Argentina in 1976 is a place gripped by political turmoil. The people of Buenos Aires are living in fear of the explosions that rock the city, and of the men with guns who snatch dissenters, never to be seen again, from the streets. But Tom (Steve Coogan), a newly arrived English teacher at a stuffy private school, finds it hard to care about any of this. Ground down by disappointment – Coogan delivers a lot of glum slumping and sarcasm – he does the bare minimum at work and bunks off to the beach at the first opportunity. There he accidentally rescues an oil-covered Magellan penguin, and the malodorous bird, which he names Juan Salvador, latches on to him and won’t leave him alone. Through his relationship with his little beaky pet, Tom opens up to the world again and finally grows a political conscience.
Adapted from Tom Michell’s autobiographical book, The Penguin Lessons counters the inspirational teacher cliches with a bumbling charm that’s boosted considerably by a first-rate performance from the scene-stealing penguin. Peter Cattaneo (The Full Monty) directs, just about striking a balance between the fluffy sentimentality of the story and its hard-edged political backdrop.
In UK and Irish cinemas
