches a thief. The sequence feels like a Shakespearean comedy (at least in its “Exit, pursued by a bear” joke), complete with mistaken identities. Paddington wants to return a dropped wallet, while the thief thinks Paddington caught him in the act. An absurdist chase ensues over land and air, to the amusement of a crowd of onlookers. Mid-chase, the police catch sight of Paddington racing away in a police helmet, they assume he’s an “officer in distress,” and they scurry after him.

Via StudioCanal. I’d love to know where Andre the Thief buys coats with such deep pockets.

Paddington catches the thief entirely by comical accident, and the resolution is neatly tied in a pretty little bow.¹ Apparently, the thief has a rather prolific oeuvre (he stole 16 wallets before noon!) and has been plaguing Mr. Gruber’s shop for weeks. His wallet theft is really just a mechanism for the scene’s true bifold purpose: 1) Paddington wins Judy over, and 2) Mr. Gruber has time to inspect the hat.² Both plot points occur during the thief’s arrest, so the audience isn’t left second-guessing the thief’s fate. He isn’t ever named in the dialogue, and his official name makes thievery a core part of his identity: Andre the Thief.