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Tom Michell does not want to be in Argentina. And, frankly, neither does this movie.
“The Penguin Lessons” kicks off in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in the late 1970s as a military coup plunges the country into chaos and, shortly, brutal dictatorship. Despite this setting, the film is far more interested in quirk than grappling with the brutal reality of Argentina’s Dirty War. Instead, it follows Michell (Steve Coogan), a grumpy British expat who reluctantly takes a teaching job at an all-boys’ boarding school where he seems more concerned with crossword puzzles and wallowing in his own misery than his students.
When the school temporarily shuts down due to political unrest and violence, Michell takes a trip to Uruguay for a vacation, only to come across a beach littered with oil-covered penguins — all of them dead except one. While Michell’s first instinct is to leave the struggling bird to fend for itself, a woman he is attempting to seduce convinces him otherwise. One evening, following a failed romantic venture, Michell is alone in his hotel room with the rescued penguin and a difficult choice: abandon it or smuggle it back to Argentina. If you’ve ever seen a heartwarming, animal-centered dramedy, you know what comes next.
The film leans into the odd dynamic, with Michell attempting to keep the existence of his new feathered friend, dubbed Juan Salvador, a secret from the school’s administration. It is a fun and breezy watch, elevated by Coogan’s performance. The movie follows the well-loved “grumpy old man softened by an animal/child” formula (think “Up,” “A Man Called Otto” and about a hundred other movies), but Coogan’s dry sense of humor adds a little something new to the overdone trope.
Coogan’s performance is undoubtedly the highlight of the film. He plays Michell with just the right balance of weariness at the world and reluctant warmth, making his eventual transformation — predictable as it is — feel natural rather than forced. His comedic timing elevates the more cliche moments, keeping the character from becoming a total caricature. There’s an underlying sadness to his portrayal that makes his arc more compelling than the script really allows for. Even when the film stumbles, Coogan keeps it grounded, delivering a performance that feels unwaveringly human rather than formulaic.
The cinematography and editing are additional standouts. The way Director Peter Cattaneo frames Juan Salvador makes the penguin feel like an active participant in the story rather than just a prop. Masterful cuts and close-ups give the bird an almost human-like expressiveness, making it seem as though the penguin actually understands what is happening around him. The seamless blend of practical editing and After Effects results in genuinely charming moments, adding depth to the unlikely friendship between Michell and Juan Salvador.
Despite all its quirks and charm, “The Penguin Lessons” plays it too safe. The backdrop of the Dirty War operates simply as that: a backdrop, with the real horrors of the time left wholly unexplored. The film does make a half-hearted attempt at engaging with the war through a subplot about one of Michell’s friends, who is involved in an underground resistance group, but this is barely touched on. Instead, the dictatorship serves as little more than a narrative inconvenience, there to disrupt Michell’s routine and put him on a journey toward personal growth.
This is where the film stumbles the most. It turns the Dirty War into a tool for Michell’s development, building a string of feel-good endings that seem unearned. One man’s heart has been warmed and that is supposed to be inspiring and instill hope within the viewer, yet a closing title card reminds us that the dictatorship killed and disappeared over 30,000 people. This left me truly confused about what the film’s intended takeaway was: that, tragically, so many people died, but at least an outsider learned to love again?
That being said, if you can ignore the fundamentally shallow attempt at portraying a devastating moment in history, there is plenty to enjoy. Coogan is great and the penguin is a delight. However, for a movie set in one of Argentina’s darkest moments, it refuses to engage with its setting in any meaningful way. Instead, like Michell himself, it just wants to enjoy its quirks and not think too much about the bigger picture.