The Penguin Lessons

2025 1h 51m EN

👍

7.1

SOLID

★7.1TMDB · 180

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In 1976, as Argentina descends into violence and chaos, a world-weary English teacher regains his compassion for others thanks to an unlikely friendship with a penguin.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Steve Coogan
Tom Michell
Jonathan Pryce
Headmaster Buckle
Vivian El Jaber
Maria
Björn Gustafsson
Tapio
Alfonsina Carrocio
Sofia
David Herrero
Diego
Micaela Breque
Carina
Tomás Pozzi
Bursar

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Peter Cattaneo
Writers: Jeff Pope, Temple Clark
Languages: Spanish, English
Countries: Spain, United Kingdom, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released last year.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Spanish, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 3 countries: Spain, United Kingdom, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Peter Cattaneo, shot by Xavi Giménez. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Federico Jusid. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Robin Peters shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Steve Coogan and Jonathan Pryce and Vivian El Jaber carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt26677014 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Peter Cattaneo directs. Xavi Giménez behind the camera. Federico Jusid scores. Robin Peters cuts. Produced in Spain, United Kingdom, United States of America. Dialogue in Spanish, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released last year.
2Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Spanish, English.
3International production across 3 countries: Spain, United Kingdom, United States of America.
4Directed by Peter Cattaneo, shot by Xavi Giménez. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Federico Jusid. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Robin Peters shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Steve Coogan and Jonathan Pryce and Vivian El Jaber carry the top of the cast.
8IMDB entry: tt26677014 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 10 themes, including "1970s", "american football coach", "sarcasm", "penguin".
10Released under 14 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Xavi Giménez
Original score: Federico Jusid
Editing: Robin Peters
Production design: Isona Rigau
Costume design: Alberto Valcárcel Rodríguez
Makeup / hair: Eva Fernández
Sound: Marc Bech
Stunt coordinator: Renato Camargos
Runtime: 111 min · 1h 51m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Box office: $14,229,766
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: The Penguin Lessons (2025)

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Peter Cattaneo

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Brent Marchant2025-03-31
★ 8/10
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.
r96sk2025-04-18
★ 8/10
<em>'The Penguin Lessons'</em> is hearty viewing. Steve Coogan plus penguin is a recipe for success so the films delivers in that respect, I think any movie with a cute little flipper is going to be impossible to dislike. Everything with the penguin is sweet, much with Coogan is funny. It's a really interesting plot, one that is based upon a rather incredible true event. The backdrop of 1970s Argentina adds a fresh edge to it all, so it's not simply a flick that relies on its cute animal. As serious as the flick gets (still reeling from that gut punch tbh), it is amusing stuff too. Coogan is a smart choice of lead, although I could also weirdly visualise Rowan Atkinson and someone else I've since forgotten (ffs) in the role too. Obviously I know who Coogan is and do like him, but aside from <em>'Night at the Museum'</em> I always forget about him - not here. Vivian El Jaber brings a praiseworthy performance as well, likewise Alfonsina Carrocio. Jonathan Pryce is terrific casting as the headmaster, that first scene with him is great. Björn Gustafsson, albeit more minimally, is solid too. The kid actors are OK, for what it's worth.
CinemaSerf2025-05-10
★ 7/10
“Tom” (Steve Coogan) is an English teacher who has worked his way around South America becoming a little more cyclical than your average bear when he arrives at a posh school outside Buenos Aires that teaches the sons of the great and the good. It’s run by the ostensibly rather foppish “Timbuck” (Sir Jonathan Pryce) and after his first day he has little enthusiasm for his post. Then, in quick succession, he meets his Finnish colleague “Tapio” (Björn Gustafsson) and there is a timely coup so the school is closed and the pair decide to head off to Uruguay for some fun. “Tom” gets more than he bargained for, though, when a romantic walk along the beach introduces him to an oil slick and to a penguin that’s covered in the stuff. As they say, no good deed goes unpunished and next thing he has a pet that is determined never to be parted from him. Back at school, replete with his new sprat-eating friend, he has to keep his secret whilst dealing with the boys who epitomise the political differences of their fathers and with the growing sense of popular libertarianism that causes considerable grief for his heart-of-gold housekeeper (Vivian El Jaber) whose freethinking grand-daughter has been apprehended by the secret police. It’s based on a true story and though I’m not a great fan of Coogan’s underwhelming style of acting, he does manage to work together quite engagingly with his loyal “Juan Salvador” to provide us with a mix of the lightly sentimental and the equally lightly menacing all peppered with some sarcastic one liners and quite an entertainingly static effort from Gustafsson. Sir Jonathan doesn’t really feature enough make much impact but in the end, the star is the Magellan penguin that serves as a cheeky yet potent conduit bringing together boys, bullies, adults and teachers together in an amiable fashion.