Postman Pat: The Movie *** (2014, Stephen Mangan) – Movie Review

Stephen Mangan provides the voice of English village Postman Pat, who enters a TV talent show competition to win a holiday to Italy for his wife and kid, in this colourful and amusing transfer of the old TV show to a big-screen animation. But a nasty modernising boss wants to take over the postal service and replace posties with robots and these robots could stand in for Pat on the TV too.  Will a chance at fame and the bid time spoil Postman Pat?

Postman Pat: The Movie is a very pleasant surprise. It’s surprisingly likeable, pleasing and amusing, with a lot of fun mileage out of its X-Factor parody, You’re the One, starring a grouchy judge in Simon Cowbell. Ronan Keating gamely provides the singing voice of Postman Pat, and briefly that of himself as an abused contestant on Simon Cowbell’s show.

There are lots of quirky, funny incidental ideas to help it along: Postman Pat reads The Postman Only Rings Twice by James M Cain, and his pussy sidekick Jess the Cat has a Russ Meyer movie poster on the wall, Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! (1965).

Does it deliver? Well yes it does. Of course the postal service and postmen aren’t like this any more. Maybe they never were. But it’s a sweet slice of wishful nostalgia. Who’ll like it? Parents who recall the old 80s TV show maybe and their kids who’ll like its old-fashioned fun attitudes. It might even catch on with a wide audience like the Lego Movie. There’s not much not to like.

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(C) Derek Winnert 2014 Movie Review

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