The Penguin Lessons

A true (ish?) story about an English teacher living in 1970s Argentina (Steve Coogan) who reluctantly becomes friends with a penguin, and sneaks it into his boarding school.

The film’s very stilted and awkward first third had me looking at my watch. I realise that it’s a difficult scene to set - a comedy drama about a penguin but also human kidnapping and a brutal coup - but man it really stumbles out of the gates.

Luckily it manages to find its footing as it wears on and although it’s a predictable tale it manages to find more than its share of comedy and pathos. Coogan seems to relax into the role and does justice to the key scenes he’s given.

Probably a bit too flighty (forgive the pun) given its pretty horrific backdrop, but it comes from a long line of British films that lean on the same bittersweet tone, and this is probably one of the better ones amongst them.