If 'The Penguin Lessons' could commit to earnestness or comedy, it'd be great

Yahoo

27-03-2025

'The Penguin Lessons' is more than a silly film about flightless birds.
Directed by Peter Cattaneo, the film is adapted from Tom Michell's 2016 memoir of the same name.
Delving into Argentinian politics, grief and growth, while the film had room to explore these themes, it remains somewhat lighthearted — which is where it falls short.
Perhaps the film would've been better off had it remained truer to the book, which is about a young Michell in his 20s, rather than focusing on Michell in his late 50s. By using older casting, an attempt is made to tackle some of the harsh realities that were happening at the time in 1976 Buenos Aires.
Despite this shift in age — the film still didn't embrace tough topics as much as it could have, nor did it lean into the comedic aspects whole heartedly enough.
Instead, the movie kind of meanders somewhere in the middle.
As Tom Michell exits his taxi to begin his new job at St. George's College as an English teacher, he's greeted by some graffiti that states 'Montoneros en la lucha contra los fascistas bastardos,' Montoneros in the fight against the fascist bastards.
This, along with an explosion in the background, introduces signs of political unrest that surrounded the Dirty War, when Argentina's military dictatorship went after suspected left-wing political opponents from 1976 to 1983.
Michell is disinterested in all that when he begins teaching, keeping to himself, doing the crossword and taking naps while teaching and coaching Rugby.
One day, he is convinced by a woman he's trying to impress to rescue a Magellanic penguin from an oil slick on a beach in Uruguay. This penguin won't leave him alone, so he brings him back to school with him.
Eventually, everyone embraces the penguin — who is named Juan Salvador after 'Jonathan Livingston Seagull' — he becomes the school mascot of sorts and inspires Michell to really try to make an impact with the students.
At the same time, Sofía, a maid at the school, is kidnapped and Michell feels an obligation to help her and her grandmother.
Steve Coogan's acting was the saving grace of the film.
He portrays Michell with such ease, it felt as though one was watching a documentary instead of a fictionalized memoir.
Coogan has a witty and dry sense of humor and expressiveness to him that contrasts with Björn Gustafsson delight silliness and lighthearted delivery.
Since the film did not lean into the gory details of the political state of Argentina at the time — aside from a final title card stating that an estimated 30,000 'Disappeared' people remain unaccounted for — I wish it had gone the other way and really embraced the comedic dynamic between Michell and his hopeless romantic colleague (Gustafsson).
The two could've made a great buddy comedy. Honestly, the penguin ended up feeling like a third wheel.
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Director: Peter Cattaneo.
Cast: Steve Coogan, Björn Gustafsson, David Herrero.
Rating: PG-13 for strong language, some sexual references and thematic elements.
How to watch: In theaters Friday, March 28.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: 'The Penguin Lessons' review: Not enough drama or comedy