Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows FanStore News Showtimes

The Penguin Lessons

Play trailer 2:12 Poster for The Penguin Lessons PG-13 In Theaters Fri Mar 28 1h 50m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
Tomatometer 7 Reviews Popcornmeter 0 Verified Ratings
Inspired by the true story of a disillusioned Englishman who went to work in a school in Argentina in 1976. Expecting an easy ride, Tom discovers a divided nation and a class of unteachable students. However, after he rescues a penguin from an oil-slicked beach, his life is turned upside-down.
Coming Soon In Theaters Fri Mar 28 Reserve Tickets

Cast & Crew

View All Cast and Crew

Critics Reviews

View All (7) Critics Reviews
Guy Lodge Variety This is amusing stuff, well served by Coogan’s knack for haughty composure in the face of the absurd. The film is less convincing, however, when it reaches into the realm of the tragic. Sep 11, 2024 Full Review Beandrea July indieWire Using a distorted version of crucial historical events as a plot device that lionizes the British expat in a country that is not his own isn’t pathos, it’s objectification. Rated: C Sep 7, 2024 Full Review Ryan Gilbey Guardian There is a glass-half-full approach and then there is submerging reality so deeply in whimsy, sentimentality and cultural cliche that it needn’t be there at all. Rated: 2/5 Sep 7, 2024 Full Review Damon Wise Deadline Hollywood Daily Older audiences, however, will certainly respect what everyone is trying to do here, especially admirers of Steve Coogan in his more pensive guises. Sep 16, 2024 Full Review J. Don Birnam Next Best Picture It is not a literal masterpiece like the poems of Lord Byron that Tom teaches. Rather, a family-friendly tearjerker, like so many animal films with facile lessons, is all it is and aspires to be like so many before. Rated: 7/10 Sep 10, 2024 Full Review Nikki Baughan Screen International While Michell’s story is no doubt a heartwarming one, the decision to go beyond the confines of his lived experience and use the wider socio-political landscape to add further drama is ill-judged. Sep 9, 2024 Full Review Read all reviews
View All videos

The Penguin Lessons

The Penguin Lessons: Trailer 1 The Penguin Lessons: Trailer 1 2:12 View more videos
View All The Penguin Lessons photos

The Penguin Lessons

View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Inspired by the true story of a disillusioned Englishman who went to work in a school in Argentina in 1976. Expecting an easy ride, Tom discovers a divided nation and a class of unteachable students. However, after he rescues a penguin from an oil-slicked beach, his life is turned upside-down.
Director
Peter Cattaneo
Producer
Rory Aitken, Ben Pugh, Robert Walak, Adrián Guerra, Andrew Noble
Screenwriter
Jeff Pope
Distributor
Sony Pictures Classics
Production Co
42, Nostromo Pictures
Rating
PG-13 (Some Sexual References|Thematic Elements|Strong Language)
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Mar 28, 2025, Limited
Runtime
1h 50m
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)