The Penguin Lessons

There's an old expression in show business that advises entertainers not to work with children or animals because they'll upstage them every time. But, while that's often true, it's not always the case, as seen in the latest feature offering from director Peter Cattaneo. This charming comedy-drama tells the fact-based story of English teacher Tom Michell (Steve Coogan), who somewhat begrudgingly takes an instructor's job at St. George's College, a prestigious boarding school in Buenos Aires, just before the 1976 Argentine revolution. The cynical, curmudgeonly teacher has moved around a lot, and he's not particularly thrilled at this latest stop, as becomes apparent in his classroom demeanor and overarching attitude. Not long after his arrival, when a military coup d'etat hits that overthrows the government, he decides to get out of town until the dust settles. He embarks on an impromptu vacation to a Uruguayan resort town, where he meets a beautiful, flirtatious woman, Carina (Mica Breque), in a nightclub. That encounter subsequently leads to a late night walk along the beach, but, while on this stroll, they find a penguin that's barely alive and covered in oil, a victim of a recent spill. To impress his would-be one-nighter, Tom and Carina take the bird back to his hotel to clean it up. What Tom doesn't realize, however, is that the penguin, who would subsequently come to be named Juan Salvador, has made its unwitting rescuer its friend for life, despite his repeated efforts to return it to the wild. It's a prospect the professor doesn't especially relish, but, upon returning to Argentina with penguin in tow, man and bird become the unlikeliest of friends, under prevailing conditions both at the school and in the country at large that prove threatening (but unexpectedly beneficial) to both. At first glance, one might think this sounds like a cutesy, schmaltzy, manipulative tale a la Disney, but far from it. The picture tells a sincerely engaging story of personal growth and the emergence of personal courage, brought about by the influence of an improbable feathered mentor in a tense social and political environment that has both Tom and virtually the entire Argentine population on edge. It's also a tale the defies the timeless cautionary adage about casting decisions involving both man and beast, with Juan Salvador being just as much a member of the ensemble as his human counterparts. Admittedly, the film has a little trouble finding its footing in the opening act, but, once it does, it's a delightful and touching release that's moving without being drenched in saccharin. "The Penguin Lessons" is also one of those movies that needs to be seen to be believed, as the trailer truly doesn't do it justice. Indeed, this is one of those heartfelt, uplifting stories that the world needs more of at a time when we could all use a little inspiration to help see us through the tough times.

Based on True Story. Argentina in 1976 Realise date 17th April uK 27th April 2025

A beautiful lightly sugar coat film, based on the true story of an English teacher who travels to teach English South America, in his quest to escape from the heartbreak from his past.

His arrival at the upper class school, is immediately stained, with a metaphor of paint splattered on his new shoes, delivered from a paint brush that is being used to cover up a slogan of 'the people, against a fascist regime.' It's here, in the beautiful school setting that the darker content is pealed away, He inadvertently hears a conversation of two workers discussing the dangers of political dictatorship.

However, in his quest to procrastinate, he decides to travel a short distance in search of a night of fun and lust . But inadvertently ends up rescuing a penguin, who is destined to stay with him.

But who knew a penguin could bring such love and revival of spirit to our jaded teacher.

It is also, through his teaching of poetry, that brings a rebirth of his youthful idealism of morals. However, it's the Penguin that forges a unique bond between teacher, pupils, and the community.

It's is at this point that we glimpse into the dark undercurrent of political surveillance, as lurks in every shadow, waiting to pounce on any slightly radical who passes by. Never to be seen again.

In this case, it's the slightly radical young person who works at the school.

Ultimately,i t's the penguin who takes the lead in breaking down barriers.

In this heartbreaking moment, there is a shated knowledge of how it is to be defenless, As in Pandora s box, there is always hope.

It's a reminder of strength of belief and the importance of community. Also, nature is the fascinating factor that bonds us.

Having been a teacher of English language in a foreign country, I identified strongly with the protagonist, which may have colored my opinion of this film. That said, I found THE PENGUIN LESSONS an intelligent and charming film that accurately captured the experience of teaching a class of unruly and highly opinionated teenage boys of the privileged class. But this is not GOODBYE MISTER CHIPS. The story isn't really about the classroom, but about a man living a rootless expatriate life during his early middle age. He has no Significant Other and no real friends. His co-workers are other foreigners who are also escaping an unsatisfactory past. Shortly after his arrival in Argentina (which is undergoing a lot of political turmoil), he and a Finnish co-worker (who teaches history at the same school) take a night out in nearby Uruguay seeking drinks and female companionship. He meets an attractive woman near his own age. They take a quiet moonlit walk on the beach when they come upon a nasty oil slick which has left several dead penguins in its wake. One of the penguins is still alive and the woman insists that they try to help it. In order to impress her (and hopefully get her into bed), they take the penguin to his room and try clean it up. Its condition has already improved. The man and woman share a kiss and then she tells him that she's sorry but she can't go through with it. When he wants to know why, she confesses that she's married. She thought she could have an extramarital affair, but she simply can't go through with it. She leaves and he takes the penguin back to the beach. The penguin, however, will not leave him and refuses to go back into the sea even after he throws it back into the water. It's against the rules to have pets, but after the Uruguayan authorities will not keep the penguin, he reluctantly takes it back to Argentina and smuggles it into his room. The penguin then becomes an important part of his life when he befriends the cleaning lady and her political activist granddaughter (who have fallen in love with the penguin). The authorities snatch her granddaughter off the street and take her away. It happens all the time there and the kidnapped are usually never seen again. He wants to help, but he is afraid. And that is the basic situation. Although the movie is a comedy, there is a basic melancholy undertone. I found it consistently interesting and engrossing with lots to think about. Its comedy is gentle and more ironic than slapstick. The director is Peter Cattaneo, who previously directed the surprise hit, THE FULL MONTY. The cast are all top-notch, with Steve Coogan giving a beautifully underplayed performance as the teacher. Although the penguin is cute, I don't think that this is a movie for kids. I think teachers will love it, though.

The film told a very interesting story of life in Argentina after the coup in 1976. Many issues were covered in the film and we thought the film was fantastic. The whole cast was wonderful and we thought many of the supporting actors had especially strong roles - brilliantly peformed. As the main character, Steve Coogan was extremely funny, and sensitively played a cynical and jaded teacher. Coogan thoroughly deserved his Oscar nomination. Also, if there were Oscars for animals in films the penguin should won one. The film itself felt quite light-hearted and playful in overall tone but did a really good job portraying a very powerful story, worthy of Oscar nominations itself.

Not a bad movie. It actually had a plot which you can't say about a lot of movies anymore. Thankfully subtitles did not dominate. The penguin was cute. It dragged a little bit by the end. It would have been nice if they'd done some flash backs or something to give more context why the main character was the way he was for 2/3s of the film. Also I would have liked more time showing how the classmates bonded in the end. It was heartfelt and you could really see how the characters came out of their shells in different ways because of the penguin. I recommend this movie. It has a positive and hopeful message.