Why not make it about how penguins keep calling him away from work?

With a story about a business man who is pre-occupied with furthering his career while neglecting his family, I am of the opinion that the introduction of the penguins set the stall out for a potentially great black comedy with Mr Popper trying to get rid of the penguins at every turn, but they just won't go away. It would work better if it followed the formula of MOUSE HUNT. The moral of the story could be about Mr Popper learning to live with the penguins as possible friends instead of trying to kill what he views as an intrusion to his perfect world.
Carey could have flexed different darker comedic tones with this premise.