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The Penguin Lessons

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The Penguin Lessons
Film poster
Directed byPeter Cattaneo
Screenplay byJeff Pope
Based onThe Penguin Lessons by Tom Michell
Produced byRory Aitken
Adrián Guerra
Andrew Noble
Ben Pugh
Robert Walak
StarringSteve Coogan
Jonathan Pryce
Vivian El Jaber
Björn Gustafsson
CinematographyXavi Giménez
Edited byRobin Peters
Tariq Anwar
Music byFederico Jusid
Production
companies
Intake Films
Rolling Dice
42
Nostromo Pictures
Aperture Media Partners
Distributed byLionsgate (United Kingdom and Ireland)
Release dates
  • 6 September 2024 (2024-09-06) (TIFF)
  • 18 April 2025 (2025-04-18) (United Kingdom)
Running time
112 minutes[1]
CountriesUnited Kingdom
Spain
LanguagesEnglish
Spanish
Box office$2.3 million[2][3]

The Penguin Lessons is a 2024 comedy-drama film directed by Peter Cattaneo based on the 2015 memoir by Tom Michell, a British teacher who taught at a boys' boarding school in Argentina in the 1970s. While there, he rescued a penguin which he found soaked with oil on a beach in the Uruguayan resort of Punta del Este. He saved the penguin which then kept following him and so he took it back to the school, where it became a popular pet.[4]

Adapted by Jeff Pope from Tom Michell's memoir, the film stars Steve Coogan as Michell and Jonathan Pryce as the headmaster of the school.[5] The film was shot in Spain in 2023. It premiered as a gala presentation at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival and was released in the United States on 28 March 2025 by Sony Pictures Classics. It will be released in the United Kingdom and Ireland on 18 April 2025 by Lionsgate UK.[6]

Premise

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The film follows an Englishman's personal and political awakening after he adopts a penguin during a cataclysmic period in Argentine history.

Cast

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  • Steve Coogan as Tom Michell
  • Vivian El Jaber as Maria
  • Björn Gustafsson as Science Teacher Tapio
  • David Herrero as Diego
  • Jonathan Pryce as Headmaster Buckle
  • Aimar Miranda as Ernesto
  • Nicanor Fernandez as Igor
  • Hugo Fuertes as Ramiro
  • Joaquín Lopez as Víctor
  • Miguel Alejandro Serrano as Walter
  • Brendan McNamee as Cooper

Reception

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Box office

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In its opening weekend, the film made $1.2 million from 1,017 theaters.[7][8] Losing 334 theaters in its second weekend, the film fell 62% to $444,316.[9]

Critical response

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On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 84% of 86 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.8/10. The website's consensus reads: "The Penguin Lessons is appealing even if it curiously elides some disturbing geopolitical history, and is elevated by a winning performance from Steve Coogan with a little help from a lovable pint-sized companion."[10] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 58 out of 100, based on 18 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[11]

References

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  1. ^ "The Penguin Lessons". British Board of Film Classification. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
  2. ^ "The Penguin Lessons – Financial Information". The Numbers. Retrieved April 6, 2025.
  3. ^ "The Penguin Lessons". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 6 April 2025.
  4. ^ Flood, Alison (2016-06-26). "The Penguin Lessons by Tom Michell review – heartwarmingly eccentric". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 2025-04-04.
  5. ^ Rob London, "Steve Coogan to Star in Film Adaptation of 'The Penguin Lessons'". Collider, 8 February 2023.
  6. ^ Etan Vlessing, "Angelina Jolie’s ‘Without Blood,’ Mike Leigh’s ‘Hard Truths’ Added to Toronto Film Fest Lineup". The Hollywood Reporter, 22 July 2024.
  7. ^ "'Princess Mononoke' Re-Release Leads Previews With $1.2M, 'A Working Man' $1.1M & More – Box Office". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 28, 2025.
  8. ^ "Domestic 2025 Weekend 13". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved April 4, 2025.
  9. ^ "Domestic 2025 Weekend 14". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved April 7, 2025.
  10. ^ "The Penguin Lessons". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 9 April 2025.
  11. ^ "The Penguin Lessons". Metacritic. Retrieved 4 April 2025.
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