When you watch a trailer for a new film, you can get a sense of what it’s going to be about.. The Penguin Lessons gives you the idea that this is going to be a cute tale of a man and his penguin, a perfect selling point. However, while there are moments of cuteness, this is a much deeper film that leaves you with a warm feeling inside while also teaching you something about dictators without delving into too dark an area.

Argentina in 1976, just before the revolution, and Tom Mitchell arrives to take the position of English teacher at St. George’s College, a prestigious boarding school in Buenos Aires. Disillusioned by working with students who don’t want to learn, he has a lacklustre attitude to the profession. While visiting a Uruguayan resort town, he rescues a penguin from the beach covered in oil. Refusing to leave his side, Tom takes the bird back to school, where he uses it to win over the students.

Directed by Peter Cattaneo, whose credits include The Full Monty and Military Wives, we get a story, based on actual events, that takes on two personalities. We get the story of a teacher who is cynical about his job and just wants to get through life with as little effort as possible. At the same time, we explore a world run by a dictatorship, where people are removed from the streets in broad daylight by the police, or where you are forced to spend all of your hard-earned money the moment you receive it.

It is a film that follows the usual pathway of animal-based movies. We see a creature win the heart of a man who wants to go through life with little effort as possible, but what helps is a solid script by Jeff Pope, who has written quite a lot of real-life dramas like Philomena, Stan & Ollie and The Lost King. He manages to balance the cliches of the animal film with the historical backdrop and the terror of a regime that rules in its own way, and how this affects the people living in the country.

Yet it is the skill of both Cattaneo and Pope that the film could have tipped over to sentimentality, but they keep it at bay. Instead, we get an intense character study led by a bird who basically outshines the rest of the cast. It’s remarkable to see how this bird follows the lead and seems to react to everything that’s happening. One of the funniest moments is watching a penguin watching a rugby match.

It also manages to stay clear of schmaltz by having Steve Coogan as Tom. He has made a career of giving us characters who are disillusioned by the world while still able to make you laugh with a sharp one-liner. Having worked with Pope before, the pair seem to know how to pitch his character, and it’s a joy to watch a man so cynical grow because of a bird. Jonathan Pryce is always good value as the old-fashioned school master.

The Penguin Lessons is a film with its heart in the right place. It has enough sweet moments, along with some funny scenes, mainly created by the penguin, while making you feel you come away with more on your mind than just another sickly sweet animal film. A delightful viewing.

3 out of 5

Director: Peter Cattaneo

Starring: Steve Coogan, Jonathan Pryce, Björn Gustafsson, Brendan McNamee, Alfonsina Carrocio, Vivian El Jaber, Micaela Breque, David Herrero

Written by: Jeff Pope and (based on the book) Tom Mitchell

Running Time: 111 mins

Cert: 12A

Release date: 18th April 2025