The Penguin Lessons (2025) Sony Pictures Classics/Comedy-Drama RT: 110 minutes Rated PG-13 (strong language, some sexual references, thematic elements) Director: Peter Cattaneo Screenplay: Jeff Pope Music: Federico Jusid Cinematography: Xavi Gimenez Release date: March 28, 2025 (US) Cast: Steve Coogan, Bjorn Gustafsson, Jonathan Pryce, Alfonsina Carrocio, Vivian El Jaber, David Herrero, Aimar Miranda, Nicanor Fernandez, Hugo Fuertes, Joaquin Lopez, Miguel Alejandro Serrano, Micaela Breque.
Rating: *** ½
The new comedy-drama The Penguin Lessons puts a different spin on the “man and his animal” movie. Instead of the usual lighthearted story filled with cute animal antics (it has those), it throws in a volatile political situation by setting it in 1976 Argentina. That was the year President Isabel Peron was overthrown and the military took over. It was the start of a nearly a decade of fear and instability during which anybody deemed a threat was taken away by police. Most of them were never seen again. It was a horrific time. Here endeth the history lesson.
Amidst all the turmoil, a British guy arrived in the country to start a new life. Tom Michell (Coogan, Alan Partridge) is hired to teach English lit to a group of privileged teen boys at a private school. Upon arrival, the uptight twit of a headmaster (Pryce, Brazil) warns Tom to avoid the subject of politics. They’re only there to educate the boys, not incite a revolution. He’s fine with that. He doesn’t want to get personally involved with anybody anyway. He’s isn’t the most personable person in the world. He just wants to be left alone.
Tom’s class is a nightmare. It’s a bunch of unruly kids who aren’t interested in what he’s trying to teach. Instead, they play pranks on him and bully this one boy whose father is a known Socialist. The school shuts down for a week due to the coup d’etat. Tom uses the unscheduled break as an excuse to go to Uruguay and party. He meets this gorgeous woman (Breque) at a club. They go for a walk on the beach where they find a bunch of penguins that fell victim to an oil slick. One of them is still alive. In order to impress the lady, Tom sneaks the bird into his hotel room and cleans him up. It’s all for naught as the lady is married. When Tom tries to return the creature to its natural habitat, he won’t go. Instead, he follows his new human friend. Long story short, Tom is left with no choice but to take the penguin home with him until he can make other arrangements. This entails keeping his presence a secret due to the school’s no-pets policy. I think you can see where this is going.
Directed by Peter Cattaneo (The Full Monty), The Penguin Lessons is sort of an avian version of Dead Poets Society with the school’s newest resident helping to inspire students, faculty and staff alike. He’s dubbed “Juan Salvador” by the no-nonsense, gold-hearted caretaker Maria (Jaber) and her politically outspoken 19YO granddaughter Sofia (Carrocio, Society of the Snow). The chemistry teacher (Gustafsson, Spy), a humor-challenged fellow from Denmark, comes to see the bird as a confidante. He’s the only one who will sit and listen as he prattles on about his ex-wife. Even the stuffy headmaster comes to like him. Most importantly, Tom becomes a better person. The formerly apathetic teacher comes to see things in a new light as he finds his way back from a life-changing personal tragedy that occurred many years before.
It must have been a risky move adapting the real Tom Michell’s memoir to film. The mix of cute animal drama and political thriller is odd and even off-putting at times. It’s hard to know how to reconcile the two. One minute you’re seeing the penguin waddle around the school grounds; the next you’re seeing somebody snatched from the street by the police to face an uncertain fate just for speaking their mind. One of these unfortunate people is Sofia. Tom stands and watches helplessly as the frightened girl is taken away. He feels tremendous guilt over his inaction. This is the ideological kick in the butt he needs to get involved. To the film and filmmaker’s credit, Cattaneo doesn’t dwell on the story’s uglier aspects. It looms without overtaking the story. He manages just the right balance more or less.
I’m not a particular fan of Coogan. I typically find him incredibly annoying. I absolutely hate the Trip movies he made with Rob Brydon. I didn’t like the Alan Partridge movie either. The only ones I like him in are Philomena (2013) and Stan & Ollie (2018). The Penguin Lessons is one of his best if not the best. He’s great as a man who’s been cut off emotionally for so long; he doesn’t remember how to connect with others. His thawing out is completely believable. Pryce is also good as the headmaster who isn’t actually an authoritarian. He’s more of a twit with power. Gustafsson has some nice scenes as the best friend Tom didn’t ask for or even want. Carrocio doesn’t have too many scenes, but she’s good as Sofia, an outspoken teen ready for revolution.
To the film’s immense credit, it doesn’t rely at all on CGI. The makers use a real penguin in some scenes and an animatronic one in others. It works like a charm. Juan Salvador is a lovable bird. In addition, Cattaneo perfectly recreates the 70s with Coogan’s wardrobe and the discos of Uruguay. I especially loved the use of the Tina Charles song “I Love to Love”. The Penguin Lessons really is a great movie. It’s compelling and heartwarming. It may even evoke a tear or two. It’s the very definition of a sleeper. I hope audiences discover it.
