The Penguin Lessons

Peter Cattaneo...is normally a surer hand with shading, but the script by Coogan’s regular collaborator Jeff Pope...also keeps defaulting to penguin lols – it waddles, it’s cute, repeat – rather than giving the ensemble much to do.

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.

This movie is enjoyable to watch and has its serious side. At the end of the day, though, it’s mainly about a schoolteacher and a penguin. The political upheaval is there but it is not examined in any detail.

Sure, penguins can do an impressive amount. But, despite what The Penguins Lessons implies, that does not extend to singlehandedly defeating fascism.

While the film offers heartwarming moments and gentle humour, it ultimately plays it safe ­– neither fully embracing its quirky premise or digging into its historica setting.

Cattaneo has it made as far as Coogan’s palmiped co-star is involved: throw in a few quizzical beak-raised reaction shots and you can’t fail. But the combination of farce, stark political reality and a shameless ahh factor is decidedly awkward.

While the trailer paints this as a cutesy animal comedy with shades of Dead Poets Society come Fly Away Home, be prepared for a film that certainly has much more gut wrenching drama than expected.

The filmmakers apparently believe that if you put a penguin in a starring role, you can’t go wrong...

This utterly charming blend of light comedy and even lighter drama offers a delightful variation on a familiar cinematic formula: the jaded schoolteacher rediscovering purpose in their craft from an unlikely source of inspiration.

The stakes are unbelievably high, and whether textual, structural or performance related, this emotional journey isn’t fully realised. Nonetheless, this is still a wildly enjoyable film.