Didn’t we just do this? I could swear that we did a daddy-loves-penguin film like two weeks ago. Hmmm, turns out it was last August. Geez, in movie time, that is, like, last week. Well, for me at least. Anyway, there’s another one out now. And it’s better than the last. And it doesn’t have Jean Reno … which is probably a fair reason why.
To this point, I’ve seen a ton of films in which somebody adopts an animal, and -lemme tell ya- the protagonist is always presented as “reluctant hero,” which is -dare I say- the nature of the beast.
The Penguin Lessons is no different. However, the protagonist here is presented as rawer and not just indifferent, but actively hostile to the idea of owning a pet penguin. Let’s face it — you don’t own a pet penguin unless you really want to own a pet penguin. Steve Coogan is probably the perfect guy to lend an air of honesty, cynicism, and questionable morality to said onus.
Let me set the scene: a beach cafe on the sand in Punta del Este, Uruguay. Steve Coogan is sitting alone at a table and trying to hide behind a menu as the penguin he has just thrown in the ocean has come looking for him. A small crowd follows the penguin up from the water. (This is a paraphrased conversation from memory.)
Crowd (to Steve): Aw, is that your penguin?
Steve: What penguin? No! Not my penguin!
Crowd: Why does it follow you?
Steve: Look, I’ve known this penguin for less than 24 hours. I just cleaned it up from an oil slick.
Crowd: Awwwwwwwww. Well, aren’t you responsible for it, then?
Steve: No. I HATE penguins. go away!
Crowd: If you don’t like penguins, why did you clean it up?
Steve (exasperated): I was trying to impress a woman I wanted to have sex with.
Coogan plays Tom Mitchell, a professor new to St. George’s Academy (the Fightin’ Martyrs) in Argentina. His job is to teach English to snotty Argentinian boys while they torture each other in the back of the class. Professor Mitchell hates his life. This Englishman has come to South America to escape, basically, everything. Unfortunately, the year is 1976; Argentina is trying out fascism and as a result the prof and friend decide to travel to Uruguay for week. And that is where Tom Mitchell reluctantly rescues a penguin and even more reluctantly returns to Argentina with the penguin. There are several tongue-in-cheek moments regarding the return as Mitchell is constantly taking the tack of pretending to be a clumsy smuggler: “Oh well, you got me. Guess you’ll have to take the penguin. Rats.” This strikes me as much truer to real life than the usual animal rescue on film. Once Professor Mitchell returns to Argentina, reluctantly remining the beast’s
caretaker, the first thing he does is cajole a zoo into taking the damn thing off his hands.
Although The Penguin Lessons could work with just being about a man and his penguin, the film has a consistent background of fascism – the boys’ Academy is like an island of small freedom surrounded by a country going to Hell. Every time Tom Mitchell travels outside the grounds, he sees noticeable changes towards a police state; none of them are good.
Reluctance is a good word for The Penguin Lessons; it not only describes the hero and the people in his milieu as they’re forced to embrace change; reluctance also describes my own feelings about seeing another penguin film. But this one was good, and I’m very glad I saw it. I would not have guessed that penguin adoption and anti-fascist lecturing could go hand-in-hand, but they do, and the product is worthwhile.
There was once and English prof named Tom
Life shocked him into permanent calm
Yet a flightless water bird
Made him notice the absurd
Now he resists with exceptional aplomb
Rated PG-13, 111 Minutes
Director: Peter Cattaneo
Writer: Jeff Pope, Tom Mitchell
Genre: Bird smuggling
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: Fans of The Penguin
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: Fans of The Joker
