Gather your tissues because you may need them with this movie. The Penguin Lessons, starring Steve Coogan is one of those great movies that tugs at your emotional strings. It’ll make you laugh, it’ll make you cry, it will be the inspirational film you need. And I admit, any movie that deals with rescuing an animal tends to be slightly more emotional. I very much enjoyed this movie and am a massive fan of Steve Coogan, he never disappoints even when he takes on dramatic roles. But this is a movie definitely worth watching and you will be glad that you did.
Based on a true story, Steve Coogan plays disillusioned English teacher, Tom Mitchell who ends up teaching at a prep school in Argentina during the political revolution of the 1970s. Like all disillusioned teachers, he’s just biding his time until while on holiday he ends up rescuing a penguin from an oil spill and now the penguin follows him everywhere. Forced to take it back with him to school, he tries to hide it well grudgingly caring for the penguin and then it becomes an inspiration, not only to him, but to the students in his class and the faculty who aren’t supposed to let him keep a penguin. Yes, the movie is a typical story of how a lost animal can open our hearts and make us love again. Steve Coogan does a wonderful job portraying the disillusioned teacher. He’s a great comedic actor, but I think he does even better at drama…this role is a great example. But it’s him and the Penguin that steals the movie. Easily the best performance is, but everybody does a wonderful job. There was serious unrest in Argentina during the 1970s as political opposition would up and disappear. So one of the underlining stories is how when the daughter of his housekeeper ends up disappearing for her political beliefs, the penguin becomes an inspiration to not only the people around it, but the headmaster of the school who takes a stand and gets the daughter released. The best parts of this movie and what makes it work are not only the performances from the cast but these great humorous moments with the penguin.
As I said this is a movie worth seeing, it may be predictable at times especially, as a movie based on a true story where you already know what may happen. The themes about the characters finding love and inspiration again, may also be predictable, but I don’t think that’s necessarily a complaint. Sometimes we need heartfelt movies where we know what’s going to happen but we watch it anyway because it makes us feel good in the end. That’s what The Penguin Lessons does… It will bring warmth and joy to your life especially when you need it the most. But I also warn the audience, it is a bit of a tearjerker, however, that should not dissuade you from watching the movie. My only serious complaint is cramming the story into two hours. Obviously, there were more stories to tell about Tom Mitchell and the Penguin, and this story might have made for a great series on a streaming channel. However, it’s still a wonderful movie with good pacing, beautiful cinematography, and most importantly, fantastic emotional and comedic performances. I love making comparisons to films so this is very much like Kevin Kline’s movie, The Emperor’s Club, but with a Penguin at the heart of the story. It’s the kind of inspirational movie you may end up only watching once, but you’re the better for it and you won’t be disappointed. I certainly enjoyed this movie more than the latest Jason Statham action movie, in which he plays the same character. Absolutely, this movie is worth the price of a movie ticket…. It’s even a good date movie!
